Europe’s music festivals rock.
Imagine dancing under the Spanish sun in Barcelona for Primavera Sound, seeing tomorrow’s breakout stars at Glastonbury before they hit mainstream fame, and literally spending the day dancing in the streets during the Zürich Street Parade.
If you can’t make Primavera Sound or couldn’t snag tickets to Glasto, you should still pack your dance shoes and cross the Atlantic. We’ve got 19 more of the best music festivals in Europe worth checking out.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Klaus Vedfelt
Download Festival
Donington Park, Leicestershire, England
Closest station: East Midlands Parkway
Download Festival is the legendary rock and metal concert that sends the UK screaming every June. The 21st edition in 2024 has a three-day lineup that includes Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Royal Blood, The Offspring, Corey Taylor, Machine Head, and Babymetal. The UK’s premier rock festival is the can’t-miss metal show of the year.
Tomorrowland
PRC de Schorre, Boom, Belgium
Closest station: Boom
Tomorrowland celebrates its 20th year in 2024, bringing two weekends of music to Belgium in July. All tickets for 2024 are sold out, so you’ll miss Armin van Buuren, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal spinning a set as DJ Diesel.
Rock en Seine
Parc de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud, France
Closest station: Saint-Cloud
Across the Seine from Paris, Rock en Seine takes over the Park of Saint-Cloud at the tail end of summer. This annual August music and art festival will feature Fred Again, The Offspring, Måneskin, PJ Harvey, LCD Soundsystem, and Lana Del Rey in 2024.
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival Grounds, Roskilde, Denmark
Closest station: Roskilde
Only a few minutes from Copenhagen, Roskilde Festival is the neon-orange outdoor event that stretches from the end of June to the start of July. Full festival tickets just sold out, but some single-day passes are still available to see the likes of 21 Savage, Doja Cat, Foo Fighters, Ice Spice, Tyla, and more live.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Klaus Vedfelt
Montreux Jazz Festival
Across Montreux’s lakefront, Montreux, Switzerland
Closest station: Montreux-Les Planches
Find your way to Geneva, then take a ferry to the opposite side of Lake Geneva, for a jazzy July. The Montreux Jazz Festival, like the music genre itself, had to get creative for the 2024 year since the Convention Center cannot accommodate the concert. This year, lakeside outdoor stages will host acts like Alice Cooper, Janelle Monáe, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jon Batiste, Raye, and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.
Nameless Festival
La Nuova Poncia Polo Club, Annone di Brianza, Lombardy, Italy
Closest station: Molteno
Getting to Lake Como by train for the Nameless Festival is an easy trip from multiple Italian cities, letting you let loose this June. Dozens of artists descend on Lake Como for three days of fun. The 2024 lineup includes DJ Snake, deadMau5, Eiffel 65, Silent Bob & Sick Budd, Ian Asher, and Ava.
Dekmantel Festival
Multiple locations across Amsterdam, Netherlands
Closest station: Amsterdam Centraal
Travel to Amsterdam on a budget so you can splurge on tickets to Dekmantel. This electronic music festival runs from late July into the beginning of August across venues in Amsterdam, including Amsterdamse Bos, Het HEM, Oude Kerk, Aan Het IJ, Lofi, and ISO. A great mix is penciled in on the lineup, including Kali Malone, DJ Python, Toma Kami, DJ Sprinkles, Amoral, and Kode9.
Love International Festival
The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
Closest station: Pirovac (bus)
There’s a lot to love about Tisno’s annual music festival. Love International brings the ljubav to Croatia in mid-July with a long lineup featuring Lupini, Jenny Jen, CC:Disco!, Milly On Air, Saoirse, Partok, Grenco, and Aria Santillana.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Flashpop
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB)
Recinto de Conciertos, Benicàssim, Spain
Closest station: Benicàssim
Benicàssim knows how to turn up in the summer. Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB) brings a fire lineup near Valencia, Spain, every July. Outdoor stages and small clubs will play host to great acts in 2024, including Milky Chance, Wade, The Libertines, Dorian, La La Love You, and The Teskey Brothers.
Sziget Festival
Óbuda Island, Budapest, Hungary
Closest station: Filatorigát
Halsey. Kylie Minogue. Liam Gallagher. Sam Smith. Bebe Rexha. Louis Tomlinson. Those are only a few of the big names coming to Budapest for Sziget. This annual August festival in the Hungarian capital is selling out fast.
Open’er Festival
Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport, Gdynia, Poland
Closest station: Gdynia Chylonia
Open’er Festival in Poland makes it extremely convenient to fly into the city for this July music festival. Taking place on the grounds of the Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport, Open’er 2024 will feature Hozier, 21 Savage, Skrillex, Zamilska, Kim Gordon, Dua Lipa, Foo Fighters, Air, and more.
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air Infield, Wacken, Germany
Closest station: Burg (Dithm)
Wacken Open Air is the heaviest way to end your summer vacation in Europe. This small village in Germany is home to one of the world’s biggest metal festivals. Visit on the final days of July and beginning of August to see everyone from Amon Amarth, Cradle of Filth, and Jungle Rot to Motionless in White, Opeth, Spiritbox, and The Warning.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Klaus Vedfelt
Amsterdam Dance Event
Across Amsterdam’s clubs, Netherlands
Closest station: Amsterdam Centraal
Already busy with summer concerts in the United States? Spend June through August headbanging at home, then head over to the Netherlands and cut a rug during the Amsterdam Dance Event in October. Dance your way to venues around the city for five days of art, culture, and music featuring Timbaland, Martin Garrix, Laurent Garnier, Grace Ladoja, and more.
Ultra Europe
Park Mladeži, Split, Croatia
Closest station: Željeznički kolodvor Split
The world’s top EDM DJs converge on Croatia for Ultra Europe in July 2024. Bounce down to Split for three days of beats featuring Adam Beyer, Hardwell, Vini Vici, Massano, Kapuchon, Boris Brejcha, Vintage Culture, and Timmy.
Exit Festival
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia
Closest station: Petrovaradin
Exit Festival is one of the many reasons you should visit Serbia this July. Eurovision favorite Baby Lasagna joins the Black Eyed Peas, Gucci Mane, Cavalera Conspiracy, Helena Hauff, Awen, Sona, Zhiva, and more in Novi Sad, just north of Belgrade.
Rock Werchter
Haachtsesteenweg, Werchter, Belgium
Closest stations: Leuven | Aarschot
Belgium may be a small country, but it doesn’t let its size dictate its summer concert series. Rock Werchter takes place just outside of Brussels, and in July 2024, you can see Yungblud, Snow Patrol, Royal Blood, Lenny Kravitz, Skindred, The Kooks, Simple Plan, Jane’s Addiction, Dropkick Murphys, and more play the hits.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Klaus Vedfelt
Mad Cool Festival
Iberdrola Music, Madrid, Spain
Closest station: San Cristóbal Industrial
Madrid’s Mad Cool music festival is one of the hottest in all of Europe. Despite its dates in the thick of July, the lineup always surpasses the summer temperatures with hot bands like Rema, The Killers, Bring Me the Horizon, Avril Lavigne, The Breeders, Keane, Greta Van Fleet, Garbage, Arlo Parks, Jessie Ware, and Motxila 21 taking the stage.
NOS Alive
Passeio Marítimo de Algés, Lisbon, Portugal
Closest stations: Cruz Quebrada | Algés
As if you needed another reason to fall in love with Lisbon, the NOS Alive music festival takes over the Tagus riverside every weekend in July. Rock beside Lisboa’s river to Pearl Jam, Dua Lipa, Black Pumas, Arcade Fire, The Heavy, and Sum 41, who are playing their final retirement shows.
C2C Festival: 2025 destination inspiration
Start planning your 2025 trip across the pond. The C2C: Country to Country Festival – not to be confused with the C2C Festival in Turin, Italy, that highlights avant-pop music – is a country music festival held every March in Great Britain. Country music artists from Nashville, the UK, and Europe will take the stage at The O2 in London, OVO Hydro in Glasgow, and SSE Arena in Belfast.
Let Europe’s railways take you to the front of the stage. Download the Trainline app and let us help you get to and from the best music festivals in Europe with ease.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Linka A Odom
