Summer would be incomplete without an open-air music festival. Malta’s own Earth Garden has come to an end but there are plenty lined up across Europe. Stephanie Fsadni highlights some of the major ones.

Download Festival

Donington Park, Leicestershire, England, June 10 to 12

Download Festival, which has gained popularity in recent years among the Maltese, is being held this weekend. The 2016 line-up features rock bands from Korn and Rammstein to more classic acts such as Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Anthrax. Ticket prices range from €66 for a day ticket to €148.50 for a three-day pass including camping.

www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Isle of Wight Festival

Isle of Wight, Newport, UK, June 9 to 12

The popular British festival features a varied line-up, including some popular British artists such as Adam Ant, The Corrs, Faithless, Feeder, Iggy Pop, Mike and the Mechanics, Adam Lambert, Richard Ashcroft, Status Quo, Stereophonics and Turin Brakes. A weekend ticket, including camping, costs €249. Feware left.

www.isleofwightfestival.com

Pinkpop

Netherlands, June 10 to 12

Another big music festival being held this weekend is Pinkpop, at Landgraff in The Netherlands, 215km from Amsterdam. Europe’s longest-running uninterrupted outdoor pop festival since 1970 features four large campsites which can provide space for 50,000 campers. This year’s line-up features diverse acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bastille and Rammstein, besides Paul McCartney and Skunk Anansie, among other artists. A one-day ticket costs €95, while a three-day ticket, including camping facilities, costs €195.

www.pinkpop.nl

Mad Cool Festival

Madrid, Spain, June 16 to 18

Proclaimed to be Madrid’s new rock and pop heavyweight, the brand new festival features a line-up of international stars such as Neil Young, Bastille, The Prodigy, Die Antwoord, Jane’s Addiction and Biffy Clyro. Five stages encompass two outdoor main stages and another three in Madrid’s famous sports structure Caja Mágica. A day ticket costs €59 while a full festival ticket with camping costs €219.

www.madcoolfestival.es

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel, Belgium, June 17 to 19

One of the biggest metal music festivals in Europe features Black Sabbath, Bullet for My Valentine, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax, Paradise Lost, Twisted Sister and Volbeat, among others. Day tickets cost €95 while a four-day ticket including camping costs €195. This festival also features a Metal Town, where one can spend the night in a ‘festihut’, or ‘festicabin’. The prize for a ‘festihut’ for two persons, which includes a buffet breakfast for four days but not a single festival ticket, costs €569. But these are unfortunately sold out.

www.graspop.be

Glastonbury

Pilton, Somerset, England, June 22 to 26

The mega-festival, which kicked off in 1970, features an infinite amount of artists performing on different stages for five days of uninhibited revellery. The 2016 line-up includes Muse, ZZ Top, Jess Glynne, Adele, Coldplay, Beck, Ellie Goulding, Bastille, New Order, PJ Harvey, LCD Soundsystem, Underworld, Earth, Wind and Fire, Sigur Rós, M83, Fatboy Slim, Grimes, Cyndi Lauper, Art Garfunkel, Dave Seaman. Tickets are all sold out.

www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

Tinderbox

Odense, Denmark, June 23 to 25

The Hans Christian Andersen-inspired festival was held for the first time last year but it quickly established itself as one of the top festivals in the country. This year’s line-up is quite an eclectic one with David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Rammstein, Jason Derulo, Sam Feldt, Suede, The National, Volbeat and The 1975 taking centre stage, among other performers. There’s no camping option for this event and a one-day ticket costs €120.

www.tinderbox.dk

Open’er Festival

Gyndia, Poland, June 29 to July 2

Winner of the Best Major Festival prize at the European Festival Awards ceremony in 2009 and 2010, the four-day festival on the north coast of Poland boasts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence and the Machine, Kygo, PJ Harvey, Wiz Khalifa, Sigur Rós, Pharrell Williams and The Last Shadow Puppets among its headliners. Tickets range from €55 to €105. Camper tickets are sold out for this one.

http://opener.pl/

Rokskilde

Denmark, June 25 to July 2

The largest festival in northern Europe takes place over eight days and two weekends and features a very long line-up. It is also a non-profit festival, donating millions of Danish krona every year to various charities. This year’s line-up features the likes of New Order, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Foals, Tenacious D, Wiz Khalifa and Biffy Clyro. A one-day ticket costs €133 but few are left. There is also a camping option at an extra charge.

www.roskilde-festival.dk

T in the Park

Perthshire, Scotland, July 8 to 10

Since its first edition in 1994, the festival has grown to become one of the most acclaimed music events on the international scene. Artists this year include Bastille, Calvin Harris, Jamie XX, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The 1975, The Last Shadow Puppets, Faithless, Jeff Mills, Kasier Chiefs, Pete Tong, The Stone Roses, Tinie Tempah and Travis. A four-day ticket, including camping facilities costs €262.

www.tinthepark.com

Rock Werchter

Werchter, Belgium, June 30 to July 3

This is another popular festival among the Maltese. As usual, the line-up features a big number of artists from different music genres. These include Beck, Courtney Barnett, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Gary Clark Jr, Iggy Pop, Lost Frequencies, New Order, PJ Harvey, Rammstein, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robert Plant, Kaiser Chiefs, The Offspring and Savages. One-day tickets cost €100 and camping tickets are almost sold out.

www.rockwerchter.be

Nos Alive

Lisbon, Portugal, July 7 to 9

Nos alive, formerly Optimus Alive, is the leading music festival in Portugal. The 2016 line-up features Radiohead, Robert Plant, Arcade Fire, Grimes, Tame Impala, The Chemical Brothers and Years & Years. The last tickets, costing between €56 and €119, are available for July 7 and 9.

http://nosalive.com/en/

Exit Festival

Novi Sad, Serbia, July 7 to 10

This Serbian festival, which is one of the longest-running music festivals in the east of Europe, is held in an ancient Petrodovian fortress. A sister festival called Sea Dance is held on the Adriatic Sea between July 14 and 16. The Prodigy, Bastille, Ellie Goulding, Wiz Khalifa, Lost Frequencies, Robin Schulz and Sam Feldt are among the artists performing at Exit. A day ticket costs €31, while a four-day ticket is priced at €100.

www.exitfest.org

Electric Elephant

Tisno, Croatia, July 7 to 11

The big electronic music festival is held at an idyllic fishing village by the sea. The line-up includes Chris Massey, Boo Williams, HVOB, Jamie Bull, Nightmares on Wax, Psychemagic and Tristan Da Cunha. Tickets left, which include access to a number of parties, start at €140.

www.electricelephant.co.uk

Fresh Island Festival

Pag Island, Croatia, July 12 to 14

Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa are headlining the largest hip-hop festival in Europe, held on the party island of Pag. A one-day ticket costs €65, while a three-day one costs €109.

www.fresh-island.org

Montreux Jazz Festival

Montreux, Switzerland, July 1 to 16

Founded by Claude Nobs in 1967, the world-renowned festival remains an elitist event, not least because of its entrance price. Whereas jazz constitutes its historic core, other styles of music are integrated into the festival. In fact, this year’s line-up features Muse, PJ Harvey, Sigur Rós, Air, Deep Purple, Lana del Ray, Neil Young, Patti Smith, Santana, Van Morrison and ZZ Top. There is no camping option and a pass for all the festival days costs no less than €1,295. If you cannot afford that, there are various one-day options (although still expensive).

www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/fr

FIB

Benicassim, Spain, July 14 to 17

Held on some of Spain’s finest seaside shores, this music extravaganza features the likes of Muse, The Chemical Brothers, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Demarco, Biffy Clyro, Echo & the Bunnymen, Jamie XX, The Maccabees and the Vaccines. A four-day ticket costs €147.50 (subject to booking fee) while a VIP camping ticket costs €80.

www.fiberfib.com

Electric Castle Festival

Bontida, Romania, July 14-17

Held on the domain of the Bánffy Castle, the festival purports to be more than just a music festival, as it offers extreme sports, audio-video production workshops and a large variety of electronic music. Among the big names playing here are Skrillex, Bastille, Bring Me the Horizon and Sigur Rós. A one-day pass costs circa €35 while a four-day ticket costs €88.50.

http://electriccastle.ro

Ultra Europe 2016

Split, Croatia, July 15 to 17

The dance music festival boasts top names such as Armin Van Buuren, Afrojack, David Guetta, Hardwell, Markus Schulz, Dash Berlin, Martin Garrix and Nic Fanciulli. One-day tickets cost €99 while admission for three days comes at €199.

www.ultraeurope.com

Melt! Festival

Ferropolis, Germany, July 15-17

One of the most distinctive rock and pop music festivals in Europe is held at the Ferropolis (city of iron) peninsula, which is an open museum of old huge industrial machines in Gräfenhainichen. It is famous for all- night music with one particular stage, the Sleepless Floor, open 24 hours for the festival’s duration. This year’s artists include Chvrches, Jamie XX, M83, Tame Impala, Josh Wink, Skepta and Two Door Cinema Club. A day ticket costs €59 while a three-day pass with camping costs €136.

www.meltfestival.de

Paléo Festival

Nyon, Switzerland, July 19 to 24

The annual rock festival is one of the major open-air festivals in mainland Europe. Patrons at the seven-day event can enjoy artists such as Muse, The Chemical Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iron Maiden, Massive Attack, The Avener, Bastille and Courtney Barnett. There is no camping option for this one and most tickets are sold out.

http://yeah.paleo.ch

Dance Valley

Velsen, The Netherlands, August 13

Dance Valley is one the longest running outdoor dance events in the Netherlands. This year’s line-up features, among others, Yellow Claw, Billy Kenny, Carnage, Des Santos, Digital Punk and Mike Cervello, among many, many others. Tickets cost €65.

www.dancevalley.com

Sziget Festival

Budapest, Hungary, August 10 to 17

One of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe, Sziget is held on Obudai-sziget (Old Buda island) on the Danube. The massive line-up features, among others, Sia, Afrojack, Bastille, Bullet for My Valentine, Chvrches, David Guetta, Hardwell, Muse, M83, Sigur Rós, Jess Glynne, Manu Chao, Naughty Boy, Rihanna, Sasha, Skunk Anansie, Sum 41 and Years & Years. A day ticket costs €59 while a seven-day pass, including camping facilities, comes at at €269.

http://szigetfestival.com

Creamfields Malta

Ta’ Qali, Malta, August 15

The 15-hour festival at Uno Village will feature, among others, Carl Bee, Chris Liebing, Daniel Blade, Dubfire, Feder, Guy Gerber, Oliver Heldens, Robin Schulz, Ziggy. Tickets cost €37.50. Its more expensive counterpart in Daresbury, the UK, between August 25 and 28, will be headlined by Avicii, Calvin Harris, Hardwell and Armin Van Buuren.

www.creammalta.com

www.creamfields.com

Pukkelpop

Kiewit-Hasselt, Belgium, August 17 to 20

The alternative three-day music festival is internationally recognised as the trendsetter among music festivals. Split over several stages, Pukkelpop offers the most progressive, contemporary and alternative music. The 2016 line-up features Bloc Party, Chvrches, Die Antwoord, Eagles of Death Metal, Biffy Clyro, LCD Soundsystem, M83, The Chemical Brothers and the Lumineers. Tickets cost between €99 and €199 and there’s a camping option.

www.pukkelpop.be/nl/

Rock en Seine

Paris, France, August 26 to 28

Born in 2003, Rock en Seine has become one of France’s top mega-festivals. Held just outside of Paris, at the historical park Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, it showcases the best of international and regional rock on five stages. This year’s line-up includes Bring Me the Horizon, Eagles of Death Metal, Foals, Iggy Pop, Sigur Rós, Sum 41, The Temper Trap, The Last Shadow Puppets, Two Door Cinema and Chvrches. One-day tickets cost €49, while a three-day pass, including camping, costs €119.

www.rockenseine.com

Outlook Festival

Pula, Croatia, September 2 to 6

This festival is famous for its bass heavy line-ups along with boat parties and beachside performances. The main event takes place in an abandoned fort. Headlining the festival is Andy C, but check the website for the infinite amount of artists taking part. The festival ticket costs €175, while a separate camping pass costs €74.50.

www.outlookfestival.com

Glitch Festival

Buskett, Malta, September 7 to 8

The very first edition of this festival aims to bring a “killer line-up” of house, acid and techno music. These include Ben Klock, Bjan Jensen, Cain, Carl Craig, Dave Clarke, Fatima Yamaha, Gesaffelstein, Jupiter Jax, Kink, Manthrax, Midland and Tom Trago. The tickets left for sale cost from €64.90.

www.glitchfestival.com

Lollapalooza

Berlin, Germany, September 10 to 11

The annual music festival features popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, EDM bands and artists, dance and comedy performances and craft booths. New Order, Radiohead, The 1975, Kings of Leon, Klingade, Lost Frequencies, Major Lazer, Years & Years are among the artists taking part. Regular two-day tickets cost €139. There is no camping option for this one.

www.lollapaloozade.com/en/