TOP 10 festivals
Wellies at the ready... festival season is coming. Stay home in the mud or party abroad in the sun
1 SZIGET FESTIVAL, BUDAPEST August 9-16 Get ready to party on picturesque Obuda, an island in the Danube. The self-proclaimed Island of Freedom is near the centre of the Hungarian capital. Sziget is no minor player on the festival circuit having garnered awards for Best Major European Festival in 2015 and Best Festival Line Up in 2016. This year’s stellar line-up includes Pink, Kasabian, Rudimental, Rita Ora, Charlie XCX, Clean Bandit, The Kills, Tom Odell, George Ezra and the Vaccines. TICKETS Seven-day ticket starts at €200 which includes basic camping in designated zones on the festival site. For glamping and hotel packages go to szigetfestival.com/ accommodation. Airlines flying direct to Budapest include British Airways (ba. com), easyjet (easyjet.com), Ryanair (ryanair.com), Wizz Air (wizzair.com) and Norwegian Air (norwegian.com) which flies from Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin and Gatwick. There’s a shuttle service from the airport to Sziget which is free with a Sziget-budapest CITYPASS (from 15 euros for two days, szigetfestival.com/citypass)
2 GREEN MAN, WALES August 17-20 Enjoy the country’s largest music festival on the Glanusk Estate in the Brecon Beacons. Surrounded by miles of mountains, forests, waterfalls and rivers, you can get back to nature in this magical verdant landscape while listening to the likes of PJ Harvey, Ryan Adams, Future Islands, Kate Tempest and Michael Kiwanuka. TICKETS Weekend ticket including camping from €200 adults, €138 (13-17 years), €25 (five-12), free for under-fives.
3 NORTHSIDE, DENMARK June 9-11 This pioneering music festival will be right in the heart of the action in the country’s second city, Aarhus, designated one of this year’s European Capitals of Culture (aarhus2017.dk). Heading up a diverse line-up will be heavyweights Radiohead, Frank Ocean, The Prodigy, The Verve and Mercury Prize winner James Blake. The site, which has been expanded to hold up to 40,000, is set in beautiful surroundings within walking distance of downtown Aarhus. TICKETS Three-day pass from €200. There’s no camping on site. Check out
visitaarhus.com for places to stay. Scandinavian Airlines (flysas.com) flies from Heathrow, and Ryanair (ryanair.com) has recently launched direct flights from Stansted to Aarhus. irishmirror.ie
4 ISLE OF MTV MALTA, VALLETTA June 27 Europe’s biggest free music festival goes from strength to strength, marking its 11th year with chart toppers The Chainsmokers as this year’s headline act. The multi-platinum duo will perform the closing set under the stars in the magnificent Il Fosos Square. The concert is part of Isle of MTV Malta Music Week’s best of the island’s biggest clubbing events. TICKETS Free for Isle of MTV Malta. No camping on site. For accommodation go to isleofmtv.mainstagetravel.co.uk. Airlines flying direct to Malta include Air Malta (airmalta.com), BA (ba.com), easyjet (easyjet.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com). irishmirror.ie
5 ISLE OF WIGHT June 8-11 Famous for its 1970 bash said to have drawn 600,000 to the island with a legendary line-up that included Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Doors, this year’s bill isn’t too shabby either, with David Guetta, Run DMC, Arcade Fire, The Kooks, Clean Bandit and Rod Stewart. TICKETS Day tickets with Red Funnel ferry travel for foot passengers from Southampton to East or West Cowes from €90pp. Red Funnel has 20% off car ferry when you buy weekend camping tickets from €250. irishmirror.ie
6 BILBAO BBK LIVE, SPAIN July 6-8 Deep in the heart of the Basque country, Bilbao will be bopping to the sounds of Depeche Mode, The Killers, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, along with Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds, Fleet Foxes, The 1975 and more from the top of Kobetamendi Hill. The northern Spanish city is home to the sensational Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum, while numerous beaches are just 30 minutes away. TICKETS Three-day ticket from €115, three-day campsite access from €10 and glamping from €75. Airlines flying direct to Bilbao include BA (ba.com), easyjet (easyjet.com), Iberia (iberia.com) and Vueling (vueling.com). Bus service line Bizkaibus 3247 Bilbao – Airport travels to the city centre for €1.45 and takes 30 minutes. The Bilbao BBK camping area is just under two miles away from the festival site.
7 SEA DANCE FESTIVAL, MONTENEGRO July 13-15 If you’d rather feel the sand between your toes than welly-wading in mud, head to this awardwinning festival on the Adriatic – it pulls in fans from over 50 countries. English soul singer John Newman is shore to get the party started on spectacular Jaz Beach at Budva. And with one of the world’s best Dj-producers as the headline act – Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’s Fatboy Slim – it’s no wonder this beach party is being touted as the Ibiza alternative. Sean Paul, Bad Copy and South London Ordnance are also on the bill. TICKETS Packages covering ticket, accommodation (camping, hotel, villa) and airport transfer start at €99. easyjet (easyjet.com) flies direct to Tivat. The hour’s shuttle bus to Jaz Beach costs from €9.99.
8 ELECTRIC CASTLE, ROMANIA July 12-16 Taking place against the dramatic backdrop of 15th century Banffy Castle in Clujnapoca, Transylvania, this unique festival has oodles of atmosphere. Nine stages will play host to not only music, but yoga classes, cinema, performing arts and off-the-wall entertainment. Take in the breathtaking scenery complete with lake, discover secret party areas in the forests, and snooze in one of hidden hammocks. As night falls 3D projections will light up the castle walls. Headlining an eclectic musical line-up will be Franz Ferdinand, Mike Skinner and Mistajam. TICKETS Five-day ticket with standard camping on site from €110. Wizz Air (wizzair.com) flies from Luton to Cluj-napoca. From the airport, you can either take a shuttle or a taxi to the site 30km away.
9 BESTIVAL, DORSET September 7-10 This year sees the eccentric festival upping sticks from the Isle of Wight to pitch up on Dorset’s Lulworth Estate. But it will still packa creative punch. Get ready for great sets from the Pet Shop Boys, Dizzee Rascal, Rag ’n’ Bone Man and Laura Mvula – as well as Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon. The theme is The Wonders of Colour – so wear your most eye-catching outfit to stand out in the crowd. TICKETS Adults from €200, children (13-17 years) from €140, free for under-13s until May 2. Includes four nights’ camping. irishmirror.ie
10 LATITUDE, SUFFOLK July 13-16 With theatre, dance, film, cabaret and literature, this Southwold festival in glorious Henham Park has something for everyone. A brilliant line-up for Kids, Inbetweeners (teens) and Enchanted Garden ( families) shows why Latitude has won Best Family Festival and Best Family Day Out. It doesn’t hold back on the music front with The 1975, Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Goldfrapp and John Cale. TICKETS Day tickets from €90 adults and €10 kids.