May 14, 2010 -
PRLog -- The UK is inundated with festivals. Come June, every student worth their loan has their mits around a big name festival ticket. Ostensibly they're all going to see the new acts, the emerging music and underground grime scene but we all know that they're going as much for Pixie Lott, Lady Gaga and Green Day as they are for Red Roots. Combine that with the effort of getting a ticket (only students seem to have the free time to give a DNA swab and 20 year's proof of address), the spiralling cost of mainstream UK festivals and the lack of adventure and many of us are looking elsewhere for our musical kicks this year.
Dancing in near-guaranteed sun, slightly cheaper drinks and different music acts are just a few of a host of reasonS why going abroad might just have it over Glastonbury this year, and with plenty of overseas festivals going on this year UK music-seekers are spoilt for choice.
"There are two ways of doing a festival abroad" says Camping World's Michael Cloake, "you can do it the easy way and jump on a Ryan Air or EasyJet flight to wherever you need to go, or you can make travelling part of the experience". A veteran of the infamous Mongol Rally, we can see the gleam in his eye as he explains that many European festivals are well within a couple of days driving distance: "for the price of a plane ticket you can buy an old car and turn it into a road-trip - what better way to use up your holiday from work?". And he's right - a three day sun-soaked music festival coupled with a few days of driving adventure brings you closer to your friends, could end up cheaper than flying if a few of you split the cost, and of course deftly avoids any volcano trouble on the horizon. The perfect way to spend a summer week off.
So, buy your tickets online, load up the car with essentials (see below) and print off a Google map and you're good to go. Who knows, if you plan right you might just be able to fit a couple of festivals on route.
What's Happening in 2010 on the European Music Scene?
SELECTOR FESTIVAL
Summer really starts with Selector Festival in Krakow, Poland (4–5 June, www.selectorfestival.pl)
. Tickets from RyanAir are running at about £30 currently and hotels in Krakov are reasonably cheap, although it wouldn't really be a festival without camping and there are plenty of campsites you can use. You may think that a Polish gig couldn't attract top names to the stage but last year Selector’s line-up included Franz Ferdinand, Orbital and CSS so think again. This year Faithless are already confirmed as headliners so you can guarantee some banging anthems emerging from the dance tent. Think cheap beer in Poland's coolest city, or a West Country mud-fest - your call.
HEINEKEN OPEN’ER
Stay another month (if you've got nothing else to do) and take in the Heineken Open'er at the beginning of July (1–4 July, www.opener.pl)
. Already confirmed are current smokin' acts Hot Chip and Kasabian, who join Massive Attack and Pearl Jam in what promises to be one of the hottest opening festivals this summer. Camping on site at this gig allows 4 days of music hedonism without far to go for the tunes, and the Heineken Open'er is well organised with good toilet facilities and showers making the whole experience that much more pleasant. Make it a holiday and hang around after the gig (or before if you went to Selector) as the Hel Peninsula a short boat ride away has some breathtaking beaches ideal for recuperation.
SONAR FESTIVAL
In the heart of Europe's most culture-filled city, the Sonar Festival (17–19 June, www.2010.sonar.es)
embraces Barcelona's image as an arty, edgy city and offers a great dance focused festival. The daytime sees a host of impressive artists, live films, music acts and multimedia from across Europe all captured in the CCCB and MACBA building. At night you catch a coach to the huge music venue just outside the city where you will be able to revel in massive electronica dance acts. Confirmed so far are The Chemical Brothers, Dizzie Rascal, Air and LCD Soundsystem so Sonar looks set to be one of the big ones this year.
EXIT FESTIVAL
More well known than some of the other festival, Exit (8–11 July, www.exitfest.org)
has been going since 2000 and attracts huge crowds of music lovers. Based in Serbia, Eastern European culture and influence takes over and this event which all started from a political protest is now a fantastic place to party. Situated in the awe-inspiring Petrovaradin fortress high above a bend in the Danube, EXIT attracts fans from all over Europe and continues to bring in the biggest European names - confirmed this year are Mika, Crystal Castles, Erol Alkan and The Chemical Brothers.
MELT! FESTIVAL
The German Electro/Rock Festival Melt! (16–18 July, www.meltfestival.de)
is about as far from the mainstream UK festivals as you can get. Set in an open air industrial machine museum at Ferrapolis - the energetic music is blasted around huge machines which tower over everything, the cranes and diggers lit up eerily like a surreal and somewhat macabre machine graveyard. Acts confirmed so far are The XX, Foals and Massive Attack. Not to be missed!
WORLDWIDE FESTIVAL
Getting closer to Britain now and a little more mainstream, the Worldwide Festival (8–11 July, www.worldwidefestival.com)
offers a more mainstream festival experience. With blazing sunshine and set on a private beach, this event hosted by Gilles Peterson comes close to festival paradise - Glastonbury this ain't. Along with a big name host come big name bands and already confirmed are The Gaslamp Killer, Floating Points, Norman Jay and Quantic Y Su Combo Barbaro
SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL
If you are planning on doing more than one festival then a good start is to go to Exit and come back via Soundwave (23–25 July, www.soundwavecroatia.com)
. A great road-trip, Soundwave is set on its own beach and has been described as a mini-Bestival. A truly mediterranean vibe makes this festival a great summer session and you can experience the clear Balearic waters off the beautiful coastline and near-guaranteed sunshine. Boat parties, after-parties galore and top acts from both dance and hip-hop artists make Soundwave a great alternative to the Isle of White.
NATURE ONE
The biggest open-air dance event in Europe, Nature One (30 July–1 August, www.nature-one.de)
boasts some very big speakers and very big acts. Based on a disused German missile base this festival has the right setting, the right music and the right vibe to attract thousands of European revellers. A short plane ride from the UK or an easy day's drive away, Nature One pulls in 60,000 party people with the likes of Judge Jules, Carl Cox and Armin van Buuren headlines to-die-for dance sets.
ROCK EN SEINE FESTIVAL
Even closer to home, Rock En Seine (27–29 August, www.rockenseine.com)
is a mainstream music festival that hasn't yet caught on in the UK as an alternative to Glastonbury, Leeds, Reading or V Festival. Stupidly big name bands from the UK, Europe and the US have all performed here, and its location just outside Paris makes it easy to get to by plane, car, train or even hitching a ride. Definitely a must for keen Euro campers, chuck the tent and sleeping bag in the back of the car and get set to see big names like Queens of the Stone Age, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend and Rage Against the Machine who have all played this festival before
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