Five Amazing Dance Music Festivals You Might Not Have Heard Of (2015)

Photo: Gottwood Credit: Pippa Hudson (cover) / Samantha Milligan (above)

We're lucky in the UK, we're certainly not short of dance music festivals come summer time, in fact, some of the biggest festival brands in the world originate on British soil - when it comes to dance music, we know how to do it right.

With festivals like Creamfields, Electric Daisy Carnival, Cocoon In The Park, South West Four and more, there's no shortage of big stage dance music festivals, but you might not be aware of the raft of intimate green field experiences you could be enjoying over the warmer months. We've looked at five of the best here.

Riverside Festival 29th - 30th May

For underground techno heads and discerning clubbers alike, Riverside will be thee line up you'll want to immerse yourself in. Titans like Sven Vath, Ricardo Villalobos, Carl Craig, Len Faki, Karenn, Ben UFO and Midland are amongst the star selectors bringing the rave goods to the banks of Glasgow's River Clyde. 

Hijacked 30th May

Returning for its second instalment with an increased capacity and an even bigger line up, Exeter's Hijacked Festival is one of the fast rising stars on the dance music circuit. This year features sets from Artwork, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Chunky, Congo Natty and Disciples, catering for a huge range of musical persuasions. 

Gottwood 11th - 14th June

Taking place deep in the Anglesey Forest, Gottwood has earned a solid reputation for its stunning location and the acts it hooks in. A real underground dance music paradise, this year will star Andrew Ashong, Leon Vynehall, Craig Richards, Cottam, Hunee, Radioactive Man and the Zenker Brothers for a full feast of sonic goodness.

Xstatic Summer Festival 27th June

Boasting nine arenas covering everything from trance to house, via hard dance and old skool, Xstatic Festival has been growing in stature over the past few years, providing a festival that is safe, friendly and free from all corporate meddling. The line up's decent too, with Dale Howard, Aly & Fila, Fergie, Ratpack and John '00' Fleming amongst the guests this year.

MADE Birmingham 25th July

Shortlisted for the Best Metropolitan Festival in 2014, MADE Birmingham is back bigger than before with six stages of high grade music as well as a full showing from Birmingham's best visual and street artists, designers, set builders and creatives. Norman Jay MBE, Dusky, Heidi,Wilkinson, MK, Nightmares on Wax and David Rodigan are just a few of the big names hitting The Digbeth Triangle in July.

Check out our complete Festival Guide here.