With more people than ever choosing festivals over sun-filled getaways, I take you through the 10 perfect places to get the best of both worlds.
Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom
One of the most famous music festival in the world. The ticket everyone wants. After hearing stories of magical weekends in the Somerset countryside, I was sceptical of all the hype, but nevertheless, after two break in attempts (failed ones, may I add), I got my hands on a ticket last year. It just so happened it was the muddiest Glastonbury on record, but that didn’t seem to dampen or dirty the mood. Simply the most incredible place I’ve ever been and somewhere I hope to return every year, starting in 2017. Over the course of one weekend I went form a Glasto sceptic to one of those people who say things like, ‘you have to experience it to know how good it is,’ because really, you do.
FIB Benicassim, Benicassim, Spain
Wedged between Les Palmes National Park and the Mediterranean sea, Benicassim is the perfect festival for sun seekers and music lovers alike. FIB Benicassim is another festival where atmosphere, alongside the music, is key to its appeal. With it’s name including the word International, the festival boasts an audience spanning all over Europe and further; an immense cultural spread people who have travelled to have a good time. The line up isn’t too shoddy either, with Disclosure, Muse, and The Chemical Brothers gracing last year’s line-up, and Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining this year. Getting there might be awkward, but it looks and sounds well worth it.
Colours of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
As the biggest city in The Czech Republic, Ostrava also boasts the biggest festival, ‘Colours’. With acts such as The XX, Bonobo and Damien Rice playing over recent years, the festivals line up also draws upon the unexpected or perhaps unseen, but what makes the event so special is it’s industrial location. The festival is set amongst the towering structures of a, now defunct, coal and steel power plant. Priding itself not only on incredible settings and music, the festival is cheap, with eh average pint costing about £1.20, and provides only the highest quality regional foods. All round, Colours of Ostrava is one of the festivals that top my list for next summer, with an incredible site, and emphasis on unison, it just sounds too cool to miss! £1.20 pints don’t sound bad either…
Bestival, Isle Of Wight, United Kingdom
Bestival is the only other festival on this list I’ve been to (yet), so I can wholeheartedly vouch for the fact that it is equally as good as Glastonbury, if not better. I can say quite simply that I have never been as happy as I was wondering around the scenic Robin Hill country park; staring in wonder at everything I passed. The whole weekend is like some sort of strange, euphoric dream; a dream I cannot wait to revisit next September. You’ll never see so many smiling faces or have as much fun as you will at Bestival, put money on it. It will never have the acts Glastonbury boasts (although headliners The Cure, Major Lazer, and Wiz Khalifa are no minor acts), but it does have an incredible sense of intimacy that the sprawling Glastonbury site cannot yet grasp.
Tomorrowland, Boom, Belgium
Of all the festivals on this list, Tomorrowland stands out in its ‘EDM-only’ line up. Whereas all the others welcome a wide range of performers from most genres, Tomorrowland is a festival for ravers and ravers only. 3 days of back-to-back heavyweights in the dance music scene, from Tïesto to Guetta to Skrillex, they’ve all been there and most of them return year on year. A big draw of Tomorrowland is, again, the setting. The main stage annually metamorphoses from one immense structure to another, each as mind bogglingly intricate and astonishing as the last. Last years theme was ‘The Elixir of Life’ which played heavy on the mystical and rustic branding the festival uses. It’s a kind of heaven for any dance music fan, and it acts as the perfect shrine for a pill filled pilgrimage. Expect to see a lot of shuffling, sweaty, shirtless guys and neon paint. This ones not for everyone, but nevertheless it looks pretty incredible, and it looks worth a visit just for the experience.
Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, Holland
Dutch festival, Lowlands, has been gathering more and more hype in the festival world as year’s progress. With music, art, comedy, film, theatre, dance and literature all receiving equal levels of attention from both organisers and audiences, Lowlands caters for everyone. Muse, LCD Sound System and Foals were amongst a star-studded line up musically this year, with artists such as Peter Te Bos and Ronald A. Westerhuis providing sculptures and art pieces across the site. One of the best things about Lowlands is that it is one of the most eco-friendly festivals in the world, with organisers plying lots of attention to reducing the festivals waste and carbon footprint in an attempt to become carbon neutral. With no main stage, no try hard teenagers in tracksuits (s/o Reading and Leeds), and Grolsch aplenty, Lowlands sounds like breathe of fresh festival air.
Exit Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia
Created by students as a way of standing up against the oppressive Serbian regime of the late 90s, Exit Festival is an annual event that has been growing for over a decade, and more recently, it’s notoriety across Europe and the rest of the world has led to exponential growth. Although Exit is beginning to edge towards a more dance based line-up as popular in Eastern Europe, an eclectic mix of acts from all genres is key to it’s appeal. With Mötorhead, Stormzy and Bastille all playing over recent years, its draw of big acts across the industry has led to its growth in popularity. In terms of setting, it’s another stunner. In and around Petrovaradin Fortress, as flanked by the Danube River; history, culture and nature all collide to form a one-of-a-kind spectacle.
Les Ardentes, Liege, Belgium
Roughly translated to mean ‘Burning Desire,’ Ardentes is a cosmopolitan clash of cultures and music. Set in central Liege, near the Dutch and German borders, a line up of rappers, DJs and general global superstars has pushed Les Ardentes into the limelight as one of Europe’s musts on the festival calendar over recent years. Highlighted by a rare European appearance of last year’s headliner Pharrell Williams alongside FlyLo and Young Thug, Les Ardentes is a festival on the rise. With one eye locked firmly on the environment and the other on having a good time, the festival catches the perfect balance between sustainability and enjoyment. This one comes high up on my to-do list.
Lost Village, Lincolnshire, UK
Nestled amongst the Lincolnshire countryside, Lost Village is as it sounds; an intimate weekend of dance music below canopies of British woodland. After debuting in 2015, this is a festival on the rise and one that is quickly becoming a festival-goers must. With the likes of Fatboy Slim and Eats Everything populating the line up last year, dance heavyweights are aplenty, and what better location to dance. Taking on a undeniably rustic theme, the festival creates a real sense of immersion and intimacy between acts and audiences, and audience members themselves. Harnessing the woodland itself as a prop, the festival is built around nature, which gives it a feeling of tranquillity that other festivals desperately try to fabricate. With ticket prices at just £150 for four days, get to this one before it blows up.
Bilbao BBK, Bilbao, Spain
Similar to Benicassim, Bilbao harnesses its location to juxtapose nature against the metropolis of Bilbao, which sprawls alongside it. It’s not just the idyllic location that makes this festival one of the best in Europe, but also its mix of the some of the world’s best known acts with some of your new favourite bands. With the likes of Dekot, one of Spain’s finest from a crop of upcoming bands, gracing the same stage as Tame Impala and Foals. Another thing about BBK is that the music starts in the early evening and continues to the early morning, which gives you time to explore the city which flanks it or the glorious Spanish which are just 30 minutes away The best thing about Bilbao BBK is the price. At just €96 for three days, and with the acts which play it, Bilbao BBK is incredible value for money, and flights to Bilbao aren’t too much either.