5 European festivals worth the trip
Festival season has pretty much started now, so you’re probably figuring out which festivals to visit this summer. You might also be checking your wallet, to see if you could afford taking a trip abroad as well. Why not get the best of two worlds, and take a trip to a festival in Europe? You should definitely consider these 5 brilliant festivals that double as great travel destinations.
Balaton Sound
- Location: Balaton Lake, Hungary
- Date: July 5 - 9
- Tickets: 5 day pass: €210, camping €20
- Headliners: Afrojack, The Bloody Beetroots, Max cooper, Dave Clarke
- Website
Balaton Sound has only been around since 2007, but it has quickly become a classic festi-travel destination. The festival is situated on the West Coast of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. The surrounding area is great for a nature-inspired road trip, if you feel like taking one. Balaton facilitates caravans and camper wagons as well. A great way to travel to Balaton Sound is to take the Balaton Sound Express train, a comfortable, chartered train, just for people who attend the festival. Tickets for the train start at 180 euro’s. If you're from Belgium, you can hop on the train in Ghent and Brussels.
Balaton Sound features a very diverse, electronic-oriented lineup, with plenty of EDM, techno, house, trap and hiphop. There’s also boat parties (and tickets are still available), where a dj takes you on a musical tour across the magnificent Balaton Lake.
Sziget Festival
- Location: Boedapest, Hungary
- Date: July 9 - 16
- 7 day pass: €300, camping included
- Headliners: Major Lazer, Interpol, Danny Brown, Vince Staples...
- Website
The Bulgarians know how to create worldwide interest for their festivals. Like Balaton Sound, Sziget is a very popular holiday destination for young festival goers. Their line-up is a tad more pop-oriented, with artists such as Major Lazer, Interpol, Alt-J and Mac Demarco. But Sziget also includes urban acts such as Flume, DJ Shadow, Danny Brown and Vince Staples.
Sziget Festival has other assets as well. It’s situated on the Sziget island in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. This vibrant city is a popular city trip destination thanks to its lively art and music scene and the beautiful historic centre. But there’s plenty to do besides music on the festival site. Sziget Festival offers a great selection of international dance, acrobatics and comedy acts.
Outlook Festival
- Location: Pula, Croatia
- Date: September 7 - 10
- Tickets: €178,50
- Headliners: Dizzee Rascal, Ghostface Killah, Horace Andy, Kahn & Neek...
- Website
Outlook Festival is the largest underground dance music festival in Europe. The line-up is filled to the brim with genre-leading artists. Think of any major name in the UK underground, and chances are you’ll find them on the ticket. The 2017 line-up includes Kahn & Neek, General Levy, Wiley, Zed Bias, Ghostface Killah, Jonwayne, the legendary Channel One Sound System and many more.
Outlook is known for their beautiful venues and top notch sound systems. The festival is beautifully set in and around an ancient Roman fort, on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The camping site is spacious and green, and is located right next to the beach, where beach parties take place during the day. Boat parties are also a must-do. They are hosted by some of the most influential dance music labels, such as Swamp81, Bandulu, Ministry of Sound, Metalheads and many more.
Sonar Festival
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Date: June 15 - 17
- Tickets: €195
- Headliners: Arca, Anderson .Paak, Nicolas Jaar, Justice...
- Website
Sonar is a brilliant festival for music enthusiasts with an adventurous taste pallet. Combining the festival with a cultural city trip is an absolute no-brainer, since Sonar is set in the heart of Barcelona. The festival is split up in two parts, during the day and at night. Tickets are available for both parts separately, if you would want to visit the city by day and enjoy the festival by night. However, the line-up might change your mind. Sonar lists impressive headliners, such as Anderson .Paak, Arca, Earl Sweatshirt, De La Soul and Justice. But the Spanish festival really shines in selecting brilliant, lesser known artists. Deena Abdelwahed, Jlin and D∆WN are some of the highlights among them. For musicians and people involved in the music industry, Sonar offers showcases and talks, in collaboration with, among others, Red Bull Academy and Resident Advisor.
Into The Valley
- Location: Rummu, Estonia
- Date: June 29 - July 1
- Tickets: €150, camping €40
- Headliners: Jeff Mills, Axel Boman, Midland, K!nk, Scuba, Pearson Sound
- Website
This very hip Baltic festival has moved to a new location this year, and is situated in an abandoned quarry in Estonia. Into The valley is the perfect place for electronic music enthusiasts looking for a weekend of pure escapism, with cutting-edge music on a stunning location. The line-up consists of underground dj’s and live acts from all over the world. Into The Valley organises a whole range of events, always with great care for the environment, social equality, fine gastronomy, visuals and top-of-the-line sound.
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