With the summer festival season approaching, and with the UK’s mammoth Glastonbury on hiatus this year and this week's Coachella Festival sold out in the US, music lovers have a chance to look beyond the usual circuit. Check out festivals generating buzz for their locations as well as their line-ups instead, ranging from beach stages on the Egyptian coast to citywide programmes in Turkey and large-scale European fixtures.
Here are 10 music festivals worth building a trip around.
1. Sandbox Festival: May 7 to May 9
Where: El Gouna, Egypt
Headliners: Dixon, Bedouin, DJ Tennis, The Blaze, Floorplan
Why go? A focused electronic line-up built around house, techno, minimal and genre-blurring electronic sounds. Held in El Gouna, the festival runs across five stages and a returning Secret stage, giving a long-weekend trip a strong sense of movement and discovery.
2. Kala Festival: June 3 to June 10
Where: Dhermi, Albania
Headliners: Line-up to be announced
Why go? A week-long programme built around disco, funk and left field electronic, this has artists playing multiple sets across beach, boat and night stages.
3. Primavera Sound Barcelona: June 4 to June 6
Where: Barcelona, Spain
Headliners: The Cure, Doja Cat, The xx, Gorillaz, Massive Attack
Why go? One of Europe’s biggest festivals offers a multi-genre programme, spanning indie, pop and experimental acts. In addition to the main Parc del Forum site, Primavera a la Ciutat runs concerts in venues including Sala Apolo, Razzmatazz, Paral-lel 62, La Nau, LAUT, Enfants and CCCB.
4. Gnaoua and World Music Festival: June 25 to June 27
Where: Essaouira, Morocco
Headliners: Line-up to be announced in May
Why go? A celebration of Morocco’s Gnaoua music tradition, here maalems share the stage with international artists in free-flowing sets. It results in the kind of rare festival experience where performances can feel one-off and shaped for the occasion.
5. Roskilde Festival: June 27 to July 4
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
Headliners: Gorillaz, The Cure, David Byrne, Little Simz, Wolf Alice
Why go? This is one of Europe’s oldest festivals, having launched in 1971. The sheer mass of this event, held near Roskilde, 35km west of Copenhagen, provides ample stages where you can hear emerging acts and eclectic headliners.
6. Istanbul Jazz Festival: June 30 to July 13
Where: Istanbul, Turkey
Headliners: Marcus Miller, Robert Plant, Thee Sacred Souls, Arooj Aftab, Joe Lovano
Why go? A strong reason to visit the Turkish capital, with a citywide programme focused on jazz, soul and world music, with gigs held at venues including Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre and Ataturk Cultural Centre.
7. Bear Stone Festival: July 2 to July 5
Where: Slunj, Croatia
Headliners: Altin Gun, Elder, My Sleeping Karma, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
Why go? A niche rock festival centred on psychedelic and heavy rock acts, this has bands playing extended instrumental jam sets. Its forest setting and limited capacity provide an evocative backdrop for all the heavy riffing.
8. Afro Nation Portugal: July 3 to July 5
Where: Portimao, Portugal
Headliners: Burna Boy, Tyla, Asake, Wizkid, Uncle Waffles
Why go? Over six short years, Afro Nation has become the leading festival for Afropop and Afrobeats, while also expanding into North and South America. However, it is the original edition in the Portuguese coastal city that continues to draw the genre’s biggest stars.
9. Jazzablanca Festival: July 3 to July 12
Where: Casablanca, Morocco
Headliners: Jorja Smith, Juanes, Mika and Scorpions
Why go? Held in a sprawling public park that was formerly an airport, Jazzablanca is a festival where the vibes are as appealing as the electric line-up. Featuring two stages, with the minor one dedicated to western and North African jazz and the main home to popular acts, the festival is a foodie hub with plenty of trucks and tranquil picnic spots. Come for the music, stay for the atmosphere.
10. Montreux Jazz Festival: July 3 to July 18
Where: Montreux, Switzerland
Headliners: Sting, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, John Legend, Tyla, Deep Purple
Why go? This stalwart of the European festival circuit is one of the ritziest on the calendar, but it does not rely on its Lake Geneva setting for appeal. The line-up ranges from commercial stars to alternative acts, making it a perennial favourite for those wanting to add the Swiss city to their holiday plans.
11. Sziget Festival: August 11 to August 15
Where: Budapest, Hungary
Headliners: Florence + The Machine, Twenty One Pilots, Lewis Capaldi, Bring Me The Horizon
Why go? Eastern Europe’s answer to Glastonbury, the mammoth festival takes place on Obuda Island in the Danube. With festival boats ferrying revellers to and from the mainland, Sziget features hundreds of artists ranging from pop stars to theatre troupes and acrobats.
