the Coolest Festivals in Europe.
Beneath the marquee at Boom Festival in Portugal (📷)
When the summer rolls around, the citizens of Europe scramble in their droves to bask in the seasonal sunshine that falls across the continent. Fervent passion grips Europeans every summer, paired with an ever-growing community of creative and alternative thinkers, numerous exciting events play out.
Everything from eclectic music festivals nestled in clandestine crumbling fortresses to DJs spinning live sets inside glacial ice caves, there are unique experiences to be enjoyed in every corner of Europe.
the Established Favourites.
During the month of August, the world's largest arts festival oversees tens of thousands of performances encompassing comedy, music, art, theatre and more. The picturesque streets of Edinburgh are flooded by a myriad of unique performers during the Fringe Festival, a hub where both established and up-and-coming artists flock to further their careers.
The enormous scale of Sziget — a world renowned Hungarian festival — engulfs the island of Óbuda in Budapest. Crowds from across the world make the journey to experience the unparalleled freedom this week long festival affords. With line-ups ranging from chart-topping bands to independent performance art, there's something for absolutely everyone at this vibrant and colourful festival.
Bringing together fans of house, techno and other genres, the versatility and creativity of Dekmantel Festival — a Dutch institution — can't be denied. Crafting unique stages in the midst of the pristine forests outside of Amsterdam, the party spills out to various venues across Central Amerstam after nightfall. The Dekmantel experience should be on your bucket list if you love electronic music and artsy festivals.
Taking place at Helsinki's elusive Suvilahti Power Plant, the Flow Festival takes over the year-round cultural centre and transforms it into a kaleidoscopic assortment of music, arts and culture with an experimental twist.
the Hidden Gems.
On the west coast of Scotland, the Kelburn Garden Party is an incredibly immersive "psychedelic forest party" creates an incredible ambience and vibe that has not been replicated anywhere else. Like setting foot into Alice's Wonderland, this eclectic festival transforms the quaint Scottish country-side location into a bustling hive of activity.
Continuing to gain more and more traction as the years go by, the 'underground' music festival Dimensions is located in and around the Croatian city of Pula, with a performance schedule spanning countless genres. With the opening concert taking place in the dramatic ancient Roman amphitheatre in the centre of town, the main festival events take place shrouded in obscurity over at Fort Punta Christo — a crumbling mossy structure nestled deep in dense forest. This is one unique festival you don't want to miss.
Transport your mind to another world and escape to an astounding festival named Meadows in the Mountains in Bulgaria near the Greek borders. A sense of community overcomes all the friendly attendants of this spellbinding rural festival, as people travel from far and wide just to make this event a one in a lifetime experience.
Winner of the 2010 European Festivals Award for Best Small Festival, the wonderful utopia of Tauron Nowa Muzyka converts the rusty industrial heartland outside of Katowice into a hive of culture and art. Spread across numerous indoor and outdoor venues, some iconic artists have graced this unique festival over its 13 year history, including gigs in an expansive seedy warehouse.
the Weird + Wonderful.
Environmentally conscious bi-annual Boom Festival transforms the landscape of rural Portugal into a thriving hub free spirits to shake off their inhibitions for a full week. Everything from psychedelic trance to the relaxing ambient music of the "chill-out" area is found here, alongside copious amounts of visual art incorporated across five stages and harrowing fire performances.
In rural Norway, the Ice Music Festival may in fact be the coolest festival in Europe—if we are speaking literally, that is. Annually, on the first full moon of the year, local musicians carve instruments out of the hardy ice and snow, and proceed to play them in a venue that is also made entirely of ice. Further north, an isolated island hosts the Træna Festival on the fringes of the Arctic Circle. The main attraction of this festival is the staggering venue of Kirkhellern—a large open cave with scenic backdrop.
Founded just one year after the end of World War II, the cooky Bregenz Festival runs for about a month every year, showcasing theatre performances on the ever-changing dramatic stages that are built each year. Enigmatic stage designs elevated by the beautiful Austrian lake-side location differentiate this festival from any other in Europe.
