Summer may be a distant memory but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your festival fix in the winter months and what better setting than the slopes of some of the most beautiful mountains on the planet. The past few years have seen a rise in the number of promoters quite literally taking festivals to new heights and offering a unique mix of world-class artists, entertainment and winter sports.
Whether you’re a novice skier, a seasoned pro-snowboarder or just want to see your favourite artists in an unrivalled location, there’s sure to be a winter festival holiday for you. Here are four of our favourite music-fuelled snow getaways.
Horizon, Bansko, Bulgaria
12th – 17th March 2016
Airports – Sofia, Thessaloniki, Plovdiv, Skopje
Horizon takes over Bulgaria’s biggest snow resort, Bansko, which covers over 70 kilometres of slopes to hurl yourself down. Over 100 of the hottest DJ’s, record labels and club promoters provide the soundtrack over six days, against the stunning alpine backdrop of Pirin National Park. Several parties take place each day across the festival’s unique venues including forest stages, abandoned factories, pools and secret mountain hotels, and there’s even more on offer at the resort’s clubs and bars. Thanks to the exchange rate on the Bulgarian Lev, food and drink is super cheap so if you’re looking for a snow festival that won’t break the bank and an easy flight away, then Horizon may just be the ticket.
Snowbombing, Mayrhofen, Austria
4th – 9th April 2016
Airports – Innsbruck, Munich, Salzburg
Snowbombing is one of Europe’s most well-known snow festivals and for good reason. For the 17th year, over 6,000 revellers will make the pilgrimage to Austria’s Mayrhofen in 2016 for six days of snow, music and parties. The musical offering is enough to rival most of the big summer music festivals, with the likes of The Prodigy, Fat Boy Slim, Jungle, Skepta, Slaves and Craig David’s TS5 all confirmed for this year. Taking place in April, Snowbombing is late on the ski calendar, but Mayrhofen is usually a safe bet for snow and there’s a myriad areas to take advantage of. If you want to learn new skills or are a complete beginner, the festival organises its own ski and snowboard lessons. They even offer afternoon sessions for anyone who can’t face an early start after a long night of partying.
Snowboxx, Avoriatz, France
12th – 19th March 2016
Airport – Geneva
For those more interested in flying down the slopes then Snowboxx may be the best offering. The festival is situated in Avoriaz in Les Portes du Soleil, the biggest ski area in the world, with over 650 kilometres of runs across 15 resorts in France and Switzerland. Even the most adventurous ski/snowboarder would be hard pressed to get through all of that in a week. What’s more, there’s a huge selection of snow parks on offer for all levels of boarder including The Stash, a wooded tree run in the Lindarets bowl with natural jumps and features created by Burton. Snowboxx is known to throw a good party or two and all throughout the week team up with club promoters and DJs for events in the Snowboxx village and snow parks. We highly recommend getting involved in the snowball fight competitions and karaoke cable cars.
Rock The Pistes, Les Portes du Soleil, France
13th – 19th March 2016
Airport – Geneva
Rock The Pistes also takes place in Les Portes du Soleil at the same time as Snowboxx but takes full advantage of the range of slopes on offer. Unlike the other festivals in our list, you don’t need to buy tickets to see all of the music. Gigs take place at a different resort each day, so you have to earn your chance to catch the music by tackling a different slope each time. Already confirmed for this year’s edition are Two Door Cinema Club and France’s homegrown Hubert-Felix Thiéfaine, Izia and more.
WSSF, Whistler, Canada
8th – 17th April 2016
Airport – Vancouver
Fancy flying a bit further afield? The famous Whistler resort in Canada plays host to the World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF), the largest annual winter sports and music festival in North America. The festival’s mantra is ‘Party in April. Sleep in May.’ and it’s easy to see why. Parties take place every night throughout the 10-day event with live music, club DJs, silent discos and after-parties. In the day, big acts perform at huge open-air concerts that take place for free. There’s no shortage of ski areas at Whistler and WSSF brings some of the world’s best athletes together to show off their skills in multiple competitions. The festival also offers a diverse art programme with exhibitions, talks and professional film and photography competitions.
