Every year there is upset, outrage, dismay and occasionally joy as the lineups for the summer festivals drop. This year we have more festivals than ever with Longitude joining Oxegen and Electric Picnic at the large scale table. Indiependence, Sea Sessions, Westport, Camden Crawl, Castlepalooza, Forbidden Fruit and Live at the Marquee give you a mid sized option while the smaller local events like Vantastival, Knockanstockan, Glasgowbury and HWCH celebrate all that is good with rising Irish talent.
If none of the above sit well with you, you have options abroad. As always each year the UK and European festival lineups, and even some in the U.S. if you have the money are worth a look. Here’s 15 festivals outside of Ireland that are worth a look this year and next.
Reading / Leeds 2013
The big rock festival each year never disappoints on lineup. This year is no different. Some smashing headliners and quality littered all the way through the lineup.
Who? : Greenday, Eminem, Biffy Clyro, Nine Inch Nails, Fall Out Boy, System of a Down, Frank Turner, Alt- J, Kodaline and more
When? : August 23rd – 25th 2013
Cost? : Weekend tickets are £210.50
Sasquatch 2013
Sasquatch! Music Festival is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Think Slane in Washington with a much bigger lineup.
Who? : Mumford & Sons, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sigur Ros, Vampire Weekend, The XX, The Postal Service and loads more
When? : May 24th – 27th 2013
Cost? : $337 (around €255) including camping
Benicassim 2013
The dream festival, catching some rays in the day from the gorgeous city of Valencia and watching great live music at night. You can camp on the beach, but we recommend renting a villa nearby and travelling in style.
Who? : The Killers, QOTSA, Arctic Monkeys, Everything Everything, Bastille, Azealia Banks, Primal Scream, Johnny Marr and more.
When? : July 18th – 21st 2013
Cost? : Weekend tickets €173 / 3 day tickets €130 / 2 day ticket €120 (sat/sun) €110 (fri/sat) / day tickets €70
Bestival 2013
Dubbed Electric Picnics bigger brother, and it isn’t hard to see why, with so many natural match-ups on the lineup to who is appearing in Stradbally. There are some Longitude named acts on the lineup here too, which makes us think in July they will suddenly appear on the Electric Picnic lineup. They have managed to get Elton John and Snoop over the EP headliners, which is interesting, Elton at a festival. Could be magical.
Who? : Elton John ,Snoop Dogg, Franz Ferdinand, The Knife, The Flaming Lips, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jessie Ware, Sinead O’Connor and more
When? : September 5th – 8th 2013
Cost? : Weekend tickets €224
Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop is a rising star of European festivals. Already with a great reputation, barring some minor issues at previous festivals where a storm marred an otherwise well ran festival, killing five. However things outside the organisers control, reports back from Pukkelpop have been rave reviews of a great weekend and is definitely worth a look.
Who? : Eminem, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Eels, The XX, Franz Ferdinand and more.
When? : August 15th – 17th 2013
Cost? : Weekend tickets €165 / Day tickets €83
Primavera Sound 2013
Primavera has become something of a staple in the festival diet of many Irish music fans over the last few years. Set by the sea in Barcelona, there’s no better way to watch a band than in the sun on a relaxed May weekend. The festival itself is bookended by events in Barcelona’s venues on the days and nights either side, so there’s no rest for the wicked
Who? Animal Collective, Dinosaur Jr, Blur, Wu Tang Clan, The Knife , The Postal Service, My Bloody Valentine, Band Of Horses and more…
When? 22nd – 26th May
Cost? Weekend tickets €189
Optimus Primavera 2013
This sister festival to Barcelona premiered in 2012, an altogether more intimate and scaled-down affair in every respect. There is a lot of crossover between the acts, but if you want to get up close and personal, then chill out in a laid-back town of Porto, this is the festival for you.
Who? Blur, The Breeders, Daniel Johnston, Wild Nothing, MBV, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, Melody’s Echo Chamber and more…
When? 30th May – 4th June
Cost? Weekend ticket €125
Ruisrock 2013
Fancy going to a festival full of young Scandinavians in a place where the sun never goes down? Where temperatures average a daily high of a comfortable 20 degrees and rain is very much the exception? Want to listen to metal in a place where there’s no social stigma attached to it?
Ruisrock could be for you. Taking place on what’s a nature reserve for 362 days a year just outside of Turku, Finland, Ruisrock offers lots of metal but also the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Band of Horses and Pet Shop Boys for those that don’t worship the Dark Lord.
Can be a bit or a trek to get there, but it’s worth it.
Who? : Biffy Clyro, Knife Party, HIM, Dizzee Rascal, Hand of Horses, Pet Shop Boys, Editors, Macklemore, Crystal Castles.
When? : 5th to 7th of July
Cost? : €120 for three day ticket. Camping is extra.
Download Festival 2013
The UK’s biggest hive of metal, hard rock and all things heavy, this is the place for any Irish metal fans who can’t quite get what they need over here. With an incredible lineup for this year, and with very little on offer in Ireland this year in the realm of metal, what better reason to meander over to Donington Park, UK, for a weekend of the world’s top metal bands?
Who? : Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Rammstein, Enter Shikari, Limp Bizkit, QOTSA, HIM, and many, many more.
When? : June 14th-16th in Donington Park, UK.
Cost? : Weekend tickets are £195 (€230 approx.)
Rock Werchter 2013
One of the oldest festivals on the circuit, running since 1976 in the villager of Werchter near Leuven. It is regarded as one of the five biggest festivals in the world which includes Glasto, Exit, Sziget and Roskilde. The lineup is suitably impressive.
Who? : Greenday, The National, Blur, Kings Of Leon, Rammstein, Volbeat, Editors, Depeche Mode, 30 Seconds to Mars, Sigur Ros and more.
When? : July 4th /5th /6th / 7th July
Cost? : €200 combi / €80 one day
ATP 2013
All Tomorrow’s Parties is for the festival-goer who pines for a youth spent in Mosney, except now you can drink in the chalets and hang out with the bands between sets. Curated by the musos you love, ATP’s holiday camp settings in the UK have hosted a dazzling array of artists since its inception in 2001. It’s the end of an era, though, with 2013 seeing out the final Holiday Camp festivals.
Who? Television, Les Savy Fav, Dinosaur Jr, Mike Watt, Chelsea Light Moving, Múm, Dinos Chapman and more
When? 22nd – 24th November
Cost? Weekend ticket £170
Truck Festival
A tiny festival on a farm in Oxfordshire (the main stage is on a truck bed, and the Barn stage is an actual barn), Truck is genuinely one of the loveliest festivals going. Now in its fifteenth year, Truck’s small size and local charity club-run food stalls foster a real sense of community over the weekend. The acts playing are smaller, but the quality and variety is always really high. There’s also a pretty good Irish showing this year, with Fight Like Apes, And So I Watch You From Afar and WOUNDS all joining the lineup!
Who? : The Horrors, Spiritualised, Ash, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Patrick Wolf
When? : 19-20 July
How Much? : £78.15 (incl. booking fee)
2000 Trees Festival
If you’re looking for a UK festival focusing on the best of new alternative British and Irish music, it’s hard to ignore 2000 Trees Festival at Upcote Farm in Gloucestershire. From small humble beginnings it has grown to be one of the best small UK festivals around, being a previous winner of best UK Grass Roots festival. Eschewing large commercial food and drink providers in favour of local alternatives, this is a festival with a strong sense of identity and a focus on the festival goer. The music ain’t bad either with a strong Irish contingent present this year: ASIWYFA, Adebisi Shank, Fight Like Apes, Bats and Fighting With Wire.
Who? Frank Turner, Mystery Jets, Stornoway, ASIWYFA, Adebisi Shank
When? 11-13th July
How Much? £72 weekend camping
Berlin Festival 2013
A festival in three different venues which include Tempelhof Airport. They have an interesting lineup which includes Blur, Jork and Pet Shop Boys. Berlin itself is a fantastic city and never sleeps.
Who? : Blur, Bjork, Pet Shop Boys, My Bloody Valentine, Villagers, Klaxons and more
When? : September 6th – 7th 2013
Cost? : All inclusive tickets €141.50 / Day tickets €64.90
Glastonbury 2013
OK this isn’t an option, it’s entirely sold out, predictably. But mark this in your diary for next year, or the year after. The lineup is always mega. Bask in the glory of this years lineup
Who? : Arctic Monkey, The Rolling Stones, Mumford and Sons, Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Nick Cave, Vampire Weekend, The Vaccines and more.
When? : June 28th – 30th 2013
Cost? : SOLD OUT. Were £205.
