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All night long … Iceland’s Secret Solstice festival.
All night long … Iceland’s Secret Solstice festival. Photograph: Ross Silcocks
All night long … Iceland’s Secret Solstice festival. Photograph: Ross Silcocks

Music festivals in Europe: the ultimate guide to the best of the rest

This article is more than 6 years old

From Alt-J in a Romanian castle to Lady Leshurr on a Croatian beach, here are the festivals you should be booking this summer

Meadows in the Mountains, Bulgaria

No details are given on the lineup, but this eco-friendly festival set in the Bulgarian hills near the Greek border is more about the experience than the A-list names.
9-11 June, Rhodopes mountains, Bulgaria; three-day pass £120. meadowsinthemountains.com

Secret Solstice, Iceland

Taking place at the height of summer, Secret Solstice never sees the sun set. And the party doesn’t stop either, with glacial raves and lagoon blow-outs planned after the live music ends. With Foo Fighters, the Prodigy and Rick Ross.

15-18 June, Reykjavik, Iceland; standard pass £156, VIP pass £288. secretsolstice.is

Roskilde, Denmark

With Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, A Tribe Called Quest and Justice among the lineup, music is at the heart of Denmark’s premium festival. To get the full experience, stay for the full eight days and savour the landscape, swimming lake and fantastic food.
24 June – 1 July, Roskilde, Denmark; day pass £112, week pass £226. roskilde-festival.dk

Here comes the sun … festival-goers at Roskilde. Photograph: Jens Dige/AFP/Getty Images

Rock Werchter, Belgium

Tickets for Radiohead’s 2017 UK shows are hard to come by, so one of the best ways to see Thom Yorke and co is to travel, and a solid option is Rock Werchter. Kings of Leon, the Avalanches, Foo Fighters, James Blake, Royal Blood and Bonobo also appear.
29 June-2 July, Werchter, Belgium; day pass £84, weekend £199. rockwerchter.be

Worldwide, France

Worldwide, founded by DJ Gilles Peterson in 2006, takes place in a village not far from Montpellier in southern France. It has a reputation for being one of the summer’s most magical events, with the coastal views only rivalled by the wildly eclectic bill.
3-9 July, Sète, France; one-week pass £202. worldwidefestival.com

Exit, Serbia

The Killers, Liam Gallagher, Years & Years and Jason Derulo. No, not the night out you wish you could go on, but the headliners of Serbia’s Exit, which takes place in the Petrovaradin Fortress.
5-9 July, Novi Sad, Serbia; tickets £119. exitfest.org

Happy campers … sleeping it off at Exit. Photograph: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images

Bilbao BBK Live, Spain

If you want to combine a music festival with outdoor activities, Bilbao BBK Live, situated moments from Cantabrian surfing hotspots Bakio, Sopelana and Mundaka, is a must. Justice, Depeche Mode, the 1975, the Killers and Phoenix top the bill.
6-8 July, Bilbao, Spain; day pass £42, weekend pass £97, bilbaobbklive.com

Nos Alive, Portugal

One of the most popular festival locations this year, and with a big-name lineup featuring the Weeknd, the xx, Phoenix, Alt-J, Ryan Adams, Fleet Foxes, Spoon, Warpaint, Foo Fighters and the Cult, it’s easy to work out why.
6-8 July, Lisbon, Portugal; from £123. nosalive.com

Festiwal Nowa Muzyka, Poland

Roisin Murphy, Ry X, the Cinematic Orchestra, Sohn and Hercules & Love Affair are among the performers at Poland’s New Music festival. At £59 a ticket, it must represent some of the summer’s best value for money, too.
6-9 July, Katowice, Poland; £59. festiwalnowamuzyka.pl

Traena, Norway

If what you want from a festival is a new experience, Traena is truly like no other. It takes place on islands in the Arctic circle, 33 miles off the coast of Norway, only accessible by boat. Past venues have included an ancient cave and a church with blacked-out windows.
6-9 July, Husøy and Sanna; £122. trena.net

North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands

Usher & the Roots, Emeli Sandé, Gladys Knight, Jamiroquai and Erykah Badu are among the standouts on the North Sea jazz festival’s lineup. The event, which takes place across 14 stages, is the world’s largest indoor jazz festival.
7-9 July, Rotterdam, Netherlands; day pass £73, weekend pass £177. northseajazz.com

Fresh Island Fest, Croatia

Fresh Island is billed as Europe’s premier urban beach festival. While that’s a small field, a starry lineup featuring the likes of Rae Sremmurd, Young Thug, Sean Paul, Lady Leshurr and Giggs rather proves the point.
11-13 July, Island of Pag, Croatia; day pass £58, weekend pass £108. fresh-island.org

Electric Castle, Romania

Set in the grounds of a 16th-century castle, Deadmau5, Zedd, Franz Ferdinand and Alt-J are among this year’s lineup. One of Europe’s only 24-hour festivals – don’t expect much sleep.
12-16 July, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; tickets £35, full pass £82. electriccastle.ro

Dekmantel, Netherlands

Vying for the title of Europe’s best dance festival, this year there’s music from Factory Floor, Steve Reich and Sun Ra Arkestra, while Jon Hopkins and Robert Hood are standouts on the DJ roster.
2-6 August, Amsterdam, Netherlands; from £101. dekmantelfestival.com

Dance party … Dekmantel. Photograph: Facebook

Øya, Norway

Scandinavia’s answer to Primavera – and one of the most environmentally friendly festivals in the world – boasts headliners Lana Del Rey, Pixies and the xx, alongside the likes of Ryan Adams, Julia Jacklin and BadBadNotGood.
8-12 August, Oslo, Norway; from £242. oyafestivalen.no

Dimensions, Croatia

One of the umpteen Croatia offerings, this fest stands out for its location – an abandoned fort – and quality techno acts such as Jeff Mills and Joy Orbison.
30 August-3 September, Pula, Croatia; from £151. dimensionsfestival.com

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