There’s no shortage of options in the Netherlands when it comes to festivals. Every hamlet, meadow or square turns into a temple for feasts and music once a year. Because of all this enjoyment of music, we sometimes forget to look beyond national borders, at all the beauty that all of Europe has to offer. We’re taking you on a journey, this time throughout the five British festivals.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is one of the world’s most iconic music festivals, attracting more than 200,000 festival-goers from around the world each year. This event counts over 3,000 acts, over 100 stages and is on every festival lover’s wish list. As well as musical lineups, Glastonbury also offers a variety of other activities, such as theater and cabaret performances, art installations and workshops. The festival has a rich history and culture, with a strong focus on sustainability and charity.
For any festival lover, Glastonbury is a must-do event that you should put on your bucket list. The festival attracts unique headliners and features almost everything that is relevant. Therefore, it is not surprising that getting tickets is almost impossible.
When: 21-25 June 2023
Where: Decent Fields, Pilton, United Kingdom
Tickets: out of stock
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival, also known as ‘the English Woodstock’, is another legendary festival in Great Britain. The original festival took place three times in 1968-1970 with memorable appearances from artists such as T-Rex, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Doors. The Isle of Wight Festival was revived in 2002 and has since welcomed the likes of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Fleetwood Mac and Bruce Springsteen.
The festival attracts about 60,000 festival goers every year. It takes place on the Isle of Wight, a beautiful island off the south coast of England. Even though it’s only 2 hours from London, island life makes you feel completely away from it all. The ideal candidate for a festival holiday.
When: 15-18 June 2023
Where: Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Tickets: 225 British pounds (about 260 euros) for one weekend ticket
North Creamfield
The UK is also a major player in electronics. Creamfields North is one of the largest and most popular electronic music festivals in the world. This festival traditionally takes place in Bank Holiday weekend in late August near Warrington. What started as a one-day event with 25,000 people in attendance has now become a four-day event with camping options for up to 70,000 people per day.
Creamfields North manages to put together a diverse line-up each year, covering the electronic music spectrum in a way few festivals can. From loud techno and energetic house music to exhilarating trance and hectic drum & bass. All of this with a strong focus on production, which is reflected in the impressive stage and light show. Like the Arc Stage, one of the world’s largest outdoor stages, 80 meters wide with over 1,500 lights and state-of-the-art LED screens!
When: 24-27 August 2023
Where: Warington, United Kingdom
Tickets: 280 British pounds (about 320 euros) for one full festival ticket (4 days including camping)
Wireless
Although it began primarily as a rock and pop festival, in recent years it has focused on other hip-hop, grime, and R&B-influenced music genres. Wireless is now the biggest of all hip-hop festivals in the UK. the festival takes place in Finsbury Park and is therefore perfect to combine with a city trip to London in July.
The festival is characterized by fewer acts per day than other festivals, which is offset by the fact that it is almost exclusively set by internationally recognized headliners. Previous highlights have included performances by Kanye West and Snoop Dogg.
When: 7-9 July 2023
Where: London, England
Tickets: 249 British pounds (about 285 euros) for one three day ticket.
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds festivals are two sister festivals that take place at the same time bank holiday weekend in August. The two festivals share (mostly) the same line-up. The organization brings in big names every year: Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Radiohead, and The Rolling Stones, among others, have hit shelves.
The Reading Festival, the older of the two, is the world’s oldest surviving popular music festival and takes place in central Reading, about 43 miles west of London. As well as an excellent music lineup, the festival also offers a fringe program with comedy, theatre, arts, film, silent discos and fairgrounds.
When: 25-27 August 2023
Where: Reading, United Kingdom
Tickets: 286 British pounds (about 330 euros) for a weekend ticket.
Even more festivals
This is just the tip of the British iceberg, of course. Curious about what else the UK has to offer? Then check out our festival agenda, where you can easily set preferences using filters.
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