Festival-goers are spoiled for choice in 2020.
There’s an incredible variety of events lined up for the summer — even within the M25. London’s festival scene is an ever-growing one, with world-class talent playing all over the city. In the rest of the UK, it’s a similar story, with some huge line-ups already announced.
But if you head even farther afield, there’s a whole new kind of festival experience to be had, whether that’s raving it up on the Albanian Riviera or rocking out in a disused Helsinki power station.
Listed chronologically, these are the European festivals worth making the trip for in 2020.
Primavera Sound
What is it? Undoubtedly one of the finest festivals Europe has to offer, with incredible depth of quality on its line-up every year. Rap? Pop? Brazilian thrash metal? You can probably find it here.
Who’s playing? The Strokes, Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, The National and more
When is it? June 3-7
Where is it? Barcelona, Spain
Tickets: from €195 (approx £165), primaverasound.com
Rock am Ring/Rock im Park
What is it? Feeling like something of a Reading and Leeds throwback — before they booked rappers as headliners — this huge German festival is spread across two separate sites on one weekend.
Who’s playing? System of a Down, Green Day, Volbeat, Korn and more
When is it? June 5-7
Where is it? Nürburgring/Nürnberg, Germany
Tickets: €194 (approx £164), rock-am-ring.com
NOS Primavera
What is it? Across the border in Portugal, this is basically Primavera Sound's little sibling, sharing many of the same acts.
Who's playing? Tyler, The Creator, Pavement, Lana Del Rey, Bad Bunny and more
When is it? June 11-13
Where is it? Porto, Portugal
Tickets: €120 (approx £102), nosprimaverasound.com
Sonar
What is it? Said by some to exist in Primavera’s admittedly huge shadow, Sonar in fact carves itself a niche by focusing on bass-heavy sounds, from drill to techno.
Who’s playing? The Chemical Brothers, Arca, The Blaze, Carl Cox and more
When is it? June 18-20
Where is it? Barcelona, Spain
Tickets: from €170 (approx £144)
Roskilde
What is it? Reliably the best festival in Denmark, year after year, pulling in headliners to rival festivals anywhere else in Europe.
Who’s playing? Taylor Swift, Tyler, the Creator, Thom Yorke Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, Deftones and more
When is it? June 26-July 4
Where is it? Roskilde, Denmark
Tickets: 2250 DKK (approx £257), roskilde-festival.dk
Secret Solstice
What is it? Hosted during Iceland's Midnight Sun, a period of the year in which it never gets dark, this festival offers an experience pretty far removed from its European counterparts.
Who's playing? Cypress Hill, Lil Pump, Primal Scream, TLC and more
When is it? June 26-28
Where is it? Reykjavik, Iceland
Tickets: £93, secretsolstice.is
Awakenings
What is it? Techno heads should make this their number one priority for the summer: it's the largest outdoor festival dedicated to the genre in the world.
Who's playing? Amelie Lens, Avalon Emerson, Charlotte De Witte, Ben Klock and more
When is it? June 27-28
Where is it? Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tickets: Sold out, awakeningsfestival.nl
Open’er
What is it? Poland’s biggest festival, with a line-up split broadly between the most popular acts in rock and rap.
Who’s playing? Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, A$AP Rocky, Twenty One Pilots and more
When is it? July 1-4
Where is it? Gdynia, Poland
Tickets: 619zł (approx £123), opener.pl
Rock Werchter
What is it? As the name suggests, this one specialises on bands making loud music, but there are some pop and rap acts snuck in there too.
Who's playing? Faith No More, Kendrick Lamar, Pearl Jam, Pixies and more
When is it? July 2-5
Where is it? Werchter, Belgium
Tickets: from €234 (approx £198), rockwerchter.be
Mad Cool
What is it? Another Spanish behemoth which draws the biggest names from all the major genres of pop, rock and dance.
Who's playing? Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Kings of Leon, The Killers and more
When is it? July 8-11
Where is it? Madrid, Spain
Tickets: from €169 (approx £143), madcoolfestival.es
Exit
What is it? Another intriguingly eclectic festival, this time in Serbia, promising everything from tech house to ska to hardcore punk in recent years.
Who’s playing? David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Sepultura, James Arthur and more
When is it? July 9-12
Where is it? Novi Sad, Serbia
Tickets: £89, exitfest.org
Pohoda
What is it? A veteran festival with more than two decades’ experience, offering a hugely friendly atmosphere and some pretty massive acts from the worlds of pop, rock and beyond.
Who’s playing? Stormzy, FKA Twigs, The Libertines, Wolf Alice and more
When is it? July 9-11
Where is it? Airport Trencin, Slovakia
Tickets: €109 (approx £92), pohodafestival.sk
Bilbao BBK Live
What is it? A festival that feels almost like a mini version of Primavera Sound, with the same variety and quality, just not on the same massive scale.
Who’s playing? Kendrick Lamar, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Placebo and more
When is it? July 9-11
Where is it? Bilbao, Spain
Tickets: from €140 (approx £119), bilbaobbklive.com
Hospitality on the Beach
What is it? A drum’n’bass extravaganza run by the legendary London label, Hospital Records, bringing together some of the scene’s biggest names.
Who’s playing? Andy C, Noisia, Camo and Crooked, Calibre and more
When is it? July 9-12
Where is it? Tisno, Croatia
Tickets: from £186, hospitalityonthebeach.com
Ultra Europe
What is it? The European edition of the hugely popular American festival, specialising in EDM.
Who's playing? Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Steve Aoki and more
When is it? July 10-12
Where is it? Split, Croatia
Tickets: from €159 (approx £135), ultraeurope.com
Love International
What is it? A sun-drenched dance music festival on the Croatian coast, with plenty of boat parties and sunrise DJ sets.
Who’s playing? Avalon Emerson, Ross From Friends, Ben UFO, Shanti Celeste and more
When is it? July 15-21
Where is it? Tisno, Croatia
Tickets: from €155 (approx £130), loveinternationalfestival.com
FIB
What is it? A festival popular with both Spaniards and Brits, which has a focus on Latin artists as well as the more widely known international stars.
Who’s playing? Khalid, Martin Garrix, The Libertines, Foals and more
When is it? July 16-19
Where is it? Benicassim, Spain
Tickets: from €65 (approx £55), fiberfib.com
Super Bock Super Rock
What is it? Moving from the urban surroundings of Lisbon and onto a beach further south in Portugal, expect a spread of rap, rock and pop at this festival.
Who's playing? A$AP Rocky, Foals, Kali Uchis, Local Natives and more
When is it? July 16-18
Where is it? Sesimbra, Portugal
Tickets: from €110 (approx £93), superbocksuperrock.pt
Tomorrowland
What is it? Something of a Mecca for European fans of EDM, this festival promises the biggest names and some bombastic stage production across two weekends.
Who’s playing? David Guetta, Eric Prydz, Marshmello and more
When is it? July 17-19, 24-26
Where is it? Boom, Belgium
Tickets: €TBA, tomorrowland.com
Melt
What is it? An open-air spectacular with a line-up rooted mostly in electronic music but with a few intriguing deviations.
Who's playing? Bicep, Burna Boy, Floating Points, Little Simz and more
When is it? July 17-19
Where is it? Ferropolis, Germany
Tickets: from €124.95 (approx £106)
Off
What is it? The antidote to Open’er’s pop, this Polish festival focuses on the more obscure, experimental side of things.
Who’s playing? Iggy Pop, Mac DeMarco, Bikini Kill, Tropical F*** Storm and more
When is it? August 2-4
Where is it? Katowice, Poland
Tickets: 319zł (approx £63), off-festival.pl
Sziget
What is it? A Budapest blowout that seems to book bigger names each year. Expect internationally famous acts across the broad spectrum of rock and beyond.
Who’s playing? Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Kings of Leon, The Strokes and more
When is it? August 7-13
Where is it? Budapest, Hungary
Tickets: €299 (approx £253), szigetfestival.com
Øya
What is it? A Norwegian festival which proves just how strong its native music scene is, with plenty of homegrown acts headlining alongside international favourites.
Who’s playing? Bon Iver, Aurora, Stormzy, FKA Twigs and more
When is it? August 11-15
Where is it? Oslo, Norway
Tickets: £274, oyafestivalen.no
Dimensions
What is it? A collection of cutting-edge DJs and musicians, ranging from techno to jazz, which has now moved away from its home in a 19th century fort and into the ever-popular Tisno.
Who’s playing? Floating Points, Helena Hauff, DJ Stingray, Pearson Sound and more
When is it? August 13-18
Where is it? Tisno, Croatia
Tickets: from £131, dimensionsfestival.com
Flow
What is it? A varied festival, booking everyone from legacy rockers to cult favourites, held within the industrial surroundings of a disused power station.
Who’s playing? Bon Iver, Stormzy, FKA Twigs, Michael Kiwanuka and more
When is it? August 14-16
Where is it? Helsinki, Finland
Tickets: from €185 (approx £157), flowfestival.com
Dekmantel Selectors
What is it? Ran by the same people who run Dekmantel Festival in the Netherlands, this one a sunny, 2,500-capacity retreat for dance music fans.
Who’s playing? Joy Orbison, Jamie xx, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Hunee and more
When is it? August 27-31
Where is it? Tisno, Croatia
Tickets: from €175 (£148 approx), dekmantelselectors.com
Rock en Seine
What is it? Paris’ biggest festival, delivering a crowd-pleasing blend of rock and pop music that draws an increasingly international crowd each year.
Who’s playing? Rage Against The Machine, Run The Jewels and more to be confirmed
When is it? August 28-29
Where is it? Paris, France
Tickets: €178, rockenseine.com
ION
What is it? A brand new festival from the people behind London house and techno favourite Junction 2, taking place on the Albanian Riviera.
Who's playing? Daniel Avery, Maribou State, Helena Hauff, Ben UFO and more
When is it? September 2-9
Where is it? Dhermi, Albania
Tickets: from €139pp for ticket and accomodation, ionalbania.com
