Are you planning to attend a summer music festival in Europe this year? If so, you’ll be lucky to enjoy performances from many of the biggest names in the music industry. But do you still need to buy tickets for the fast-approaching unofficial first summer weekend? Do you know what artists will be at which music fest? Likewise, will you be camping or desire more comfortable overnight accommodations? Here are just a few basic facts about the best music festivals in Europe this summer to get you on the right track.
Summer Music Festivals in Europe
Creamfields
Hylands Park
London Road, Writtle
Chelmsford CM2 8WQ, United Kingdom
www.creamfields.com
Dates: August 25-28, 2022
One of Europe’s largest electronic music festivals, Creamfields, is already sold out. However, you can still purchase day and camp tickets through secondary markets. For instance, Ticketmaster, Skiddle, Ticketline, and Ticket Quarter have resale tickets. Even though prices are higher, this is Creamfield’s 25th anniversary. In other words, this will be one of the top music festivals this summer in Europe. The list of featured performers is like a who’s who of EDM. With that in mind, Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, and Tiësto are among the marquee names.
How To Get There
Creamfield lists several ways to get to its 25th-anniversary electronic music festival. If you’re driving by car, you can prebook a parking pass or pay upon arrival. If you want to take a bus, you might like the Big Green Coach, which stops in 55 locations. To point out a few places, Cambridge, London Victoria, Portsmouth and Southhampton. Moreover, you can take a shuttle bus from designated spots in Liverpool, Manchester, and Warrington. The town of Daresbury is about halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.
Creamfield South
The original electronic music extravaganza has been so popular that it added a second festival this year. However, Creamfield South begins June 2, so time is running out for last-minute tickets. On the other hand, some big names will appear at Hylands Park in Chelmsford. In particular are top EDM acts like David Guetta, Fat Boy Slim, Calvin Harris, and Idris Elba.
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Glastonbury Festival
Worthy Farm
Worthy Lane, Shepton Mallet
Somerset, England BA4 4BY
Dates: June 22-26, 2022
If you had to pick just one European music festival to go to this summer, it might be Glastonbury. One of the largest and undoubtedly most famous, Glastonbury is also one of the oldest, dating back to 1970. That first event was held the day after rock icon Jimi Hendrix died in London. Whether or not you can find a resale ticket this year is questionable.
Who Will Be Appearing
This year, two headliners and two wildly popular contemporary artists are from that era. Namely, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. If that’s not enough, other acts could be top-billing in different venues—for example, Crowded House, Doja Cat, Lorde, Megan Thee Stallion, and Olivia Rodrigo. Of course, there are even more acts, like Pet Shop Boys, Robert Plant and Allison Kraus, Rufus Wainwright, and St. Vincent.
Tickets
As one of the biggest summer music festivals in Europe, Glastonbury sells out quickly. Moreover, official resale tickets through See Tickets have already sold out. Tickets may be available through secondary markets, but event organizers will not make recommendations.
How To Get To Glastonbury
You have several transportation options to reach the event. You can take your car, rideshare, bus, or train with a shuttle transfer. The Castle Cary train station will have a free shuttle bus to transport you to the festival grounds. The historic town of Glastonbury is approximately 13.2 km (8.2 miles) from the festival
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Sziget Festival
Óbudai-sziget (Óbuda Island)
Budapest, Hungary
www.szigetfestival.com/en
Dates: August 10-15, 2022
Some of the biggest names in hip hop, EDM, and more will appear this summer at Sziget. To name a few, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, and Artic Monkeys are among the headliners. Not to mention that tickets, including day tickets and 3-day passes, are still on sale. Likewise, camping tickets are available as well. With a camping pass, you can camp almost anywhere on Óbuda, the largest island in Budapest.
How To Get To The Sziget Festival
Getting to the Sziget Festival is far easier than many other European summer music festivals. Of course, the apparent reason is that it’s in Budapest, whereas others may require more extended travel. In Budapest, you can take the H5 train to the Filatorigát station. If you need other transportation options, you can take the Metro, drive onsite, or even take a boat.
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Tomorrowland
Provincial Recreation Area De Schorre
2850 Boom, Flanders, Belgium
www.tomorrowland.com/en
Dates: July 15-17, July 22-24 and July 29-31, 2022
Glastonbury has Paul McCartney and Billie Eilish this summer. But if electronic dance music is your thing, go to Tomorrowland. After all, it’s the world’s most significant, with 400,000 attendees in 2019. What’s more, this year’s summer music festival will be held on three weekends, instead of two. This means organizers expect this year to be even bigger, with a whopping 600,000 music fans.
Who’s In The Lineup At Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland will host more than 700 performers, including some huge names. That is to say, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Tiësto, and Armin van Buuren will be on the main stage. But it’s also important to realize that there are at least 15 other stages, including Atmosphere and Freedom. Other artists you can see are Alesso, Diplo, Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witt, and Eric Prydz’s HOLO show.
How To Get To Tomorrowland
To accommodate 600,000 people, this mega summer music festival has to have several transportation options. In this case, the best ways are by shuttle bus or train and then a shuttle. De Lijn will operate buses from the Boom train station to the festival grounds. That is coupled with the Tomorrowland City Shuttles, serving Brussels and other cities. On the other hand, you can drive, take a taxi, or use the Kiss and Ride (K&R) option. Of course, you can also bike to the festival. Boom is nearly halfway between Brussels and Antwerp.
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Untold Festival
Cluj Arena
Aleea Stadionului 2
Cluj-Napoca 400375, Romania
www.untold.com
Dates: August 4-7, 2022
One of the challenges of getting tickets to a summer music festival is availability. Take, for example, Glastonbury, which sells out quickly coupled with ticketholders from last year’s canceled event. In light of this, have you thought about the Untold Festival? Held in the unofficial capital of Transylvania, Untold is Europe’s second-largest EDM festival. Not only does it attract nearly 400,000 attendees, it’s also a showcase for top performers. David Guetta, G-EazyKygo, and Steve Aoki will all be there.
Tickets
Many tickets remain available, which is a great reason to consider attending Untold. Furthermore, tickets start at €50 + taxes ($53.45 + tax) and a 4-day pass is €159 + taxes (169.99 + tax). A 4-day pass is quite a bargain compared to some U.S. music festivals.
Accommodations
Unlike many popular summer music festivals in Europe or elsewhere, Untold has no camping. Fortunately, the festival lists place to stay at reasonable rates. Of course, you can also look for your places to stay, whether it’s an Airbnb or another hotel. The tradeoff is that you’ll have to take a train into Cluj-Napoca from another city.
How To Get To The Untold Festival
If you’re staying in Cluj-Napoca, it’s just a 15-minute walk to the stadium from Old Town. If you arrive at the central train station, you can still walk, although it’s slightly further, taking about 30 minutes. You can also take city trams No. 101 or 102 from the train station to the stadium.
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About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including CBS New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.
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