Top Ten Music Festivals in Europe

So what are the top ten music festivals in Europe?

The often frosty spring has certainly given way to the summer and while some parts of Europe are certainly warmer than others, summer is officially here. This coincides with the season of endless festivals and gigs. Europe really knows how to throw a festival and you can pretty much spend every weekend in one if you wish and have the stamina to do so. They are also a great excuse to travel and try out your best outfits. You are even allowed to go a little crazy if you like.

While tickets can be hard to get and often get snapped long before the arrival of summer depending on how big the festival is but there are always last minute tickets if you are lucky enough to get a hold of them. It’s also good to keep an eye on the festival scene so you can check which one you might want to go to next year and be ready to snap the ticket when they go live.

So here is our pick of the best festivals in Europe. Feel free to let us know if we missed some note-worthy ones.

1. Tomorrowland

The Belgian festival is certainly one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals not just in Europe but in the world. The vibe is absolutely amazing. The lighting, the stages and sets and the fireworks make it an incredible experience to have. If you want to experience one music festival, just pick Tomorrowland and you can’t get wrong with it.

This year over 600 acts will be performing over two weekends as the festival takes place on 21^st -23^rd July and 28^th – 30^th of July.

2. Hideout

Hideout is an electronic music festival held in Zrce, Croatia on the Island of Pag. It landed on the Guardian’s list of the best festivals in Europe right from its inception in 2011. Since then it has been sold out each year and for good reason. Spend your days in pool parties when you are not swimming and the night listening to the headliners performing. If swimming is too much work then there are plenty of boat parties to attend as well. This year, the Hideout is being held from 25- 29^th June 2023

3. Sonar Festival

Sonar Festival is an electronic and alternative music festival held in Barcelona, Spain. Its one of the most respected and celebrated festival of its kind as it encourages experimental music and engages the underground culture. So you can expect a lot of fresh music along with big names. But it offers a lot more than just music through a series of installations, workshops, talks and seminars.

This year the festival will be held from 15 to 17^th June 2023.

4. Glastonbury Festival

As Brits, we are quite proud of Glastonbury festival and you can’t really blame us. After all its one of the biggest festivals with the top singers headlining it. Yes, it can get a muddy affair but it is so totally worth it.

 

5. Awakening Festival

Held on the outskirts on Amsterdam, Awakening is the techno music festival not to miss if you are into that kind of music as the biggest names of the genre come on stage to perform. This year’s festival is on from 7^th to 9^th of July 2023.

 

6. Exit Festival

Exit music festival was in Serbia and get the best major festival award at the European Festivals Awards twice. Last year over 200,000 people join to have the time of their lives and you could be next. Its diverse line up means that there is something for pretty much everyone and the atmosphere is to die for.

 

7. Extrema Festival

Another festival from Netherlands is the Extrema, also called XOBE Festival. It’s a three day camping affair that pulls over 65,000 people and features over 100 artists playing at 7 stages. This year the festival takes place from 26^th May to 28^th May.

 

8. Sziget Festival

This time we are heading to Hungary for another contender for the biggest festival in Europe, Extrema festival , held every August in Northern part of Budapest in a leafy spacious island on the river Dunabe. It is call as European alternative, to the American “Burning Man” festival. This year the festival is on from 10^th Aug – 15^th Aug 2023.

9. Mysteryland Festival

Mysteryland claims the oldest dance music festival and held in the Netherlands. Each year over 100,000 party-goers attend the festival from over 100 countries. This year the festival is on from 25^th August to 27^th August 2023.

10. Melt Festival

Melt Festival has held in a small town near Berlin a quarter of a century. Sandwiched between a lake and forest under the shadows of the old disused coal excavators, it offers a unique and serene atmosphere for the music lovers. This year, the festival will held from 8^th June to 11^th June 2023.

So guys, here is our list of some of the top ten music festivals to see in Europe. This list is by no means authoritative or claims to be complete so feel free to send us your suggestions if you think we missed some important festivals. We may do a second post based on your opinions.