If there’s one thing that we do very well here in Britain, it’s throw a huge party in the middle of a muddy field in the summer months.
Festivals have become an essential part of many people’s summer itinerary. With new ones popping up every year, festival-goers are spoilt for choice.
Glastonbury, arguably the UK’s greatest music festival, took a break this year – giving some of the other smaller events a chance to shine.
From Secret Garden Party to Parklife Festival, there is some muddy musical madness taking place pretty much every weekend throughout the summer.
But we like to save the best ’til last, with Reading and Leeds Festival taking place at the end of August.
The iconic events are very rock-heavy, with a little bit of dance music thrown in for good measure, and have become one of the defining festivals of the summer.
This year is set to be as epic as ever, with Kasabian and US rockers Foo Fighters headlining the festival along with music legends The Cure.
Other highlights on the bill include British bands Florence And The Machine, The Vaccines and Kaiser Chiefs, while the international angle is provided by the likes of Paramore and The Hives.
Reading and Leeds Festival kicks off in a little over a week, and the excitement is beginning to mount. But if you can’t make it, or guitar riffs and heavy drums aren’t your thing, there are other festivals to choose from.
It’s not just the UK that knows how to throw a festival; it turns out countries across Europe are pretty good at it too. So what are some of the more obscure upcoming music festivals?
Outlook Festival, Croatia
Croatia is no stranger to a music festival, with a number of events taking place in the sunny country throughout the summer.
One of the best has to be Outlook Festival, which this year is kicking off on August 30. Held over four nights, Outlook plays host to a huge line-up of artists.
Hosting some of the best in dub, reggae, dubstep and drum’n’bass, the festival’s unique setting of Fort Punta Christo creates a great atmosphere not found at other music festivals.
There are still a limited number of tickets left for Outlook Festival, and there are a number of travel options, so what are you waiting for?
Peninsula Félsziget Festival, Romania
Romania’s largest festival, Peninsula Félsziget has come on in leaps and bounds in its relatively short life. It started life in 2003 with just Hungarian acts and few thousand festival-goers, but now hosts bands from around the world, playing to audiences of more than 60,000.
Taking place in Târgu Mureș, in central Romania, Peninsula Félsziget prides itself on its eclectic mix of music, from European heavy metal to international world music and even some folk.
This year’s event kicks off on August 23 for four days, and highlights include DJ and producer Emalkay, drum’n’bass favourite Netsky and Britain’s very own Tinie Tempah.
Rock en Seine, France
It’s fair to say that France isn’t exactly well known for its music festivals, but Rock en Seine plays host to some of the biggest bands in the world each year.
The festival is held in the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud park just outside Paris, and is a three-day event this year.
There is no camping available at the festival, so festival-goers need to find their own accommodation. But this year’s line-up is worth the extra expense.
Kicking off on August 24, highlights of Rock en Seine this year include Placebo, punk legends Green Day, and British band Bloc Party.
Electric Picnic, Ireland
For a festival a little closer to home, give Electric Picnic a try. Taking place in the grounds of stately Stradbally Hall, County Laois, Ireland, Electric Picnic is by no means just a music festival.
Performing arts form a significant part of the festival, with theatre and comedy high on the bill, and there is a strong eco-friendly attitude running through the event.
This year’s Electric Picnic takes places from August 31 to September 2, and the music line-up is typically varied. Headliners include The Killers and The Cure, while further down the bill we have the likes of Azealia Banks and Dry The River.
(Images: Shane Kelly, RosaMaria_Nika, Fmvh, Bertrand, 1541)
