Best European festivals 2015: From Benicassim to Tomorrowland and Roskilde
Catch some rays as well as music
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Your support makes all the difference.Those prepared to look beyond these shores have a huge array of options to pick from, with enchanted forests atop stunning mountain ranges, glistening coastlines soundtracked by the best DJs on the planet and historical fortresses taken over for no other purpose than having a good time.
Der Ring 29-31 May
Nürburgring, Germany
Perfect for: Metal heads
Headliners: Kiss, Metallica, Muse
In Germany. At a racetrack. Perfect for those who like their music loud and heavy. The event is making its debut this year at the Nürburgring F1 race track, but based on the incredibly strong line-up (also: Faith No More, Incubus, Limp Bizkit), it could become a prominent fixture in the festival calendar.
Despite normally playing host to the loudest cars on the planet, the heavy riffs and cranked-up decibels across the festival's three stages (named Big, Boom and Bang) look certain to create more noise than this race circuit has ever heard.
Secret Solstice 19-21 June
Laugardalur, Reykjavik
Perfect for: Adventurers
Headliners: Wu Tang Clan, FKA twigs
This festival, now in its second year, is something special. It's held during the summer solstice weekend on a volcanic island in Iceland, and is the only festival where you can party at a time when the sun doesn't set for three days. There's a mix of UK, US and Norwegian acts. Check out MØ, Denmark's hottest singer, and Icelandic reggae group Hjálmar.
Meadows in the Mountains 12-14 June
Rhodopes Mountains, Bulgaria
Perfect for: Anyone seeking a bit of local authenticity
Headliners: Binh, Beat Pete, Brand New Wayo
Most of the friendly international crowd who attend this small-scale festival are put up by the locals. It's a set-up that ensures truly unique experiences while providing a flavour of the real Bulgaria. The eclectic music – hip-hop, rock'n'roll, EDM – continues well after the sun rises, at which point the real draw is revealed: the location.
In inspiring surroundings, revellers dance above the clouds in the forests and meadows that sprawl the stunning Rhodopes mountain range.
Eurockeennes 3-5 July
Belfort, France
Perfect for: Bargain hunters
Headliners: Ben Harper, Chemical Brothers, Sting
An affordable ticket price (approximately £103), coupled with a location closer to home, makes Eurockéennes an excellent option for those venturing abroad on a budget. The festival site juts out into a lake within a picturesque corner of French countryside.
Slipping around an array of local artists is an eclectic line-up of big names. With a wide variety of food and drink stalls, the promise of the not-for-profit festival that there is "more to France than strikes and snails" looks guaranteed.
Benicassim 16-19 July
Benicassim, Spain
Perfect for: Sun-worshippers
Headliners: Blur, The Prodigy, Portishead
In the small port town of Benicassim between Valencia and Barcelona, this is the ideal option for those who want to party all night and sunbathe all day.
The main beach, about a 15-minute walk from the campsite, gets busy – but stroll a little further along the coast and serene spots can be found. When the sun sets the action gets going at the concrete playground festival site. Hotel options are available.
Sziget 10-17 August
Obuda, Budapest
Perfect for: Pop music and beer fans
Headliners: Robbie Williams, Alt-J, Paloma Faith
Spanning seven days, attracting an international audience of around 400,000 people and held on the island of Obuda, in the middle of the Danube river flowing through Budapest, Sziget is among the biggest events in Europe. In addition to big-name acts there's circus troupes, painting studios, international cuisine and a riverside beach. A carefree attitude pervades.
Exit 15-18 July
Petrovadin Fortress, Serbia
Perfect for: Party-goers
Headliners: Faithless, John Newman, Motörhead
Its beginnings as a student movement fighting for peace and democracy perhaps explain why those who attend believe there is something special about Exit. Thanks to the welcoming attitude the local Serbians give the international audience, and the full-on party vibe, it retains its place as one of the best events of the year.
Roskilde festival 27 June-4 July
Roskilde, Denmark
Perfect for: Chart music lovers
Headline acts: Paul McCartney, Pharrell Williams, Disclosure
Just a short journey from Copenhagen, Roskilde has a reputation as the Glastonbury of mainland Europe; with a history steeped in hippie culture, there's campsite parties, lake-swimming and yoga. Muse and Florence and the Machine also appear.
TOMORROWLAND 24-26 July
Boom, Belgium
Perfect for: Dance music fans
Headliners: Sven Väth, Derrick Carter, David Guetta
Imaginative and complex stage designs compensate for the inconvenient truth that the main acts spend the majority of their sets standing motionless behind their turntables. Paired with an Ibiza-type crowd in terms of wild energy, there's a psychedelic, full-on carnival atmosphere.
Electric Picnic 4-6 Septembe
rStradbally Hall, County Laois, Ireland
Perfect for: Artistic types
Headliners: Florence and the Machine, Underworld, The War on Drugs
The founding principles of this once boutique festival endure – despite it growing to become a major fixture on the Irish music calendar. A relaxed, eco-friendly mindset shares space with an eclectic bill at a festival where the music is just the tip of the iceberg amid a sea of other distractions.
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