The Best Music Festivals in Europe
Seeking a sublime festival experience in 2024? These incredible European music festivals are definitely worth your consideration...
Last updated: 29th May 2024
Originally published: 7th Jan 2020
When it comes to music festivals, no other continent does it quite like Europe.
No matter what you’re looking for, you can definitely find it. Whether you want to get battered in a mosh pit, two-step on a beach with the sun setting behind you, or sing your lungs out on your mate's shoulders with Spanish mountains in the distance, you’re sorted.
Here to assist you through the difficult process of choosing the right festival adventure this year, we've hand-picked some of the best music festivals in Europe covering plenty of countries, genres, and atmospheres.
Take a look at these unreal European music festivals and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.
Photo: Creamfields / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 22nd - Sunday 25th August 2024
Where: Daresbury in Cheshire, England
2024 lineup: Calvin Harris, Armin van Buuren, Chase & Status, Eric Prydz, Bicep, Hannah Laing, Ben Hemsley, Pawsa, Peggy Gou, Azyr, Sammy Virji, FISHER, and more
If you're down to party from dusk until dawn, look no further. This massive, multi-award-winning, world-renowned, open-air dance music festival is an absolute must for all the hedonistic ravers out there.
Enlisting the biggest names in trance, techno, house, DnB, UKG, dance, EDM, tech house, hard dance genres, and more each year, Creamfields is, without a doubt, the champion of dance fests.
Partnering with Hospitality, Rong, Trick, Goodgreef, Teletech/XXL, and more incredible event brands, you can be safe in the knowledge that their expert stage hosts have given us the best lineup possible.
Find more info and tickets for Creamfields - HERE
Photo: Primavera Sound / Facebook.com
When: Wednesday 29th May - Sunday 2nd June 2024
Where: Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain
2024 lineup: Pulp, Vampire Weekend, SZA, Justice, Lana Del Rey, The National, Disclosure, Mitski, Charli XCX, PJ Harvey, Peggy Gou, Deftones, and more
Primavera Sound is one of the biggest festivals in the world and one of the best in Spain. Known for booking the hottest talent and throwing genre out the window, Primavera sets the bar incredibly high for other major festivals.
Every year, Primavera wows the world with packed lineups that never miss. This year is no different with each day filled with legendary artists as well as newbies to keep an eye on. With pop, rock, electronic dance, hip-hop, RnB, and beyond, Primavera Sound is a great shout for 2024.
Find more info on Primavera Sound Barcelona - HERE
Photo: Sónar Festival / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 13th - Sunday 15th June 2024
Where: multiple venues in Barcelona, Spain
2024 lineup: Adriatique, Paul Kalkbrenner, DJ Daddy Trance, Charlotte De Witte presents Overdrive, Jessie Ware, Kaytranada, Casisdead, Richie Hawtin, The Martinez Brothers, Skin On Skin, Sevdaliza, and more
Sonar Festival is known for pushing experimental electronic music, but that doesn't stop them from booking great artists from other genres like hip-hop and pop too. The fest held other editions in Istanbul and Lisbon this year, but the sunny Barcelona edition is where it all began.
Beyond live music across multiple day and night stages, ticketholders can enjoy technology conferences, a week of parties, business and networking opportunities, art installations, exhibitions, film screenings, debates and more. It’s the perfect weekend of music, art, technology, and creative activities.
Find more info on Sónar Festival - HERE
Photo: Hideout Festival Croatia / Facebook.com
When: Sunday 23rd - Thursday 27th June 2024
Where: Zrce Beach on Pag Island, Croatia
2024 lineup: Bicep, Nia Archives, Ben Hemsley, Bou, blk., Sammy Virji, Sam Divine, I. Jordan, Girls Don't Sync, Belters Only, and more
Located on the scenic shores of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, Hideout Festival is one of the best music festivals in Europe if you want sun, sea, and serious tunes.
This year the Croatian festival is back with a mammoth-sized lineup covering a fair few genres, including techno, drum and bass, house, disco, UKG, bassline, and more. Here, you can find the biggest names in the game plus the ones who’ll soon be taking over the top spots…
Surrounded by the turquoise sea with stunning island landscapes as a backdrop, over 100 of the best electronic artists on the scene right now will soon be making their way to Hideout. Add to that the pool, boat, and secret beach parties, and it's no surprise Hideout has sold out every year since it started.
Parties on parties with killer tunes in an unreal location - we mean, come on, it’s a must!
Find more info on Hideout Festival - HERE
Reggae Geel
Photo: Reggae Geel / Facebook.com
When: Friday 2nd - Saturday 3rd August 2024
Where: Reggae Geel in Geel, Belgium
2024 lineup: Julian Marley & The Uprising, YG Marley, Blvk H3ro, Arrested Development, Zulu Vibes, Jah Lil, Marla Brown, Dezarie, Roots Explosion, and more
Europe’s oldest reggae festival continues to bring punters some of the best names in reggae, dancehall, dub, ska, rocksteady, and afrobeats across four stages.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the crowds at this one are pretty chilled, enjoying the sun, tunes, and entertainment around the site. Born in 1978, the festival looks back on its past forty years but, at the same time, looking ahead and moving forward with the introduction of new stages and genres.
Photo: Sziget Festival Official / Facebook.com
When: Wednesday 7th - Monday 12th August 2024
Where: Óbuda Island in Budapest, Hungary
2024 lineup: Fred again.., Halsey, Kylie, Janelle Monáe, Martin Garrix, Liam Gallagher, Skrillex, Stormzy, Nia Archives, RAYE, FISHER, Four Tet, Fontaines D.C., and more
Situated on the man-made “Island of Freedom” AKA Óbuda Island, is one of Europe's biggest musical and cultural events; Sziget. The event is the champion of Budapest’s music festivals, being the biggest in the capital, and even one of the biggest in the world.
With a super diverse lineup, everyone stays happy and everyone has a good few artists to look forward to. Across the lineup, you can find house, techno, pop, indie, R&B, EDM, DnB, jungle, tech house, rock, and more.
And if you need a break from the music, you can head to the beach and take a dip, sit in on some talks, and even check out the cinema!
Find more info on Sziget Festival - HERE
Photo: Glastonbury Festivals / Facebook.com
When: Wednesday 26th - Sunday 30th June 2024
Where: Worthy Farm in Somerset, England
2024 lineup: Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA, Shania Twain, IDLES, Little Simz, PJ Harvey, Burna Boy, LCD Soundsystem, The Streets, Jessie Ware, Jamie XX, Nia Archives, Honey Dijon, Avril Lavigne, Danny Brown, and more
Glastonbury is known across the globe for its huge lineups, large capacity, and quality entertainment in the form of live music, circus performers, cinemas, and so much more. Glasto has come a long way since its humble beginnings back in 1970, a time when the festival was only one day and £1 a ticket. Today, it’s the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.
Securing tickets is incredibly difficult as god knows how many people across the UK, Europe, and beyond scramble for them in the online queue. But the festival is still so popular that it sells out in seconds every year, even before revealing the lineup.
Regardless of the artists they choose, which span just about every genre you could imagine, you'll have a mint time here as there's so much to do and incredible vibes. All you have to (somehow) do is secure your tickets…
Find more info on Glastonbury - HERE
Photo: Hellfest Open Air Festival / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th June 2024
Where: Rue du Champ Louet in Clisson, France
2024 lineup: Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Megadeth, QOTSA, The Prodigy, Dropkick Murphys, Babymetal, Enter Shikari, Chelsea Wolfe, Neck Deep, and more
Easily one of the best rock, metal, and punk festivals in Europe, probably even the world, Hellfest is a bucket list fest for fans of throat-shredding vocals, down-tuned guitars, and half-time breakdowns.
Hellfest has two main stages. If that makes you worry about clashes, we feel you but stay calm. One huge metal titan will play one of those stages while the other is set up. There’ll still be clashes on the smaller stages but you’ll be able to see most of the bigger artists with ease.
We chose Hellfest over Wacken and Graspop, two other brilliant heavy fests, as Hellfest is regularly praised for its smooth organisation, clear and sunny skies, and it’s monster lineups. The only problem? Everyone loves it so tickets are gone faster than you can say, “shall we do Hellfest this year?”
Find more info on Hellfest - HERE
Open'er
Photo: Open'er Festival / Facebook.com
When: Wednesday 3rd - Saturday 6th July 2024
Where: Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport in Gdynia, Poland
2024 lineup: Doja Cat, Foo Fighters, Dua Lipa, 21 Savage, Claptone, Ashnikko, Gunna, Floating Points, Disclosure, Kim Gordon, Ice Spice, Masego, Loyle Carner, Slowdive, Skrillex, and more
Incredibly clean and well-organised (as with many European music festivals), Open’er is the best festival in Poland, uniting fans of rock, pop, hip-hop, and more on an abandoned airstrip.
The festival is just a short (and cheap) bus journey from a beach, which is perfect for treating your inevitable hangover. Especially as it's usually very, very hot and the drinks are very, very cheap. As it can get so hot, the music tends to run quite late, so you can also have a lie-in which is a small detail you’ll quickly appreciate.
Alongside huge and soon-to-be-huge names, there’s usually plenty of small Polish talent on the bill. The crowds are usually pretty up for a sing-and-dance-along too.
Photo: Tomorrowland / Facebook.com
When: Friday 19th - Sunday 21st July & Friday 26th - Sunday 28th July 2024
Where: Boom in Flanders, Belgium
2024 lineup: Adam Beyer, The Blessed Madonna, Amelie Lens, David Guetta, Camo & Krooked, Marlon Hoffstadt, Mau P, NERVO, Armin van Buuren, Eliza Rose, Chris Stussy, Azyr, Dom Dolla, HAAi, and more
"Live today, love tomorrow, unite forever" - that's Tomorrowland's ethos, which tells you plenty about the vibe there.
Essentially Disneyworld for adults, Tomorrowland is the undisputed champion of Europe’s electronic music festivals. Whether you’re looking to go hard to the Earth-shattering thumping of hardstyle bangers, two-step to house tunes, or ascend to delicious trance music, there’s something for you as Tomorrowland’s lineup always covers just about every genre and sub-genre imaginable in electronic music. Over 800 artists will take over 16 stages each weekend.
The fest has a super extravagant stage design and décor to match its theme (which changes every year). As one of the biggest and best music festivals in Belgium, Tomorrowland is definitely worth checking out.
Find more info on Tomorrowland - HERE
Photo: Dekmantel / Facebook.com
When: Friday 26th July - Sunday 4th August 2024
Where: Amsterdamse Bos in Amstelveen, The Netherlands
2024 lineup: Ben UFO & Joy Orbison, Helena Hauff, Cakes Da Killa, Jeff Mills, Palms Trax, Job Jobse, Eris Drew, Peter Hook and The Light, Darwin & DJ Storm, and more
This year, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, this Amsterdam festival brings us ten days of music from 26th July - 4th August. But if that’s too intense, the main festival is on the 2nd - 4th.
Underground electronic haven Dekmantel has been going for a few years, getting bigger (in a way) with each edition. Now a pretty well-known bash, you’d think the fest is huge now, only the team behind it are protective of its intimate vibe, ensuring it doesn’t turn into a dance behemoth.
Encouraging its artists to do things differently and explore the depths of their creativity, Dekmantel is still an underground paradise with both established and emerging performers. Born out of passion and with few rivals, Dekmantel is one to watch if electronic music and dancing run deep in your blood.
Find more info on Dekmantel Festival - HERE
Bilbao BBK
Photo: Bilbao BBK Live / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 11th - Saturday 13th July 2024
Where: Mount Cobetas in Bilbao, Spain
2024 lineup: Massive Attack, The Prodigy, Grace Jones, Underworld, Arcade Fire, Jungle, Floating Points, Slowdive, Ezra Collective, Sofia Kourtesis (DJ), Jordan Rakei, and more
Rising out of northern Spain's stunning Basque country, Bilbao BBK Live is easily one of the best music festivals in Europe, renowned for its idyllic setting and consistently impressive lineup.
Offering a lofty escape from the constraints of modern life, the festival, which is set on the side of Mount Cobetas, provides breathtaking panoramic views over Bilbao below. In between performances from some of the world's biggest musical stars, punters can relax by taking in the rejuvenating and enchanting hillside location whilst bathing in the Mediterranean sun. Lush.
This fest welcomes indie, rock, and electronic to perform to around 100,000 music fans, with Mount Cobetas standing beautifully in the background. In a stunning location with a smashing lineup (and did we mention it's near the beach?!), this fest has everything we want.
Photo: Rock en Seine / Facebook.com
When: Wednesday 21st - Sunday 25th August 2024
Where: Parc de Saint-Cloud in Paris, France
2024 lineup: Lana Del Rey, Fred again.., LCD Soundsystem, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, The Smile, The Offspring, Maneskin, Sampha, Gossip, Loyle Carner, Roisin Murphy, and more
With arguably one of the strongest lineups to rival all other French music festivals, Rock en Seine will be rocking 120,000 lucky revellers worlds in the country’s capital this August.
Perfect for those who enjoy multiple genres, the fest will see sets from electronic stars, indie icons, pop royalty, underground hip-hop stars, and the occasional heavier band. It'll be glorious.
The fest welcomes 40,000 festival-goers a day and keeps them happy with incredible music as well as exhibitions, talks, art installations, and gourmet food stalls offering world cuisine.
Find more info on Rock en Seine - HERE
Photo: NOS Alive / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 11th - Saturday 13th July 2024
Where: Passeio Marítimo de Algés in Lisbon, Portugal
2024 lineup: Arcade Fire, Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sum 41, Jessie Ware, Kenya Grace, Ashnikko, The Breeders, Michael Kiwanuka, Tyla, and more
Another of the best European music festivals is the mighty NOS Alive. The festival is adored far and wide by locals and foreigners alike thanks to its monster lineups that span many genres including rock, indie, pop, dance, rap, and more, plus national stand-up comedy acts.
This will be the festival’s 16th edition which once again sees some of the biggest names in music taking over a seaside location, meaning you can take a little dip if it gets a bit too hot. Portugal gets hot so trust us when we say that’ll be a life-saver. Especially hungover…
Find more info on NOS Alive - HERE
Flow Festival
Photo: Flow Festival Helsinki / Facebook.com
When: Friday 9th - Sunday 11th August 2024
Where: Suvilahti in Helsinki, Finland
2024 lineup: Fred again.., Pulp, PJ Harvey, The Smile, RAYE, IDLES, Vince Staples, Halsey, Barry Can't Swim, Janelle Monáe, Alvvays, Blonde Redhead, Overmono, Jessie Ware, Arooj Aftab, and more
Focusing on bringing in the best in pop and indie to a former power plant area while also delivering some of the hottest club and experimental sounds, Flow is a dream come true for many a music fan.
Starting out in 2004, the festival grew to accommodate 90,000 visitors last year. And with an arts program, talks, and a Sunday family-friendly program, there’s plenty to explore.
Sustainability is vital to the festival, meaning there's no red meat or poultry at any on-site restaurants. They even conducted a study to find the harmful climate effects of the food at the 2022 edition were nearly smaller by 50% compared to 2019.
So, if you're thinking about going to Flow, you can look forward to some amazing artists while being safe in the knowledge that they're doing their best to ensure minimal environmental impact
C2C (Club To Club) Turin
Photo: C2C Festival / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 31st October - Sunday 3rd November 2024
Where: Lingotto in Turin, Italy
2024 lineup: Bicep present Chroma, billy woods, Romy, A. G. Cook, Sofia Kourtesis, Snow Strippers, Dean Blunt, Darkside, Arca, Shabaka, and more
C2C is adored for its platforming of less-than-usual sounds in music, developing a reputation as one of the best festivals in Italy. Enlisting contemporary “avant pop”, jazz, rap, hip-hop, and electronic artists to perform in northern Italy, C2C particularly stands out because of its audio-visual spectacles.
Between checking out some incredible live performers, there's naturally plenty to do including appreciating Turin's pretty 18th-century architecture and Italy's famous cuisine. But, above all, you know you’re getting brilliant music from a variety of smaller names in a few genres.
Glitch Festival
Photo: Glitch Festival / Facebook.com
When: Tuesday 13th - Friday 16th August 2024
Where: Gianpula Village in Rabat, Malta
2024 lineup: 999999999, horsegiirL, Funk Tribu, Nico Moreno, OGUZ, Faster Horses, ØTTA, Ben Klock, DJ Heartstring, Indira Paganotto, Malugi, Mall Grab, Shlømo, Patrick Mason, Brutalismus 3000, and more
If you love hard techno, the best festival in Malta is Glitch. In fact, it’s one of the best European techno festivals in general.
With a lineup like that, we’d do silly things to be front and centre at Glitch. Bringing boat parties, rooftop pool parties, cave raves, and even an opening night (13th) at a breathtaking UNESCO-listed landmark, it certainly is a special fest.
This year, Glitch brings over 75 artists across multiple stages including a Boiler Room one. Expect sun, sea, and seriously hard tunes.
Photo: Roskilde Festival / Facebook.com
When: Saturday 29th June - Saturday 6th July 2024 / main festival: Wednesday 3rd - Saturday 6th July 2024
Where: Darupvej 19 in Roskilde, Denmark
2024 lineup: SZA, Foo Fighters, Doja Cat, 21 Savage, Skrillex, Ice Spice, Khruangbin, Tinashe, PinkPantheress, Jungle, J Hus, Jane's Addiction, Tems, and more
Roskilde this year is an eight-day celebration with the main festival featuring the biggest names going down from the 3rd to the 6th. We’ll focus on the main festival here.
96 acts have been booked across hip-hop, pop, rock, R&B, metal, punk, dance, electronic, and more, ensuring a nutritious mix of sounds and styles. The festival is the biggest in northern Europe and, surprisingly, is a non-profit. All profit the festival makes is donated to charity
As well as tunes, the festival is huge on art and activism and focuses on creating a feeling of freedom on its grounds.
Find more info on Roskilde - HERE
Photo: Melt Festival / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 11th - Saturday 13th July 2024
Where: Ferropolisstraße 1, 06773 Gräfenhainichen in Ferropolis, Germany
2024 lineup: Sugababes, Skepta, Bonobo (DJ), Chase & Status (DJ), Overmono, Malugi B2B Marlon Hoffstadt, Slayyyter, Honey Dijon, Yussef Dayes, James Blake, Job Jobse, DJ Heartstring, and more
At MELT, the party literally doesn't stop as music is played around the clock. So if you accidentally wake up late or are naturally a night owl, we reckon you'll like this one.
House and techno haven MELT is one of the best festivals in Germany and promises multiple stages of house, techno, electronic, and splashes of pop, hip-hop, and more. It’s back again in July with a deliciously diverse lineup that even features splashes of hyper-pop and jazz.
And when the moment comes that you're absolutely knackered or rough from all the hedonism, a dip in Lake Gremmin, which is on the festival grounds, might provide a second wind. Fingers crossed.
Find more info on MELT - HERE
Still looking for your perfect fest? Check out our festival finder or our other blogs on the best dance, best trance, or best house and techno festivals.
Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
Header: NOS Alive / Facebook.com