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The 10 Best Festivals to Add to Your Summer Plans

With the weather getting warmer and nights getting longer it is time to start thinking of summer plans.

Crowd at festival with hands in air
Shutterstock, SibRapid

With the weather getting warmer and nights getting longer it is time to start thinking of summer plans. With festival season starting this month you may be confused and where to go and where to spend your money. But we have compiled a list of the best festivals to attend. No matter your budget, favourite genre, or location there is a festival in this list to add to your summer plans.

1. Coachella, California

Sunny at Coachella music festival with people walking.
Coachella, California – April 16th 2023 (Shutterstock, Eugene Domejes)

Arguably the most Instagrammable festival is returning this weekend, marking the start of the festival season. With Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat headlining and a brand-new open-air DJ stage, it is not one you want to miss!

Although you might have missed out on tickets for weekend one there are still passes available for the second weekend. Tickets ranging from $499 to $1,269 and camping bundles starting at $3,198 so you don’t have to miss out on the action.

If those prices are still too much for last-minute plans, then you catch the whole festival via the YouTube livestream. This year they introduced a brand-new Multiview feature that will let you watch 4 stages at one time. 

Website: https://www.coachella.com

2. The Great Escape, Brighton

Crowd of people and purple lights on stage.
The Great Escape Festival, 2023 (Greatescapeoffical, Youtube)

Taking place from the 15th to the 18th of May is the biggest music festival dedicated to new music. With over 500 artists playing across 30 venues throughout Brighton and a pop-up stage on the beach. This is the place to go to find our next favourite artist.

Some of the artists include Faye Webster, Tom Rasmussen, Picture Parlour and Babymorocco. Early bird and daysaver tickets are now sold out but you can still buy tickets for all three days and the Faye Websters spotlight show via the festival’s website and Ticketmaster. Prices range from £25.25 to £119.50 with payment plans available.

Not only is this a music festival but there is also a conference that runs alongside the gigs. With panels, debates, keynote speakers and networking opportunities for those wanting to get into the industry. 

Tickets available here: https://greatescapefestival.com

3. Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Overhead view of Electric Daisy Carnival with fireworks and fairground rides
Electric Daisy Carnival (Insomniac, Youtube)

With each day starting at dusk and ending at dawn and nine stages each hosting a different style of electronic music. This festival is for the hardcore ravers and dance fans.

From the 17th to the 19th of May Las Vegas will host DJs such as David Guetta, Tiesto, Zedd, and Purple Disco Machine with the theme of kineticCIRCLE being about circles of time, trust, and community.

General admission is currently sold out but there are still tickets available for general admission+ that start at $599. However, if you miss your chance to attend in Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival will be moving to Orlando in November. 

Tickets: https://lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com

4. Hangout Fest, Gulf Shore

Band on stage with fireworks
Hangout Fest, 2023 (Hangout Music Fest, Youtube)

A genre-spanning festival held right on the beach, Hangout hosts around 40,000 fans over 3 days. With a main stage, beach clubs, and an in-ground swimming pool this is the perfect festival to add to your summer bucket list.

Although there are no single-day tickets you can purchase tickets for 2-day or the whole festival. Prices start at $359 and lodging packages for groups of 2 or 4 at $300.

The beachfront festival will feature artists such as Lana Del Rey, Chappell Roan, All Time Low, and Renee Rapp alongside art installations from the 17thto the 19th of May.

Tickets: https://www.hangoutmusicfest.com/tickets/

5. Radio One Big Weekend, Luton 

Singer on stage with crowds of people watching
Radio One Big Weeekend, Dundee (BBC Radio 1, Youtube)

The travelling festival is making its Luton debut with a star-studded line-up you won’t want to miss. Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, The Last Dinner Party and Coldplay will all be taking the stage at Stockwood Park across the May bank holiday (24–26th May).

Dance and pop icon, Charli XCX, will also be headlining the music stage alongside Diplo and Beabadoobee. Currently, only Friday tickets are available but if you want to attend a different day the fan-to-fan resale via Ticketmaster will open at noon on the 3rd of May and close on the 20th of May, and each day costs £34!

Big Weekend is a tent-free festival each day ends at 10 pm so you will also have to find accommodation if you want to attend. 

Tickets: https://www.bbc.co.uk/backstage/bigweekend/tickets/

6. Glastonbury 

Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival with fireworks and flags
Glastonbury, 06/05/2019 (Shutterstock, marietta peros)

Based in Worthy Down Farm, Somerset, this world-famous festival is getting ready for its 200,000 visitors. Although tickets sold out in just under an hour there is still a chance to go to this iconic festival. Taking place in the last weekend of June, tickets start at £360 and in the April resale you will have to pay this price upfront as the payment plans have now closed.

Remember, if you are planning on securing last-minute tickets you will need to be registered and have this number and postcode on hand! With Grammy winners Dua Lipa and SZA headlining and a special legend slot by Shania Twain, it is not a festival you want to miss.

But Glastonbury is not just a music festival, as there is also a range of food villages and clothing shops. It truly is a celebration of life and music – just make sure you pack your wellies! 

For more information on what you should bring check out this guide so you are prepared

For the best chance of tickets visit the Glastonbury website: https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

7. British Summer Time Festival, London

Celine Dion performing live on stage at British Summertime at Hyde Park 
Celine Dion performs live on stage at British Summertime at Hyde Park (Shutterstock, Tom Rose)

Taking place over 2 weeks in June and July, the British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park is one of the most unique festivals. With 9 individual festival headliners and shows each of their own genre this festival has something for everyone from Morgan Wallen to Andrea Bocelli and SZA to Stevie Nicks.

Each headliner will have their own line-up of acts, essentially creating 9 different festivals. Tickets start at £95 and are available via AXS, Ticketmaster, Kaboodle and different payment plans are also available. Every concert will start at 2 pm and finish between 10–11 pm. 

Tickets: https://www.bst-hydepark.com

8. Tomorrowland, Belgium

Tomorrowland stage with lights
Tomorrowland Festival 2018 (Shutterstock, CristianLopez)

This is the world’s biggest dance festival, and it is no surprise as to why. With over 400,000 visitors over the 2 weekends and 16 stages, it is a raver’s dream. This is not your normal festival – with experiential areas, massive campsites and other areas including a Symphony of Unity which fuses electronic and classical music just for this festival.

Tomorrowland takes place from the 19th to 21st and 26th to the 28th of July. Featuring music from a range of genres including techno, house, bass and EDM from 400 different artists.

Unfortunately, all official tickets are sold out for the festival in Belgium but Tomorrowland will also be visiting Brazil in October. So you won’t have to miss out on any of the fun. 

9. Lollapalooza, Chicago

Rapper Saba performs at Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Chicago
Chicago native rapper Saba performs at Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Chicago (Shutterstock, Ted Alexander Somerville)

Taking place from the 1st to the 4th of August and over 170 bands playing the global travelling festival will soon make a stop in Chicago. With a star-studded line-up including Tyler, the Creator, Hozier, SZA and Skrillex.

Tickets start at $149 for 1 day, $299 for 2 days and then $409 for the full 4-day festival with hotel packages also available via the Lollapalooza website.

This festival will also be Skrillex’s first time back at Grant Park since 2014 and if you missed Tyler, the Creator’s set at Coachella then this will be the time to catch the rapper over the festival period. 

Tickets: https://www.lollapalooza.com/tickets

10. Boomtown, Winchester

People dressed up at Boomtown festival pointing at the sky
Boomtown Fair Festival – August 14 2016 (Shutterstock, DFP Photographic)

One of the most unique dance festivals returns to the Matterley Bowl in Hampshire. Taking place from the 7th to 11th of August, Boomtown has 12 main stages and although the lineup is yet to be announced this festival fuses a diverse group of small and global artists to create boundary-pushing immersive art, theatre, and performance to create a fictitious city.

This is so much more than just the average music festival. There are over 50 hidden venues for visitors to find and create their own story. Boomtown is like Disneyland for ravers and drum and bass lovers.

The best place to purchase tickets is straight from the Boomtown website. Prices start at £300 for the green transport citizen entry tickets and go up to £340 for Wednesday to Sunday entry.

Boomtown Website: https://www.boomtownfair.co.uk

Written By

Freelance music journalist who has experience in the newsroom, radio, and social media. Other work can be found in Who Is Blank, WINOL, and The Alfred Times.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Mrs Susan D Thorn

    April 14, 2024 at 10:44 pm

    Very informative lots of ideas and well written

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