They haven’t built that wall separating us from Europe yet, so take advantage by booking tickets to these reliably brilliant European festivals, which have started releasing information about line-ups so good you’ll salivate.
Roskilde Festival
Where: Denmark
When: June 24 – July 1
Line-up: Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, Justice, Moderat/Modeselector, Blink-182, Erasure, Solange.
Cost: £232
Recommended
Why you should go: Copenhagen was the coolest place to go on holiday in 2016 and the ‘Graffiti Zone’ is packed with street art and installations from renowned artists.
Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound
Where: Barcelona
When: June 1 – 3
Line-up: Arcade Fire, The xx, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, Aphex Twin, Grace Jones
Cost: £153
Why you should go: The internet has been in meltdown over how exciting this line-up is. We called it “incredible”, and you know what, we’re not wrong – just look at the hidden gems to be discovered beyond the headliners.
NOS Alive
Andy Ford/NMEWhere: Lisbon
When: July 6 -8
Line-up: Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, The Kills, Warpaint, Alt-J, Ryan Adams,
Cost: £149.50
Why you should go: The weather is always amazing, the line-ups are killer and the music doesn’t start until 5pm, so you can make the most of the sun until then. It’s also one of the best value festivals Europe has to offer.
Download Paris
Where: Paris (duh)
When: June 9 – 11
Line-up: Linkin Park, Green Day, Prophets of Rage, System of a Down, blink-182.
Cost: £155
Why you should go: Because Paris is the city of romance, and what’s more romantic than moshing until your teeth fall out?
Mad Cool Festival
Redferns
Where: Madrid
When: July 6 – 8
Line-up: Foo Fighters, Green Day, King of Leon, Alt-J, The Lumineers, Belle & Sebastians, Wolf Alice.
Cost: £130
Why you should go: Mad Cool is only in its second year, so when it’s ballooned to near-Glasto proportions in 10 years’ time, you can get all misty-eyed and remember when you were a pioneer all the way back in 2017.
Øya
GettyWhere: Oslo, Norway
When: August 8 – 12
Line-up: Mac DeMarco, Lana Del Rey, MØ, Vince Staples, Angel Olsen and Car Seat Headrest.
Cost: £150
Why you should go: Held in Oslo’s Medieval Park, this is one of the most genteel festivals in Europe and, when you’re not watching bands, you can kick it by the lakeside with a beer. Lovely.
Melt!
Where: Ferropolis, Germany
When: July 14 – 16
Line-up: Die Antwoord, Phoenix, The Kills, Kate Tempest, Glass Animals and MØ.
Cost: £130
Why you should go: The festival looks like the set of Mad Max and you can take the weight off with a lil crane ride, which is always – always – fun.
Exit
Tom Martin/NME
Where: Petrovaradin, Serbia
When: July 6 – 9
Line-up: Not yet announced, though last year’s included The Prodigy, Bastille, Ellie Goulding, The Vaccines and Wiz Khalifa.
Cost: The early bird ticket (currently on sale) costs £98.50
Why you should go: Besides the fact that it’s cheap as chips? Okay: it’s set in the midst of an ancient fortress and you cool off with a quick swim in the river Danube. So, worth every penny.
Flow Festival
flickr.com/flowfestivalWhere: Helsinki, Finland
When: August 11 -13
Line-up: Lana Del Rey, The xx, London Grammar, Aphex Twin, Flume, Vince Staples and Angel Olsen.
Cost: £146.30
Why you should go: The festival takes place in an old industrial area, where lots of disused spaces have been turned into breweries and suchlike, so it’s trendy as fuck.
Sonar
PressWhere: Barcelona
When: June 15 – 17
Line-up: Justice, Moderat, Nicolas Jaar, Eric Prydz
Cost: £145
Why you should go: Most music festivals are “more than a music festival” these days, but few can rival Sonar for extracurricular activities. There’s a focus on tech: last year’s festival, for example, featured a keynote speech from Google’s Head of VR Cinematography.
Tomorrowland
Where: Boom, Belgium
When: Yet-to-be-announced.
Line-up: We’ll let keep you posted when it’s announced. Last it was David Guetta, Afrojack, Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz.
Cost: Yet-to-be-announced.
Why you should go: Tomorrowland is the be-all and end-all of dance festivals, and a night at Oceania just isn’t gonna cut it any more.
INmusic
PressWhere: Zagreb
When: June 19 – 21
Line-up: So far, only Arcade Fire have been announced, but it’s bloody Arcade Fire! What more do you need? UPDATE: Alt-J have now been added. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates.
Cost: £35
Why you should go: Sorry to go on about the price, but they are literally giving these tickets away. The site is situated beside the beautiful Lake Jarun, pint costs £1.70 and the karaoke tent bangs.