Top Ten European Music Festivals to Hit This Summer
Summer concert series are a travel highlight for many music lovers, and Europe is renowned for having some of the edgiest bands and venues. With so many fantastic festivals to choose from this year, festival goers are going to need to make some difficult decisions about what they attend.
This guide should help by giving you the need-to-know information about some of the top festivals coming to Europe this summer. They are organized by date, so if you plan your trip right you might just be able to hit more than one.
Meadows in the Mountains, Bulgaria
This festival draws an eccentric crowd deep into the Rhodope mountains of the Bulgarian countryside to dance the night away. A line up of folk music during the day transitions into heavy ravings until sunrise. Then, festival -goers make the trek down the mountain to stay as guests in the homes of villagers below. This festival cultivates a relaxed atmosphere where you are just as likely to see participants practicing yoga with each other as raving.
June 10-13
£115 with camping
Secret Solstice, Iceland
Iceland is one of the few places that truly goes all out to celebrate mid-summer, and the Secret Solstice Music festival is a prime event. After a weekend in this otherworldly landscape you will have the sense that you are partying with elves and other woodland creatures. Increase your stamina to dance under the Icelandic midnight sun by taking breaks from the festival to soak in the surrounding geothermal hot springs. Line up: Radiohead, Skream, Afrika, Bambaataa and others.
June 17-19
£165 with camping
Open’er, Poland
Don't let the budget friendly nature of the Open'er Festival trick you into thinking that stellar bands won't be there. Set in an old Polish Airbase, the Open'er is a festival filled with fashion shows and discos that still manages to feel under the radar. Tickets and beer are cheaper here than most European festivals and concert events take place in old airplane hangers. Noteworthy line up: Beirut, Kurt Vile, The Last Shadow Puppets and PJ Harvey.
June 29–July 2
£112 for four days with camping
Love International, Croatia
The seaside town of Tisno will get inundated by the Love International Festival, a brand new electronic festival beginning this year. Held at the intimate Garden Resort, this festival will feature four stages and various boat parties along the waterfront. If you get tired of raving, the deep blue water of the Adriatic Sea is just footsteps away. Line Up: Axelm Boman, Ben UFO, Bicep, Craig Richards, Dixon.
June 29-July 6
£120 for a week
Bilbao BBK, Spain
Since its humble beginnings in 2006, the Basque festival has become more notable ever year. This year promises to be a real treat for festival goers with a line up that combines old and new bands like the Pixies and New Order with Arcade Fire, Foals and Tame Impala. An especially appealing aspect of this concert series is that it takes place right next to town, meaning that you can wander the streets before the concerts even begin. At at incredibly low price, this is a festival that's not to be missed.
July 7-9
£100 with camping
Secret Garden Party, Cambridgeshire
A hundred-acre site in Cambridgeshire is the location of the fantastical Secret Garden Party festival, an event that prides itself on elaborate decorations, giant sculptures and garden themed props. Started in 2004 as a response to more mainstream festivals, the Garden Party is an understated event. The line up- which includes including DJ Shadow, Milky Chance, Shura, Lissie and Submotion Orchestra- should not disappoint, though music is the second priority at this highly interactive festival experience. This year's theme is Gardeners of the Galaxy, so expect to see plenty of alternative performances filled with opportunities for audience interaction.
July 21-24
£180 per person with camping
Camp Bestival, Dorset
A family friendly concert event, this festival is an ideal addition to a vacation in England. Just a short distance from the Corfe Castle and the Jurassic Coast, Camp Bestival is well established and full of activities to keep the whole family occupied. Lineup highlights include Fatboy Slim, Dick and Dom, and Tears for Fears.
July 28-31
£197.50 with camping
Wilderness, Oxfordshire
The Wilderness Festival will take you off the beaten path of festivals with events like camel riding, craft making, natural spa soaking and a not to be missed gastronomic feast. The music experience is like none other, as festival goers will hear the Flaming Lips perform their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin and highlights from Goldie on her 90s Timeless album. New friends quickly become good friends at the Wilderness Festival.
August 4 - 7
£175.25 with camping
Flow, Helsinki
Taking place in Finland, the Flow Festival is a reliably fantastic place to get concert food and listen to great music. The city's best chefs compete to feed festival goers fantastic organic foods right from the their vans. And when the music becomes too much to handle, concert goers can seek out saunas throughout town to relax in. Taking place in an industrial power plant, this festival has a hipster feel that will satisfy international visitors. Line up highlights include Iggy Pop, Massive Attack, The Kills, and Jamie XX.
August 12-14
£135 with camping
Bestival, Isle of Wight
Bestival plans to be a UK festival to remember this year. With a line up including Major Lazer, Diplo, and Hot Chic, the party mood should be infectious. As soon as the gates open to the Magic Meadow, fervent crowds strain to get in and set the mood for days of frenzied excitement and exploration of the festival's often hidden stages and local vegetarian food options. The Saturday afternoon Carnival Parade is not to be missed.
September 8-11
£190 with camping
Best Tips for Festival Success
Bringing large crowds of partying people together in a small space is bound to create some problems and festivals are not known for being the safest environments. Follow these tips to ensure that your summer festival experiences are successes.
- Wear Sunscreen and Bring a Hat: One thing most summer festivals have in common is that they are outdoors. Being exposed to the sun for hours on end will fry your skin and sap away your energy, so be sure to lather up with sunscreen and always wear a hat.
- Bring Your Own WiFi At a crowded venue like a festival, no public WiFi is truly secure from malicious hackers. Keep your information safe by bringing your own Keepgo WiFi mobile hotspot. This device provides seamless mobile Internet connectivity across all of Europe and it will ensure that your data stays protected, no matter where you choose to get online. And remember, American cell phone plans aren't likely to work in Europe, so to avoid expensive fees by using a Keepgo International Mobile Data SIM card in your phone.
- Stay Hydrated Hot weather, alcohol, and lots of dancing make festivals prime environments to suffer from dehydration. Carry water with you where ever you go and strive to drink at least 8 ounces every
