Music and festivity are in Europe’s DNA, with a never-ending string of events taking place all year round across the continent.
But which music festivals excel? Let’s get to the bottom of it!
Best European Music Festivals
Criteria for Ranking Events
- Pinkpop
- Glastonbury
- Primavera Sound
- Bilbao BBK Live
- Flow
- Open’er
- Rock Werchter
- Sónar
- Sziget
- BEONIX
Criteria for Ranking Events
It goes without saying that everything is subjective, and your mileage may vary.
That said, there are grand music happenings in Europe whose awesomeness is hard to question.
Although the choice was a difficult one, we settled on our 10 best music festivals in Europe with regular editions, including this year’s.
Additionally, we decided to assign each event a category to underscore what makes it so special and why we appreciate it exactly.
So, without further ado, here’s what our top 10 look like:
Pink Pop
First on our list is the winner of the “Time-Tested” category, a festival that lasts a lifetime and stays true to itself.
Starting in 1970, Pinkpop had only 2 editions missed due to the pandemic.
The number of attendees to the long-running festival has already approached 3 million, but the organizers are not going to stop there and continue delivering the best shows and artists.
World rock, hip-hop, and pop icons performed at the grandiose Dutch festival at various times.
This year’s lineup is also impressive, with Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Limp Bizkit, and many more.
❗Where and when: Landgraaf, Netherlands, June 21 – 23
Glastonbury
Like Pinkpop, Glastonbury is a festival with a long history and tradition, but unlike its Dutch counterpart, the British fest is not just about music. Hence the category is “All-Inclusive.”
The event encompasses all forms of art and entertainment, such as theater, dance, circus, and comedy, giving everyone a chance to showcase their talents on one of its multiple stages.
Glastonbury’s 2024 lineup is star-packed as usual, sparkling with the following names:
- Dua Lipa
- Janelle Monae
- Coldplay
- The National
- Jamie xx
- Avril Lavigne
- Faithless
- Idles
❗Where and when: Somerset, United Kingdom, June 26 – 30
Primavera Sound
One of the biggest music festivals in Europe, Primavera couldn’t help but end up in our ranking. The first-rate annual event can lead in various categories, and “Scale” is positively one of them.
The gathering in Barcelona is also one of the fastest growing in attendance since there’s been an almost 60x surge in visitors over the past 20 years. What’s the recipe for success?
The ingredients are the picture-perfect location, flawless organisation, and music, of course, which is primarily indie rock and pop played by both luminaries and up-and-comers.
❗Where and when: Barcelona, Spain, May 29 – June 2
Bilbao BBK Live
Here’s another title on our list hailing from Spain, a fertile land producing plenty of awe-inspiring music happenings. Bilbao BBK triumphs in the category that we tagged as “Call of the Wild.”
The festival’s attendees find themselves outside the city, in the lap of nature among the mountains, listening to rock songs, pop tunes, techno beats, and ambient sounds.
Such escapism is undoubtedly a way out for those tired of their everyday routine, especially since like-minded individuals and your much-loved artists join the escape.
❗Where and when: Bilbao, Spain, July 11 – 13
Flow
Why not go with the Flow if it’s about a music and arts event set up outside the box? The winner of our “Industrial Vibe” category, the Finnish festival is an ode to the diverse urban culture.
Held in an industrial area in Helsinki, the Flow consists of thoughtfully arranged spaces where you can listen to music, watch films, talk about art, eat, drink, relax, and do many other things.
The fest premiered to jazz and soul rhythms, but subsequent iterations had a broader genre spectrum. The 2024 music program features about 150 outstanding performers, including:
- Halsey
- Vince Staples
- Raye
- Blonde Redhead
- Amaarae
- Miriam Bryant
- Isac Elliot
- Evian Christ
❗Where and when: Helsinki, Finland, August 9 – 11
Open’er
This one is a humongous outdoor party roaring in the Polish city of Gdynia for 4 days in a row annually. “One-Size-Fits-All” is its winning category and the best way to describe its lineup.
The festival’s roster is so multigenre and versatile that it will delight anyone, whether they’re into rap, rock, pop, or EDM. Open’er is a gathering for all who live and breathe music.
Yearly sold-outs and ample industry awards attest to the event’s extraordinarily high profile.
❗Where and when: Gdynia, Poland, July 3 – 6
Rock Werchter
Occupying roughly the same time frame as Open’er, Rock Werchter is mainly designed for rock addicts. Without wishing to offend others, we called it the best rock gathering of 2024 in Europe.
By the way, a similar opinion has been repeatedly shared by international live music professionals, which is why Rock Werchter is in the Arthur Awards Hall of Fame.
For 50 years of its existence, the festival has hosted the top-liners of the global rock scene, nevertheless, the lineup of its recent editions has extended across other styles, too.
❗Where and when: Werchter, Belgium, July 4 – 7
Sónar
Standing out for its original concept, Sónar goes beyond the traditional music festival and becomes a multifunctional platform and a meeting place for music and high technology.
Therefore, without hesitation, the title of the most innovative event goes to this 3-day Spanish happening whose daytime program is saturated with exhibitions, conferences, and workshops.
When Sónar’s visitors aren’t exploring the latest technical advances in the music industry and talking business, they’re partying heavily at the nighttime shows to killer tracks by EDM artists.
❗Where and when: Barcelona, Spain, June 13 – 15
Sziget
Although we didn’t include some big-time events known to everyone in our ranking, we couldn’t walk past Sziget, which we called the European gathering with the most tight-knit community.
Every year, Szitizens representing different ethnicities and cultures come from all over the globe to unite and become one loving and caring family on the Island of Freedom, Sziget’s alias.
The gathering has one of the most cosmopolitan rosters of performers among the 2024 music festivals Europe hosts. Here’s only a handful of names:
- Skrillex
- Kylie
- Stormzy
- Aurora
- MEUTE
- Fontaines D.C.
- grandson
- Azahriah
❗Where and when: Budapest, Hungary, August 7 – 12
BEONIX
Our review’s final chord is the Cyprus-based festival BEONIX, the unequivocal winner of the “Best Newcomer” category, which is on par with the industry’s long-standing heavy hitters.
With only 2 editions under its belt, BEONIX has already made a name for itself as a unique event on the European scene, not to be missed by both EDM fans and festival-goers in general.
Last year’s concept of extraterrestrial experiences on the uncharted 9th planet resonated deeply with attendees, so the festival’s organizers will revisit the idea, amping it up in the new iteration.
Headlined by the inimitable Tale Of Us, ARTBAT, and Fatboy Slim, BEONIX 2024 will bring together scores of marvelous acts and DJs at ETKO, a vintage winery turned into a work of art.
❗Where and when: Limassol, Cyprus, September 20 – 22
