Record Store Day has returned for its 19th year today (April 18), with fans queuing from the early hours to get their hands on special edition releases from their local independent record shops.
This year’s annual event sees some huge names putting out special one-off collectable vinyl and cassettes, with the likes of Charli XCX, Muse, Suede, David Bowie, The Cure, KPop Demon Hunters, Paramore, and many more sharing exclusive releases.
Artists including The Snuts and Nilüfer Yanya, as well as Fleetwood Mac, Divorce, Primal Scream, and Bring Me The Horizon, are among those dropping one-off records for the benefit of RSD’s charity partner War Child.
CMAT, Gigi Perez, Air, HAIM, Olivia Dean, PinkPantheress, RAYE, Rose Gray, Self Esteem, Sleep Token, The Last Dinner Party and Wolf Alice are also among the acts participating this year.
With more than 300 UK and Ireland record shops taking part alongside thousands more indie retailers worldwide, a huge slate of exclusive physical releases were made available to fans this morning on a first-come, first-served basis.
As usual, today’s event has already brought huge numbers of fans to record stores across the UK early this morning, with some even camping out 24 hours before stores opened, armed with camping chairs and flasks of tea.
All ready for opening at 8:00am. Queue is the longest we’ve seen. Looking forward to a great day. pic.twitter.com/JZ2Ti1vZ9i
— Kaleidoscope Records (@KaleidoscopeRe2) April 18, 2026
Morning everyone!
…and Happy Record Store Day!
We’ll get through you all as quickly as possible – thanks a lot for your patience!#RSD #RecordStoreDay #RSD26 #RecordStoreDay26 @RSDUK pic.twitter.com/lrUZlpmIEr
— REFLEX CDs & VINYL (@REFLEX_CD_VINYL) April 18, 2026
🎉 WE’RE OPEN FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2026 🎉
hundreds of limited editions, one-offs and long-awaited reissues, available exclusively from bricks-and-mortar record shops. pic.twitter.com/zEkSmt7lvT
— Banquet Records (@BanquetRecords) April 18, 2026
The queues have started…and there’s less 24 hours to go until #RSD26 ! 🚶🏻♀️🚶♂️🚶🏻♀️🚶♂️
Where are you celebrating tomorrow?
📸@RockBoxRecords @TheBeatandTrack
Heathen Chemistry Records pic.twitter.com/2jdUnF67HQ— Record Store Day UK (@RSDUK) April 17, 2026
Good morning all! We’re all set up and ready for @RSDUK! Open at 8am, see you soon!#rsd #recordstoreday #rsduk #rsd2026 #recordstoreday2026 @thesquarecamberley pic.twitter.com/nBdi5kQjOO
— The Rock Box Record Store (@RockBoxRecords) April 18, 2026
queue has begun at a local store in my area. granted this dude does this every rsd 😭 pic.twitter.com/yj4rXlzruM
— vik ❤️🔥 is seeing BTS (@vinylswift89) April 17, 2026
The Swifties were out in full force, all after an exclusive new purple-and-blue pressing of ‘Showgirl’ single ‘Elizabeth Taylor’. Nodding to the colour of the ”7 as well as the lyrics of the song, one happy fan took to X to say they were so happy to get their hands on it, they’d “cry their eyes violet”.
Charli XCX fans were also after ‘Party 4U’ on a seven-inch single, with many reporting it was a struggle to find copies this morning. “today is RSD and on Vinted vinyls of Taylor, Charli XCX and others are already flying off the shelves at cosmic prices,” one wrote on X. “Literally, people have been queuing there since yesterday morning and won’t have a chance to get their dream record, because someone decided they’d buy more and list them on Vinted.”
To the girl that snatched the Charli vinyl from me and then yelled at me when I got to rsd hours before you I hope you’re happy with yourself.
— Klara is a Tortured poet (@Klara_Bow13) April 18, 2026
dzisiaj jest RSD i na vinted już śmigają winyle Taylor, Charli XCX i inne za kosmiczne ceny 😐 dosłownie ludzie kolejkują tam od wczoraj od samego rana i nie będą mieć możliwości dostać wymarzonej płyty, bo ktoś stwierdził, że on kupi więcej i wystawi na vinted 😭
— Oliwia | FUTTTURA🛸 (@olivvvciaiam) April 18, 2026
my RSD line already being to the street and it’s not even 12am yet… oh Taylor your impact pic.twitter.com/Bswx3gt6Z0
— zach’s bittersweet 𑣿 (@foundsynk) April 18, 2026
Secured💜💜
I thought this year would be easy so I woke up before 6AM🤭#RSD2026@taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/SC18hPYh1n— Arisa🫶can fly anywhere for Taylor🇯🇵✈️🌎 (@ari_pi_25) April 18, 2026
HAPPY #RSD2026 EVE!!!!! 💜 I can’t wait to add the elizabeth taylor 7” vinyl to my RSD collection!!! @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/imBogcyvkT
— hannah 🩷 (@hiss_swift_hiss) April 17, 2026
I’m happy I got this, I’d cry my eyes violet..💜 #RSD2026 @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/FzsNtJPHfs
— *･˚✧ ayaka ₊･*⭐︎ swiftie (@AllTooWell_A8) April 18, 2026
Today’s #RSD delivery’s. Charli XCX, Jesus and Mary Chain, Todd Rundgren’s Runt, Simply Red, Sisters of Mercy and Ike White. We’ll be open tomorrow from 8:00am. Releases will be on a first come, first serve basis. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/vixqOX6iTk
— Kaleidoscope Records (@KaleidoscopeRe2) April 17, 2026
Time to show off the Charli XCX, Laufey, Olivia Dean, and Tate McRae RSD releases 💙 Get all the girlies on Record Store Day this Saturday, April 18th at Newbury Comics!#recordstoreday #vinyl #newburycomics #laufey #charlixcx pic.twitter.com/X8yguB8c1l
— Newbury Comics (@newburycomics) April 14, 2026
On the other end of the spectrum, Slipknot fans came out in droves to get their hands on ‘Look Outside Your Window’. Described as having an experimental, “Radiohead vibe”, the album arrived on vinyl today, and is limited to 2,300 copies.
Its release comes after percussionist Clown (real name Shawn Crahan) told fans late last year to “have faith” that “2026 is the year” it would arrive. The LP, which was recorded in 2008, has repeatedly been delayed since details of it were revealed around 2019.
One fan took to X to show off their haul, noting they were particularly pleased to get Slipknot’s “almost mythical ‘Look Outside Your Window’”. Nodding to the sheer numbers turning up to record stores, another wrote: “This is my first RSD, I didn’t know this was so serious. Like why are we camping 24 hours before…”
Happy #RecordStoreDay
Amazing haul this year including Slipknot adjacent’s almost mythical “Look Outside Your Window” 🔥
Looking forward to spinning these later pic.twitter.com/qMVPXbjkqs
— Spooky Jacko Playing RE Requiem (@AshesToAshxs) April 18, 2026
this is my first rsd I didn’t know this was so serious
— emily ⎕ SAW HAYLEY (@bfiaflemily) April 18, 2026
This year’s Record Store Day arrives with vinyl sales at their highest level in 20 years. The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association report that the market for vinyl records grew by 18.6 per cent, in value terms, with over 7.5 million discs sold last year, generating £238million.
