Europe Summer Festival Guide

The festival that celebrates Japanese culture with 5,000 cherry trees, fireworks and plenty of fun activities. And best of all, it’s free!

The International Arts Festival of Castilla and León has a lot to offer: the beautiful streets and squares of the medieval city of Salamanca, a selection of theatrical performances, as well as dance, music and circus shows, video installations, literature readings and film screenings.

Hosted in a small town in Belgium, this festival offers a very interesting line-up at affordable prices (camping is also included)! So if you enjoy alternative music, you will without a doubt appreciate this incredible event.

The Rototom Reggae Festival is one of the largest and most important events in the world. In addition to great live reggae music, the festival aims to transmit that 'another world is possible' through peace, tolerance, respect, solidarity and non-violence.

This annual festival brings together more than 200 emerging international artists, offering also an extensive programme of exhibitions, readings and film screenings. For the first time ever, the festival will also host the 'German Music Export @ Reeperbahn Festival', an event dedicated exclusively to presenting new German artists.

One of the biggest British rock festivals - Slipknot, Muse and Kiss are some of the bands that have performed here.

The Glastonbury festival, first organised in 1970, is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Year after year, this epic music event never fails to impress its fans. Some of the performing artists you can enjoy this year include Muse, Coldplay, Sigur Rós and PJ Harvey.

Rock in Rio is a grand event that has organised many editions in Brazil, Portugal and Spain, and has brought together more than 6 million people. The festival also organises the 'Proyecto Social', an initiative created with the purpose of addressing social issues through music.

Optimus Primavera Sound is the Portuguese version of Barcelona's Primavera Sound. Only here, concerts take place next to a lake!

With a busy schedule full of celebrated international bands and emerging artists performing rock, pop, soul, hip hop, R & B and electronic music, the small Danish town of Roskilde comes to life in July…make sure you’re there to witness it!

Two hundred artists, eight stages, three days of celebration and thousands of visitors from all over Europe ... plenty of reasons to go to Flanders this summer!

Hosted on the 'Youth' Island in Zagreb, this event is without a doubt one of the most important open-air festivals in Croatia. In addition to concerts and camping facilities, it's also a great opportunity to visit some of Croatia’s most beautiful destinations.

The Isle of Wight, located in the English Channel near the English coast, is home to the legendary Isle of Wight Festival. Suspended in 1970, the event was revived in 2002.

The biggest event in the world dedicated to street art! A cheerful ensemble of buskers, musicians and actors invade the historic centre of Ferrara, in Italy. The artists do not receive compensation and you are not required to purchase a ticket, but you are encouraged to make donations.

Are you a fan of heavy metal? Well, this happens to be the biggest heavy metal festival in the world, organised in the small village of Wacken, near Hamburg.

If you enjoy indie music, this Independent Music Festival in Milan is one of the best places to be this summer! The prices are affordable, and in addition to music, you can also look forward to tasting some amazing food.

From jazz, folk and blues to tango and reggae, the Festival de Músicas do Mundo is the biggest event for international music organised in Portugal. Here are some of the artists attending this year’s edition: the duo Amadou & Mariam (Mali), Trilok Gurtu & Tigran Hamasyan (India / Armenia), and Bomba Estéreo (Colombia).

Stars, premieres, parties and movie screenings... the Cannes Movie Festival is here once more, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the jury! Here are some of the productions presented: Sicario (Denis Villeneuve), The Sea of Trees (Gus Van Sant), Carol (Todd Haynes) and others.

In addition to music concerts, dance, theatre and contact improvisation, this festival in Tuscany also offers workshops for children.

Venice hosts one of the most important film festivals in the world, attracting every year thousands of fans, bystanders and tourists. Its purpose is to promote the broadcasting of international cinema in all its forms. The 72nd edition is directed by Alberto Barbera; the list of films in the programme remains to be announced in late July.

This is one of the most interesting music festivals in Europe, attracting renowned bands and DJs from all corners of the world. The Prodigy, Hardwell and others will make an appearance this year.

Rock am Ring is a rock and metal music festival held every year since 1985. Some of the bands playing this year are: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath, Billy Talent and Volbeat

Rock im Park is the twin festival of Rock am Ring, presenting more or less the same line-up but organised in a different location.

Hurricane is a much anticipated alternative music festival, hosted in the town of Scheeßel, near Bremen.

A festival of lights that combines music, projections and fireworks; the programme also includes cultural events and special tours around the city of Berlin.

One of the biggest open-air festivals in Europe for electronic music lovers, with two main stages, 4 tents, clubs, bars, restaurants and markets. Unfortunately the festival is already sold out.

The most important festival of blues, rock and folk organised in Italy. Mumford & Sons are among the bands making an appearance this year.

A festival for jazz lovers! It’s also a great opportunity to discover the beautiful Italian region of Umbria.

Kuopio Dance Festival is the place to be if you wish to watch performances of classic and contemporary Finnish dance.

Hosted in the beautiful seaside town of Cascais,ERP is the perfect event for all those who feel nostalgic for the 80s.

Summerjam is one of the most anticipated reggae events in Europe. If you wish to move to the rhythm of Snoop Lion, Alborosie or Raggasonic, get yourself to Lake Fühlinger in Cologne!

This festival, held in the town of Oeiras,is an important event for anyone who loves jazz. John Legend, Mary Gadù, Diana Krall and Jamie Cullum are some of the artists making an appearance this year.

Sudoeste is possibly the biggest music festival in Portugal! It lasts 5 days

If you love electronic music, Sónar is an event not to be missed! Great artists like Skrillex, Hot Chips, FKA Twigs and The Chemical Brothers have played here and there are also some great movie screenings you can look forward to.

Once a year, the city of Barcelona organises a cultural festival packed with theatre, dance, music and circus performances.

The 61st edition of this film festival presents a promissing programme that is both cosmopolitan and glamorous. It's also a great opportunity to visit the beautiful Basque city of San Sebastian.

The festival that brings greek and latin classics to life in the ancient Roman Theatre of Merida! We can look forward to interpretations of pieces by the greats.

Exciting artistic performances are waiting for you in the beautiful city of Granada. The French National Orchestra and the Ballet of Monte Carlo are a must-see!

The most anticipated urban festival in the magical city of Barcelona! The Catalan capital hosts once again one of the hottest events of the summer.

Bilbao’s sensational rock festival presents internationally renowned rock bands. It takes place on top of a hill and offers great line-ups!

FIB is one of the most famous European festivals and one of Spain’s most anticipated rock events. Dozens of artists such as The Prodigy and Public Enemy will make an appearance this year. What’s more, if you don’t wish to pay for a hotel while in Benicassim, there is a large campsite nearby where you can set up your tent!

Twenty hours of non-stop music await you at the 'biggest rave in Spain', with bands such as Andres campo, Ben Sims and many others.

The biggest rock, punk and reggae music festival in Poland, presenting artists such as Shaggy, Black Label Society and others. All the money raised during the festival will be donated to charitable causes.

The most famous electronic music festival in Eastern Europe!

One of the biggest festivals in Central Europe, a must-see especially for hipsters! Some of the bands that will play here are Bastille, Beirut, Florence & The Machine, LCD Soundsystem

A yearly open-air festival organised on the Danube Island in Vienna. Three days of fun, several stages and all the music genres you can possibly imagine…and it’s all free!!

The Independent Festival of the Vallès celebrates its fifth edition! More than 30 alternative and rock bands are scheduled to perform this year during 3 days of fun and entertainment.

If you enjoy rock and ethnic music above anything else, the Sziget festival will not disappoint.

Lasting from June until September, this event is the most important summer event in Rome. Make sure not to miss it!

The 21st edition of the Festival Curtas de Vila do Conde has a packed programme filled with short film presentations, exhibitions, workshops and concerts. What more could you ask for?

The Bonfires of Saint John (Fogueres de Sant Joan) is the festival of fireworks and bonfires. This event is celebrated throughout Spain, especially in Catalonia and Valencia.

Running with the bulls for Sant Fermin is probably the most famous festival in Spain. If you’ve never been before, go to Pamplona this summer and throw yourself in the middle of the fun and madness! We've prepared some tips to ''survive'' this festival.

The Tomatina…some say it’s the world’s biggest food fight! If you´ve never been to Buñol in Valencia, don’t pass up this opportunity to throw over-ripe tomatoes around. Aside from this, there are also plenty of concerts, parades, cooking contests, and fireworks!

An equestrian competition celebrated annually on the beach of Sanlucar, in Andalusia.

Parades, bullfights, shows, gastronomy ... the entire city of Malaga comes to life in August!

Every year, more than 200,000 spectators gather in Carhaix, France to attend this festival.

This eclectic rock festival is a definite must if you wish to watch rock bands in an amazing location! Have you bought your ticket already?

If you love electro-rock, be sure not to miss this festival! Alt-J, Infected Mushroom, Archive are some of the artists that have performed here.

Best way to describe this festival? A surprisingly great mix of ska, reggae and folk!

An amazing rock, pop and electro music festival! Free access to a camp site nearby is included in the price of the ticket, so if you’re on a budget, you won’t need to book a hotel.

Shows, dance acts, theatre, games, writing contests…this and more await you this summer on the beautiful beach of Cannes!

A festival created to honour both French and international artists. With its pleasant mix of styles and varieties, Francofolies de la Rochelle is definitely an event worth experiencing!

For the 11th consecutive year, the Festival Paris Cinéma will be screening more than 200 films in over 15 different Parisian locations. Famous actors are sure to make an appearance.

The beautiful Scottish city of Edinburgh will host once more this fantastic international festival, presenting both popular theatre works and new projects.