There really is nothing like the experience of a European music festival: camping with friends, listening to music you love or that’s entirely new, and experiencing a new culture. You’ll probably have a lot better weather than most UK festivals, too. Can you imagine not having to put your tent up in the rain or be knee-deep in mud? That’s the dream.
Today, there are loads of European music festivals covering a whole host of genres, so picking which one to attend can feel like an impossible task. But fear not—we’re here to help you do just that.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 European music festivals, covering various locations, budgets, and genres, so there should be something here for everyone.
The top 10 European music festivals
1. Tomorrowland
It wouldn’t be a list of the best European music festivals without mentioning Tomorrowland. Now with multiple festivals and music events throughout the year, Tomorrowland is well known among festivalgoers across Europe and beyond. Unfortunately, Tomorrowland Belgium’s tickets have already sold out for 2024 (the initial ticket pre-sale reportedly sold out in just 27 minutes), so you may have to wait until 2025 to secure a ticket.
More than 600,000 people attended the festival in 2022, making it the biggest festival in Europe. With a range of accommodation options, a marketplace, and an array of top-class acts spread across 16 stages, there’s something for everyone at Tomorrowland. A three-day ticket with camping starts at €381 (£325).
- Headliners: David Guetta, Tiësto, Swedish House Mafia
- Music genre(s): EDM (Electronic Dance Music)
- Location: Boom, Belgium
- Date: 19th July – 28th July 2024
2. Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound has steadily grown in popularity since its inception in 2001 and now holds festivals and music events across Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, and, more recently, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Based right by the sea, Primavera Sound offers the opportunity to enjoy a range of music genres with a wealth of food and drink stalls to make the most of the long weekend. If the long weekend of festival music isn’t enough for you, Primavera also runs A La Ciutat— a series of free concerts for ticket holders held across Barcelona, which usually runs for a few days before and after the festival. A three-day ticket for the festival starts at €265 (£226) with no camping options available due to its location in the city.
- Headliners: Lana Del Rey, Pulp, Disclosure, Vampire Weekend
- Music genre(s): Electronic, indie, pop, metal, jazz, and rock
- Location: Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain
- Date: 29th May – 2nd June 2024
3. Exit Festival
The theme for Exit 2024 celebrates everyone’s potential to become a luminary like Tesla, Einstein, and Da Vinci: Exit Starseeds. With more than 40 stages and performance zones spread within the Petrovaradin Fortress, you’ll have the opportunity to see some big names and discover your next favourite artist all in one place.
If you aren’t too keen on camping and would prefer to stay closer to the city to do some exploring while you’re there, you can book one of several recommended hostels near to Novi Sad through the Exit website. A four-day ticket for the festival starts at €109 (£93) with the added cost of €40 with camping included.
- Headliners: John Newman, Black Eyed Peas, Gucci Mane, Rudimental
- Music genre(s): EDM, drum and bass, hip hop, metal, punk, reggae, rock, and techno
- Location: Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Date: 10th – 14th July 2024
4. Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air has been showcasing heavy metal music acts for over thirty years and is hailed as the world's largest heavy metal festival. The German festival now welcomes more than 70,000 heavy metal fans to the small village of Wacken each year.
In addition to hosting some of the world's biggest heavy metal and hard rock acts, Wacken Open Air also holds the finale of the Metal Battle competition every year, where amateur bands from all over the world compete to win a record label contract. Tickets for the festival are €333 (£284), including camping. If you’re a big rock music fan, take a look at our list of the best rock drummers of all time, too, while you’re here.
- Headliners: Scorpions, Korn, Amon Amarth, In Extremo
- Music genre(s): Hard rock, heavy metal
- Location: Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
- Date: 31st July – 3rd August 2024
5. Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival has been running since the 1970s and has welcomed some of the biggest names in music throughout its 50-year history. It is now the largest music and arts festival in Northern Europe.
Marketed as "eight days of music, art, activism, community, and freedom," the festival is entirely non-profit and relies upon the help of more than 30,000 volunteers to help set up and run its stages, stalls, and campsites. All proceeds go to various charities across Denmark, with the festival reportedly having raised almost £50 million since 1972. Tickets for the festival start at 2400DKK (£275) for the full eight days, including camping.
- Headliners: Doja Cat, Jessie Ware, Nia Archives, Skrillex, Foo Fighters
- Music genre(s): Electronic, hip hop, rock, metal, and urban
- Location: Roskilde, Denmark
- Date: 29th June – 6th July 2024
6. Open’er
You might be confused by the address for Open'er, as it's held on an abandoned airfield, which provides loads of space for festivalgoers to explore. The great thing about Open'er, though, is that it's more than just a music festival.
In addition to the great music acts the festival puts on each year, you'll also find theatre shows, mini cinemas, fashion shows, and pop-up art exhibitions—there's loads to get stuck into while you’re here. A four-day ticket with camping starts at 1305zł (£260).
- Headliners: Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, 21 Savage, Måneskin
- Music genre(s): hip hop, rock, pop, EDM, indie
- Location: Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport, Poland
- Date: 3rd – 6th July 2024
7. Rock en Seine
Based in a park classed as a historical monument (you'll be walking on the same ground as kings and emperors once did), Rock en Seine has multiple stages and some amazing acts to enjoy with a beautiful view of the Seine.
Located west of Paris, the festival has six stages and welcomes more than 100,000 people over four days. Ticket prices start at €219 (£187) for a four-day pass.
- Headliners: Lana Del Ray, Fred Again, Måneskin, The Offspring
- Music genre(s): EDM, indie, pop, and rock
- Location: Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, France
- Date: 21st – 25th August 2024
8. Sziget Festival
Sziget is a fantastic festival with a wide range of entertainment on offer. Music is played over six days and across 60 stages in Budapest, and you can even attend a boat party or castle party at the famous Fisherman's Bastion.
More than 400,000 people now attend Sziget each year, so there's always a buzzing atmosphere. It’s also a 24-hour festival, so there's something going on at all hours of the day, whether it's music acts, dancing, or even exhibitions. Ticket prices start at €199 (£170) for a three-day pass, with camping options starting at €21 per night per person.
- Headliners: Fred Again, Stormzy, Louis Tomlinson, Fontaines DC
- Music genre(s): Pop, hip hop, rock, EDM, techno, and more
- Location: Óbuda Island, Budapest, Hungary
- Date: 7th – 12th August 2024
9. Best Kept Secret
Marketed as a festival of music, food, and culture, Best Kept Secret offers everything from your favourite acts to a huge array of food to get stuck into. Based in the middle of a wood and boasting a waterfront stage, you’ll be surrounded by stunning nature whilst exploring the festival. Ticket prices start at €275 (£235) for the full weekend with camping included.
- Headliners: Disclosure, Paolo Nutini, Justice, PJ Harvey
- Music genre(s): Electric, folk, indie, hip hop, rock
- Location: Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
- Date: 7th – 9th June 2024
10. NOS Alive Lisbon
Based along the Passeio Marítimo de Algés dock, NOS Alive's seven stages offer a range of music, including rock, electronic, and pop. There is no on-site accommodation for the festival, but it's close enough to the city centre to make an easy commute to and from several hotels.
The festival also has a partnership with Lisboa Camping and Bungalows, which provides regular shuttles to and from the site. A three-day festival ticket starts at €190 (£162), with three nights at Lisboa Camping starting at €26.
- Headliners: Arcade Fire, Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, Sum 41
- Music genre(s): Alternative rock, pop, electronic, rock
- Location: Passeio Marítimo de Algés, Algés, Oeiras, Portugal
- Date: 11th – 13th July 2024
Specialist musician insurance through Insure4Music
No doubt you'll agree that these are some of the best European music festivals around, but whether you're playing to thousands at Primavera or to twenty people in your local pub, the likelihood is that you'll need specialist musician insurance to do so.
Through Insure4Music, you can get up to £5m worth of Public Liability cover to protect you should you accidentally injure someone or damage third-party property when performing live. And as a touring musician, you’ll probably already know that most venues will ask you for proof of this before allowing you to play.
That’s why many musicians choose to get specialist cover before loading up the tour bus. Find out more about specialist music insurance, or get an instant online quote today to ensure you never miss a gig.