No Glastonbury in 2018 – But Europe offers 5 Great Alternative Music Festivals
Posted by Matthew Andrews on June 14th, 2018.
With the Glastonbury Festival taking a ‘fallow’ year in 2018 in order to allow the farm on which it takes place some time to recover, music lovers may be looking for an alternative event to revel in this summer.
Fortunately there are many other great festivals taking place across Europe this year that may help to sate your appetite for excellent music – hopefully minus the rain and mud for which Glastonbury is famed! If you’re living overseas and looking for a music event to sink your teeth into, read on to discover our pick of the five best European music festivals.
Lollapalooza, Paris
After moving around the globe over the last decade, the Lollapalooza festival finally debuted in Paris in 2017 and will be making a welcome return this year for another weekend of outstanding music and entertainment.
Lollapalooza Paris 2018 will see the festival return to the city’s famed Hippodrome de Longchamp, situated right beside the Seine and providing a beautiful backdrop for what promises to be another spectacular music event.
Expect to hear a wide range of genres represented at the festival, which is known for its continental blend of rock, pop, RnB and electronic music.
The festival also features a ‘Kidzapolooza’ area; an entire space dedicated to families. With events and musical acts suitable for all ages it’s the perfect place to allows parents to share the magic of the festival with their kids.
Lollapalooza Paris runs between 21 – 22 July and is being headlined by Gorillaz, Depeche Mode, The Killers, and Travis Scott. Tickets can be purchased here.
Sziget, Budapest
Often compared to the Burning Man festival in America, the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary is one of the largest annual festivals in Europe and offers some of the most unique experiences.
Attracting nearly half a million people from all over the world, this week-long celebration of music and alt-culture is renowned for its surreal venues, including an unconventional amusement park and bizarre art installations.
The Sziget Festival is also notable for its eclectic mix of music acts, and while popular rock generally dominates the main stage, you’ll find acts from a range of genres are dotted throughout the site.
And to cap it all off the Sziget Festival also offers a range of other activities, with an on-site cinema, theatre shows, bungee jumping and even life-sized foosball – there is plenty to keep you busy while you’re there!
The Sziget Festival runs between 8 – 15 August and will be headlined by the Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar and Gorillaz. Tickets are available here.
Flow Festival, Helsinki
The Flow Festival in Helsinki, Finland, is known for its ability to bring some of the world’s biggest acts together in Finland for a three-day celebration of music, art and culture.
Set against the industrial backdrop of Helsinki’s defunct Suvilahti power plant, the festival offers a unique atmosphere, blending the urban space with stunning light displays and decorations that allow you to fully embrace your inner Finn.
For any foodies out there, the Flow Festival is famed for a wide variety of world cuisine, with handpicked restaurants offering a range of dishes to ensure everyone’s tastes are catered for.
One of the most environmentally conscious festivals currently running thanks to its its Sustainable Flow initiative, organisers take great pains to ensure the Flow Festival is carbon neutral, with most of the site powered by renewable energy and the widespread use of biodegradable products, minimising unrecyclable waste.
This year’s Flow Festival runs between 10 – 12 August and will include performance by Kendrick Lamar, Arctic Monkeys and Patti Smith. Tickets to the festival are available here.
Roskilde, Denmark
The Roskilde festival in Denmark is the largest culture and music event in Northern Europe and has been running annually since 1971.
A guarantee of a stellar line-up of music in a fun-loving atmosphere has ensured the festival’s continued success, which sees over 100,000 festival goers flock to the seven-day event each year.
Another aspect that appeals to many of Roskilde’s attendees is that all profits from the event are distributed by the Roskilde Festival Charity Society, which aims to support initiatives benefitting children and young people and to support humanitarian and environmental work.
For those feeling bold, the festival is also famed for its ‘naked run’ which is undertaken by many of the more free-spirited attendees each year for the chance to win a free ticket to the next year’s event.
Roskilde 2018 runs between 30 June – 7 July and is set to be headlined by Bruno Mars, Gorillaz and David Byrne.
Tomorrowland, Belgium
Spread over two weekends, Tomorrowland is revered as the ultimate celebration of electronic dance music. People flock from every corner of the globe for the chance to experience the magic of the festival.
Taking place every year in Boom, Belgium, Tomorrowland has frequently been voted the best music event of the year, being lauded for its unparalleled stage design, epic performances and unique atmosphere.
On top of the surreal main stage and many incredible art Installations, Tomorrowland features plenty to delight festival goers, including a 60m Ferris wheel known as the Cloud Rider, offering you breath-taking views over the whole site.
Once the party begins to wind down festival goers can retire to ‘Dreamville’ a vibrant and colourful ‘city’ within Tomorrowland, which includes a marketplace featuring plenty of delicious food as well as a supermarket, hair salon and even a library.
Tomorrowland 2018 is due to take place over the weekends of 20 – 22 and 27 – 29 July and will feature performances from Paul Kalkbrenner, Charolotte de Witte and Carl Cox. Tickets were scooped up pretty fast this year, but keep a look out for any extra tickets being released here.
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