EUROPE ROCKS OUT
Uninspired by the UK festival line-ups? Roisin O’Connor picks the best music events on the continent this summer
Headliners at festivals in the UK felt considerably dull this year, but around Europe there’s an absolute smorgasbord of talent lined up in some stunning locations – where the weather is almost certainly guaranteed to be better than it is in a muddy Somerset field.
With festival season right around the corner, we’re rounded up a few of the best and biggest festivals outside of the UK that are definitely worth considering. Get your passport ready!
Oya Festival
Where: Norway When: 8-12 August
It’s quite a culture shock to arrive at Oya Festival if you’re used to tramping around a field somewhere in the UK.
Set in the heart of Oslo in the beautiful Middelalderparken, Oya is one of Norway's biggest music festivals and consistently attracts a wealth of talent from across the board - from heritage rock to jazz to hip hop and grime.
This year Lana Del Rey is set to headline where she will undoubtably be performing material from her forthcoming album Lust For Life.
Also performing are *(deep breath*) Ryan Adams, Pixies, Sampha, BADBADNOTGOOD, Car Seat Headrest, Cosima, Sigrid, Young Thug, Mac DeMarco, The xx and Chance the Rapper, plus a wealth of up and coming talent from around the world.
For those who want to enjoy music and drinks while also feeling like they're being good to the environment, organisers at Oya have also been going to great lengths to make the event as green as possible: Oya was the first Norwegian festival to get the gold certification for organic food, by serving 97 per cent organic food to around 2,500 volunteers, 500 artists and 70,000 visitors.
On top of that, all of the festival waste is hand-sorted and recycled, saving 40,000 tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to the annual emissions of 15,000 cars). If this isn't a feel-good festival, we don't know what is.
Rock Werchter
Where: Belgium When: 29 June-2 July Four days of some of the best music from around the world.
Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, James Blake, Linkin Park System of a Down, Foo Fighters and AltJ are headlining, then you’ve also got Lorde, Prophets of Rage, Agnes Obel, Mura Masa, Savages, Cigarettes After Sex, Royal Blood, Birdy, Dua Lipa, Jain, Bonobo, Milky Chance, Charli XCX, Jimmy Eat World, Glass Animals, Soulwax, Rae Sremmurd, Noname and Cage the Elephant. And that should be enough for anyone.
Roskilde Where: Denmark When: 24 June-1 July
Seriously, look at this year’s line-up. Just look at it. This is the epitome of “something for everyone”. Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, The xx, Moderat, Solange, Blink-182, Bonobo, Bryson Tiller, Father John Misty, Future Islands, Gucci Mane, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Lorde, Nas, Royal Blood, Slowdive... it just goes
on. Then you have the added bonus of it being set in absolutely stunning surroundings.
And Roskilde isn't just a music festival – here the camping and socialising tend to take priority. Because the festival begins a few days in advance of the artist performances, you get a chance to settle in and make some new friends. One of the favourite activities is beer bowling – a Danish game that sees participants sit in camping chairs and try to knock over their opponent's beer bottles.
Flow festival Where: Helskinki When: 11-13 August
This leading boutique arts festival takes place in Finland's exquisite southern capital and will likely feel like a world away from what US and UK festival fans are used to.
Expect music from The xx, Lana Del Rey, Moderat, Young Thug, Vince Staples, Ryan Adams and Danny Brown. There are also stages for experimental music and the festival's renewed Bright Balloon 360 stage.
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