In Europe, summer is almost synonymous with festivals. As festival season kicks off, let's have a look at the top ten must-experience festivals around the continent and in the UK.
All Tomorrow’s Parties, Iceland
With headliners including Intepol and Portishead and a whole selection of local acts worth seeing, the All Tomorrow’s Parties is an atmosphere worth being a part of. Held on the 10th to the 12th July, the festival held in a former NATO airbase boasts a main stage that used to house bombers and a horizon punctuated by power plants, the venue and atmosphere combined make for a super cool festival.
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, Spain
Serious music lovers seem to be the only people outside of Spain who have heard of Benicàssim, a small town that plays host to a fantastic music festival. It’s a four day event that place from the 17th – 20th July this year, without curfew restrictions; the music starts at 5pm and goes on until early the next morning. Predominantly featuring alternative rock and electronic artists, Benicàssim is a total hotspot for people who love a good rave! The line-up for this year hasn’t been confirmed yet but keep up with their website here for more information.
Image source: http://www.adamsavenuestreetfair.org/
Roskilde European Music Festival, Denmark
The Roskilde festival in Denmark is one of the biggest European music festivals. Visitors flock to the festival from all across Europe, providing tourists with a reason to visit the expensive Scandinavian country. The festival is usually a great mix of music, 24 hour parties, organic food and experimental art and design. Everyone arrives early so you could potentially have up to eight days of fun, with the festival spanning from the 29th June to the 6th July. The line up so far includes Arctic Monkeys, Major Lazer, Deerhunter, Carcass and Dilated Peoples.
Optimus Primevera Sound, Porto, Portugal
The younger, smaller sister of Primevera Sound Barcelona takes over Porto’s seaside Parque de Cidade from the 5th to the 7th June proving that it can shine bright all on its own and out of the shadow of its older sister. The party that is Optimus Primevera Sound spills into the city’s historic centre, a 20 minute beach walk away into baroque bars on cobbled streets and the vibe is all relaxed and so European.
Isle of Wight Festival, UK
The Isle of Wight festival has enjoyed a long and colourful history with the event having started in 1968. In 1969 Bob Dylan performed in front of an estimated crowd of 200,000 people and ever since the festival has seen amazing line-up of amazing line-up of the best artists across the world. Set to be between the 12th and 15th June this year Isle of Wight Festival will be playing host to the likes of Biffy Clyro, DJ Calvin Harris, Rudimental, The Passenger, The 1975, and The Waterboys.
Melt! Ferropolis, Germany
Melt! Another weekend festival takes over Ferropolis, a place at an abandoned mine on a peninsula surrounded by a lake. From the 18th to the 20th July Melt! Brings a blend of techno, electronic, hip-hop and indie rock on its beachfront stages and attracts a mixed crowd of rockers and ravers. Be absorbed in the massive strobe lights and crane like structures that make up the ‘iron island’, totally adding to the modern eclectic vibe that will be going on.
Primevera Sound, Barcelona
What makes Primavera Sound so special is that it’s the best of both worlds: a major festival with a boutique vibe. Their line-up increasingly boasts bigger and bigger artists and the location is to die for. This year Primevera Sound will be taking place from the 5th to 7th of June with Arcade Fire and Nine Inch Nails headlining.
Sziget Festival, Budapest, Hungary
Hungary’s top music festival is held in Budapest, the nation’s capital. The event lasts for a crazy seven whole days with around 1000 artists performing over the week. Held on Óbudai-sziget (translated as Old-Buda Island), Sziget Festival takes place from the 11th to 18th August. What keeps everyone going at this festival? Well there are other activities for you to indulge in other than the music, from football to indoor rowing to a cinema being available within the vicinity.
Field Day, London, UK
The capital’s coolest festival rolls out across a whole weekend, taking over Victoria Park from the 7th to 8th June this year. Promising the likes of Metromony and Pixies as headliners, join in the totally hipster carfree vibe that Field Day is renowned for. Away from the music the Village Green will be boasting some country fair with sack races, tea bag tossing and a winkle picking competition, if you’re looking for something more than the music.
INmusic Festival, Croatia
Croatia’s largest open-air festival, INmusic enjoys a pretty idyllic location on a small island in Lake Jarun. It’s a popular two day festival, taking place this year from the 23rd to 25th June; with several genre-specific stages each hosting renowned indie rock, heavy metal and electronica artists. So far the 2014 line-up includes The Black Keys, Pixies, MGMT and Flogging Molly.
If you want to continue the fun when the festival ends, try an extended break exploring some of Croatia’s beautiful coastal resorts. This event is the perfect way to combine sun and great scenery with plenty of festival laughs.
