The best summer music festivals in Europe in 2017

From Croatian fort fests to Icelandic all-nighters, uncover the best festivals on the continent with our bucket list guide
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Liz Connor22 May 2017

If you were planning to party the last days of summer away in Worthy Farm, but didn’t manage to get your hands on Glastonbury tickets this year, don’t despair - ditch your wellies, grab your sun cream and head to the airport instead.

Europe is home to some of the biggest and best festivals in the world, where there is something on offer for every music taste. Picture yourself supping on a pint at a sunny, ocean-side gig in Lisbon, losing yourself in abandoned industrial power plant in the Czech Republic or raving into the early hours on a mountain in Bulgaria.

You can find all these and more in our guide to the best festivals that are happening across the continent this summer. Trust us, you won’t miss the rain and mud.

City

Bilbao BBK, Spain

When: 6-8 July

Set in the rolling peaks and troughs of Spain’s beautiful Basque country, this mountain festival is one of the best bargains going - a three-day ticket including camping is just £95. This year’s confirmed headliners include Depeche Mode, The Killers, The 1975 and the rare opportunity to see Brian Wilson playing Pet Sounds live. Like many other European city fests, Bilbao's USP is that it’s two holidays for the price of one. Spend the day exploring the city that’s home to the famous titanium Museo Guggenheim before drifting over to the festival site when your first ‘must-see’ band takes to the stage.

Blibao BBK

Primavera Sound, Spain

When: 31 May - 4 June

The days of Benicassim leading the pack for Spanish festivals are over. Barcelona’s Primavera Sound has grown from festival darling to big hitter on the international scene, thanks to a consistent lineup of massive names in hip-hop, indie, dance, as well as an underbelly of lesser-known bands you’ll want to tell your friends you saw first. But aside from the tantalising line-up, the lure of Primavera is its prime location. The concrete Parc Del Forum is just 15 minutes taxi ride from Barcelona beach, so you can spend the early afternoon gorging on tapas in the sun before it all kicks off in the late afternoon. This year’s lineup boasts Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, The XX and Arcade Fire.

Roskilde, Denmark

When: 24 June - 1 July

‘See you this summer’ tempts the Roskilde slogan. It’s bound to lure you into buying a ticket - and why wouldn’t it? With a lineup including Foo Fighters, A Tribe Called Quest, The Weeknd and G-Eazy, the four day fest has made a play for Glasto’s title of Europe’s biggest rock festival. But despite its behemothic size, this heavy hitter is run as not-for-profit, and festival-goers are given the chance to nominate organisations to receive funding from the money raised. As well as the great music and guilt-free partying, the festival has some pretty bonkers traditions you might want to get involved with, like the notorious ‘Naked Run’. Well, you can imagine...

Wilderness

Tomorrowland, Belgium

When: 21 - 30 July

Despite being bumped up to two weekends instead of just one, tickets to this year’s festival sold out in just an hour, so if you didn’t manage to get your hands on a pair you’ll have to wait until 2018. Set in 75 hectares of lush countryside outside of Antwerp. there’s a reason why Belgium’s Tomorrowland is respected as the most important dance music party in the planet. Here you can see the cream of the house, EDM, techno, drum & bass and hardstyle scenes all in sitting. This year’s highlights include Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz, Axwell & Ingrosso and Armin van Buuren.

Tomorrowland

Secret Solstice, Iceland

When: 16 - 18 June

If you’ve always wanted to experience Iceland’s incredible beauty first-hand, why not tack on a trip to the Blue Lagoon with a four-day festival? Secret Solistice isn’t so much of a well-kept secret anymore, but this naturally breathtaking country (and lineup) is sure to please even so.

The festival takes place during the surreal summer solstice - which means you can party well into the early hours because the sun, quite literally, never sets. This year they’re also running the opportunity to experience intimate live gigs inside an Icelandic glacier. Headliners include The Prodigy, Foo Fighters, Rhye and Richard Ashcroft.

Meadows in the Mountains, Bulgaria

When: 9 - 11 June

Hippies and free-spirits have long decamped from Glastonbury to watch the sun rise at this Bulgarian weekender instead. It boasts easily one of the most jaw-dropping settings on the festival circuit - taking place on the mysterious and misty Rhodope Mountains near Bulgaria’s Greek border. The event itself is less concerned about drawing in heavyweight acts, and more interested in propagating it’s Burning Man community-style setup, where the cost of living is cheap and there are explorative surprises around every corner. The magical sense of goodwill that populates the festival is offset by a mind-blowing weekend of experimental music and art.

Meadows in the Mountains

Fort fests

Exit, Serbia

When: 6 - 9 July

It won’t be hard to lose yourself in the magical Petrovaradin Fortress, the secluded and spectacular setting for Exit festival. The ancient site is built high on the banks of the River Danube and sits just outside the Serbian capital of Belgrade in the city of Novi Sad. If you’re the type of person that describes their music taste as ‘a little bit of everything’ then this is the festival for you - Rag’N’Bone Man, Liam Gallagher, Hardwell and Faithless are all set to take to its stages. Just imagine the euphoria when the sun’s rays shine over the fortress walls while your favourite song is belting through the sound system.

Outlook, Croatia

When: 7 - 10 September

Held in the late part of the European summer season, Outlook takes over the ancient Fort Punta Christo for one weekend. This old abandoned military installation is transformed into a bass-driven festival of dubstep, grime, reggae, urban and drum N’ bass - some stages are even hidden in the castle's tunnels and moats. Early-bird tickets sold in record time this year, so make sure you secure your spot now if you want to join the throngs later this year.

Dimensions, Croatita

When: 30 Aug – 3 Sep

Competing against Outlook for Croatia’s best festival comes Dimensions - which takes place in an equally spectacular abandoned Roman fort party location in Pula. It’s only been going since 2012, but has already made a name for itself as the place to see the very best in underground electronic and urban acts, as well as some better-known headliners. Look out for Grace Jones, Theo Parrish, Floating Points and Moderat this summer.

Dimensions

Industrial escapes

Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic

When: 19 – 22 July

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this festival is its location. Taking place on the site of a former coal works, live bands, film screenings, workshops and lectures are hidden amongst the blast furnaces, mines and ironworks, with some talks even being held inside a former miner’s bathroom. With more than 350 events happening over one weekend, Colours of Ostrava’s success has seen its size and popularity grow massively over the past fifteen years. This year’s eclectic lineup includes Imagine Dragons, Norah Jones, Jamiroquai and alt-J.

Colours of Ostrava

Flow Festival, Finland

When: 11 – 13 Aug

This colourful Finnish festival, which happens each year on an industrial power plant, is all fairy lights, food trucks and urban beaches. But aside from the obviously hipster-friendly touches, the musical lineup is likely to draw in a crowd of discerning punters in its own right - The XX, Aphex Twin, Lana Del Rey and John Hopkins are just a few of the acts that have already been announced to lead the bill.

Islands retreats

Obonjan, Croatia

When: July - Aug

“Imagine crystal blue waters and star–filled skies. Amazing views and wondrous experiences”, Obonjan’s website coos. The ‘curated island destination’ in Croatia balances a summer-long itinerary of creativity and wellness with live music and party vibes. As you’d imagine, the lodgings aren’t your average two-man tent from Argos. Guests can rent glamp-tastic Bell Tents or splash out on an island forest lodge with views out to the sea. Stay for a week or for the whole summer - you choose.

Sziget, Hungary

When: 9 - 16 August

Held on a leafy 10-hectare island in the middle of Budapest, Sziget attracts over 400 000 fans from over 70 countries for a weekend of non-stop partying. Everything from EDM to heavy metal is represented on its massive stages, with more than 1,000 performances taking place each year - there aren’t many places where you can see Bad Religion, Kasabian and Billy Talent all in one afternoon.

Sziget
Sandor Csudai

Follow Liz Connor on Twitter: @lizconnor_

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