As a music lover, there is nothing better than watching your favourite artists perform live! Each year, European countries make the most of summer with a range of exciting music festivals featuring a range of world-famous artists, up-and-coming musicians and party-starting DJs. As a concert is an excellent reason to travel to a new destination, Expat Explore has put together a list of the best music festivals in Europe to get you grooving and travelling!
Add these top summer music festivals to your 2024 calendar:
Glastonbury
Location: England
26-30 June 2024
Glastonbury is one of the most well-known and popular festivals in the United Kingdom and the world! Taking place over five days in Somerset, England, Glastonbury is a true celebration of the performing arts. Huge names are set to take the stage in 2024. Dua Lipa, Sza, Coldplay and Shania Twain are headlining while big names like Avril Lavigne, Cyndi Lauper, Keane and Camila Cabello are performing among many others. Glastonbury has something for fans of every genre and also features comedy, dance and other theatrical acts.
Mad Cool
Location: Spain
10-13 July 2024
While it may not be as famous as some of the other entries on this list, give Mad Cool a few years and we guarantee it will be just as big! Mad Cool began in 2016 in Madrid, Spain and was unfortunately also cancelled in 2020 and 2021. However, 2022 was epic and 2023 brought an incredibly high calibre of artists to the stage with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mumford & Sons and Sam Smith on stage. This year, expect even more music icons with The Killers, Måneskin, The Smashing Pumpkins and more set to captivate concert goers. The three day festival attracts around 80,000 music fans per day! With the combination of amazing musicians, the Madrid summer sun and high-quality sound production we can certainly see why.
Exit Festival
Location: Serbia
10-14 July 2024
Founded in 2000 as a social movement, Exit Festival has since become more well known for its epic music acts. However, the festival which takes place in Novi Sad, Serbia still serves a strong social purpose. A number of activism efforts with a focus on mental health, environmental conservation and youth development have been expressed through the Exit Foundation. Exit began as a student movement fighting for democracy in Serbia and the Balkans. It became the first mass event to gather people from the Balkans after being divided for a decade. After the Yugoslavian general election in 2000, the festival moved location from the University Park to the Petrovaradin Fortress where it has been ever since.
Exit made history again in 2021 when it became the first major European festival to take place since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic! Exit returned in 2022 and 2023 with a high caliber of artists. In 2024, Exit-ers can look forward to seeing the Black Eyed Peas, Gucci Mane and Black Coffee among others.
Related: Celebrate the unity of the Balkan states by joining our Balkan Explorer tour!
Tomorrowland
Location: Belgium
19-28 July 2024
Ask any electronic music fan what’s on their bucket list and they’re sure to mention Tomorrowland! Held in Boom, Belgium, Tomorrowland is simply the biggest and best electronic music festival on the planet. Aside from the top DJs and performing artists, hundreds of thousands of dance music fans attend Tomorrowland to marvel at the spellbinding stage designs and extravagant production. An epic two-weekend spectacle is planned in 2024! Guests can expect to dance the days away to tunes from Armin Van Buuren, Alok, David Guetta and much more!
Related: Here are some of the best things to do in Belgium!
Montreux Jazz Festival
Location: Switzerland
5-20 July 2024
Picture the breathtaking scenery of the Geneva shoreline in Switzerland and then imagine watching some of the world’s best jazz, blues and rock artists performing against the backdrop of this idyllic setting. That’s the Montreux Jazz Festival in a nutshell! The Montreux Jazz Festival has been running since 1967 and attracts close to 300,000 international music fans every year in July over two weeks. The 2024 programme features big names like Alice Cooper, Jon Batiste, Deep Purple and The National.
Did you know? The Montreux Jazz Festival is the world’s second largest jazz festival. The largest is the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada.
Colours of Ostrava
Location: Czech Republic
17-20 July 2024
The largest festival in the Czech Republic combines top international artists from a variety of genres, unique surroundings and, of course, cheap and delicious local beer! The festival takes place in Dolní Vítkovice, Ostrava, a former mining village with a very cool, industrial feel. Colours of Ostrava promises a crowd full of diverse, international music lovers who can look forward to 20 stages (both open air and covered) and over 350 performances! These performances include theatre productions, films, workshops, art, design and discussions as well as exceptional musical acts. This year’s performers include Queens of the Stone Age, Lenny Kravitz, Sam Smith and James Blake among many others.
Sziget
Location: Hungary
7-12 August 2024
Six days, sixty stages and over 1,000 shows make up one of the biggest music and cultural festivals in Europe! Sziget festival conveniently takes place on Obuda Island within Budapest city, Hungary. Concert goers are known as szitizens and the island is lovingly known as Freedom Island! Many szitizens come from western Europe but you’ll find hundreds of thousands of music lovers from all over the world. Due to its elaborate stage designs and amusement park of wonders (from a cinema to a museum quarter and circus!) Sziget has often been referred to as the European alternative to Burning Man. In 2024, szitizens can look forward to performances from the likes of Halsey, Kylie Minogue, Skrillex, Liam Gallagher and much more!
Related: Read this blog to discover the many reasons you should visit the beautiful city of Budapest!
Can’t wait to get back into the festival and live music scene? Book your Europe trip and get ready to dance the summer away!