London may offer a wealth of superb music festivals each summer, but there are some things these events in the capital just can’t give us. Thumping speakers on sandy beaches. Winding, azure rivers. A dancefloor beneath a canopy of palm trees. Cool mountain breezes and three-day parties in remote, abandoned factories. For this, you need to look abroad.
You already know about the likes of Coachella and Burning Man — the kinds of ultra famous international festivals that are either deeply basic or prohibitively expensive, or both. Instead of these obvious picks, we’re spotlighting some of the best and most awe-inspiringly beautiful festivals outside the UK, so you can enjoy this year’s biggest beats in a stunning location, instead of in a cordoned-off area of a muddy Victoria Park.
Bahidorá, Morelos, Mexico
Dates: February 14-16
Camping? Yes
USP: Takes place next to the turquoise waters of the Yautepec River
For anyone looking for a slightly better Valentine’s treat than a meal at the local Franco Manca this year, how about a last-minute trip to Mexico, where you can party at Bahidorá festival, next to the Yautepec River? Or you can float down it — whatever works. You’ll have quite the soundtrack, too: electronic heavyweights Kaytranada, Floating Points and Folamour are all on the bill. Described as one of the top tickets of Mexican festival season, Bahidorá is located in the state of Morelos, next door to Mexico City. Morelos doesn’t have its own airport, so you’ll need to fly into Mexico City and drive to the festival, which is roughly an hour and a half away. But for that location? It’s more than worth it.
Tickets: from £41, bahidora.com
Horst Arts and Music Festival, Vilvoorde, Belgium
Dates: May 1-3
Camping? Yes
USP: Takes place in an abandoned industrial military site
If trippy visuals projected onto The Simpsons-esque cooling towers isn’t enough to sell this festival in Brussels, then just wait for the headliner: Four Tet is rumoured to be holding court. Horst Arts and Music Festival is a three-day celebration of arts, architecture and music that takes place in Asiat Park, an abandoned industrial site and former military base in Vilvoorde. The Belgian city sits just outside Brussels and happens to be a convenient 12-minute drive from Luchthaven Zaventem, Brussels’s main airport. Vilvoorde is also a five-minute train journey from Brussels, which means staying in the capital and commuting to the festival is a total breeze. The rest of the line-up is TBC, but it looks like it’s worth banking on.
Tickets: from £62, horstartsandmusic.com
Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain
Dates: June 4-8
Camping? No
USP: Good for combining a city break with a festival weekend
This seaside festival is practically a rite of passage for anyone over the age of 25 and, as such, is one of the biggest non-UK festivals for bumping into people you know. Why is it so popular? Firstly, it has a huge line-up. This year includes the three main pop girlies — Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Charli xcx (who will be bringing her and Troye Sivan’s smash hit Sweat tour) — among other huge acts, such as Jamie xx, Beabadoobee and Fontaines DC. Secondly, it perfectly combines a festival weekend with a city minibreak, so you can enjoy Monday to Thursday chilling in the Catalan capital, then Friday to Sunday in sunny festival mode. There’s also Primavera Sound Porto (June 12-15), which is smaller and has a similar line-up.
Tickets: from £114, primaverasound.com
We Love Green, Paris, France
Dates: June 6-8
Camping? No
USP: Paris, cool, good for environment
If watching last year’s Olympics festivities really whetted the appetite for a big party in Paris, head to We Love Green in June which promises to be an equally captivating party. The music festival is held in the Bois de Vincennes, a gorgeous, classical park located in Paris’s “bo-bo” (bohemian and bourgeois) 12th arrondissement. Its line-up is as current as it is cool, with Charli xcx, FKA twigs, LCD Soundsystem, Fcukers and Ezra Collective all performing. Plus, We Love Green is huge on sustainability — hence the name. It’s an eco-designed, entirely vegetarian festival that’s certified for its responsible management systems, and in 2024 was validated as having the lowest carbon footprint in the festival’s history. So you can party hard and feel eco-smug at the same time.
Tickets: from £45, welovegreen.fr
Tauron Nowa Muzyka Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Dates: June 19-22
Camping? No.
USP: Watch some of London’s coolest DJs in a former Polish coal mine
Why go to Fabric when you can go down the mines? Or, more accurately, go raving on the site of a former Polish coal mine, with a soundtrack fit for an east London techno club. Tauron Nowa Muzyka Katowice, which literally translates to “Tauron New Music Katowice”, is an electronic dance festival (the event is small, around 25,000 people) that takes place in the city of Katowice in south Poland. This year’s line-up has Berghain regular Ben Klock (one of the world’s most sought after techno DJs), Dutch dance master Fatima Yamaha, genre-bending visionary Joy Orbison and beep-boop atmospheric master Floating Points. Basically, if you’re into the Lost Village, Houghton side to UK festivals, TNMK will get you that same fix — in an extra cool locale.
Tickets: from £69, festiwalnowamuzyka.pl
Fuji Rock Festival, Yuzawa, Japan
Dates: July 25-27
Camping? Yes.
USP: Indie rock with a backdrop of the “Japanese Alps”
Fuji Rock got its name from the festival’s first event in 1997, when it was held at the base of Mount Fuji. It’s now in the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa, Niigata, within the so-called “Japanese Alps”, but the vistas are no less stunning. Each summer, the ski resort town is flooded with 100,000 visitors, and ski paraphernalia is uprooted in favour of festival stages, tents and food trucks. This year’s line-up is currently tbc, but it tends to skew towards more indie rock. Last year’s headliners were The Killers, Kraftwerk and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, with more musical stylings from the likes of Peggy Gou, Sampha, Girl in Red, Turnstile, The Last Dinner Party and Fontaines DC. Its position as the largest outdoor music event in Japan means there’s also a huge contingent of homegrown talent, so you can pick up a few new favourites with your old reliables.
Tickets: from £84,en.fujirockfestival.com
Dekmantel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dates: July 30 to August 3
Camping? Yes.
USP: Dutty beats in a spellbinding Dutch forest
Attending Dekmantel is kind of like getting into Berghain. It’s not quite as exclusive and you won’t get turned away on the door, but it carries the same amount of clout. Described as a festival that “guarantees quality house and techno”, Dekmantel takes place in the rolling hills and impossibly tall trees of Amsterdamse Bos, a park located just outside Amsterdam. Wholesome surroundings play host to intense beats and skilled DJs, with Bicep’s Chroma show taking centre stage for 2024. While 2025’s offering is not yet announced, electronic music fans will be pleased with the majority of selectors. It’s one of those festivals where the whole line-up is in the same small font, so everyone’s equal, there’s a lot of variation, and more DJs than you know what to do with.
Tickets: from £190,dekmantelfestival.com
Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland
Dates: Nov 6-8
Camping? No.
USP: Cold and beautiful, like a more cultured après ski
Maybe a hot festival isn’t for you, and that’s okay. We all know how uncomfortable it can be in a sweaty tent. Instead, how about a chilly festival, with some of the world’s most striking natural landscapes as a backdrop? That’s what’s on offer at Iceland Airwaves, the immersive, multi-genre music festival held each winter in Reykjavík. The 2025 line-up isn’t out yet, but last year Charlotte Day Wilson, Magdalena Bay, The Vaccines, Joy Anonymous and Overmono all performed, as well as a host of enchanting Icelandic acts. Because of the cold, it’s hosted indoors at venues across Reykjavík, so it’s not the typical al fresco set-up. But there aren’t many other festivals where you can stumble out of the venue and gaze up at the Northern Lights, are there?
Tickets: from £57, icelandairwaves.is
