diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 0e02f7181a3..12bbf1c3304 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ jobs:
         - ubuntu-18.04-64
         - ubuntu-20.04-64
         - ubuntu-20.10-64
+        - ubuntu-21.04-64
         - ubuntu-core-16-64
         - ubuntu-core-18-64
         - ubuntu-core-20-64
diff --git a/spread.yaml b/spread.yaml
index d44d0ad7079..cebe6601219 100644
--- a/spread.yaml
+++ b/spread.yaml
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ backends:
                   secureboot: true
             - ubuntu-20.10-64:
                   workers: 8
-                  image: ubuntu-20.10-64
+            - ubuntu-21.04-64:
+                  workers: 8
+                  image: ubuntu-os-cloud-devel/ubuntu-2104
 
             - debian-9-64:
                   workers: 6
@@ -234,6 +236,9 @@ backends:
             - ubuntu-20.10-64:
                   username: ubuntu
                   password: ubuntu
+            - ubuntu-21.04-64:
+                  username: ubuntu
+                  password: ubuntu
             - debian-sid-64:
                   username: debian
                   password: debian
diff --git a/tests/lib/nested.sh b/tests/lib/nested.sh
index 197b28f2196..e6729adfd56 100644
--- a/tests/lib/nested.sh
+++ b/tests/lib/nested.sh
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ nested_get_google_image_url_for_vm() {
         ubuntu-20.10-64*)
             echo "https://storage.googleapis.com/spread-snapd-tests/images/cloudimg/groovy-server-cloudimg-amd64.img"
             ;;
+        ubuntu-21.04-64*)
+            echo "https://storage.googleapis.com/spread-snapd-tests/images/cloudimg/hirsute-server-cloudimg-amd64.img"
+            ;;
         *)
             echo "unsupported system"
             exit 1
@@ -210,6 +213,9 @@ nested_get_ubuntu_image_url_for_vm() {
         ubuntu-20.10-64*)
             echo "https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/groovy/current/groovy-server-cloudimg-amd64.img"
             ;;
+        ubuntu-21.04-64*)
+            echo "https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/hirsute/current/hirsute-server-cloudimg-amd64.img"
+            ;;
         *)
             echo "unsupported system"
             exit 1
diff --git a/tests/main/lxd-mount-units/task.yaml b/tests/main/lxd-mount-units/task.yaml
index e1b742d13f8..1e446a1f18d 100644
--- a/tests/main/lxd-mount-units/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/main/lxd-mount-units/task.yaml
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ execute: |
     fi
 
     VERSION_ID="$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_ID" )"
+    # TODO: enable for ubuntu-21.04-64 when the image is available
+    if [ "$VERSION_ID" = "21.04" ]; then
+        VERSION_ID="20.10"
+    fi
     lxd.lxc launch --quiet "ubuntu:$VERSION_ID" ubuntu
 
     echo "Setting up proxy *inside* the container"
diff --git a/tests/main/lxd/task.yaml b/tests/main/lxd/task.yaml
index ad1514ee078..307b9e8e293 100644
--- a/tests/main/lxd/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/main/lxd/task.yaml
@@ -90,6 +90,10 @@ execute: |
     # my-nesting-ubuntu nesting container
 
     VERSION_ID="$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_ID" )"
+    # TODO: enable for ubuntu-21.04-64 when the image is available
+    if [ "$VERSION_ID" = "21.04" ]; then
+        VERSION_ID="20.10"
+    fi
     lxd.lxc launch --quiet "ubuntu:$VERSION_ID" my-ubuntu
     lxd.lxc launch --quiet "ubuntu:$VERSION_ID" my-nesting-ubuntu -c security.nesting=true
     if [ "$(uname -m)" = x86_64 ] && lxd.lxc info my-ubuntu | grep "Architecture: i686"; then