Purple Tips: Europe’s Best Music Festivals 2014
Plan an incredible summer holiday around a festival and get more bang for your buck. Read our Purple tips about the best music festivals 2014 and don’t miss out. If you’ve got any more suggestions for the best music festivals 2014, hit us up in the comments below.
Meadows in the Mountains Pic via @ Facebook
Best Music Festivals 2014 – April
Altitude Comedy Festival – Austria
When: 31 Marcy – 4 April 2014
Where: Mayrhofen, Austria
What is it: In the same awesome venue as the Snowbombing festival, this is all about comedy. Lots of beginner slopes as well as black runs and great apres-ski, this is two holidays in one!
Who: Pub Landlord Al Murray, John Murray, Tommy Tiernan, Andrew Maxwell and Craig Campbell.
Price: Depending on your arrival date from £188.
Snowbombing – Austria
When: 7-12 April 2014
Where: Up in the snowy mountains of Mayrhofen, Austria
What is it: A mix of partying and piste, where winter sports meets hedonistic highs.
Who: The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers DJ set, Four Tet, Tom Odell, Foxes.
Price: From £219 including accommodation.
Best Music Festivals 2014 – May
Primavera Sound – Barcelona
When: 29-31 May 2014
Where: Parc Del Forum, Barcelona, Spain.
What is it: A huge lineup of some of the best acts in the world today will play in the sunshine at Primavera’s outdoor stages showcasing Barcelona as a great music-lead city.
Who: The National, Arcade Fire, Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, QOTSA, Haim, Metronomy, Foals and Chrvches.
Price: €175
Best Music Festivals 2014 – June
Sonar pic via @ Facebook
Ibiza Rocks and Mallorca Rocks – Balearic Islands
When: All summer long! Starting on June 4 2014.
Where: Ibiza/Majorca
What is it: A full on summer festival experience without the mud.
Who: Haim, The 1975, John Newman, Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club, Ed Sheeran and Tinie Tampah.
Price: From £75
Pinkpop – Netherlands
When: 7 – 9 June 2014
Where: Landgraaf, Netherlands
What is it: The 45th year of Pinkpop, this is one of the oldest in the world and draws huge names from all over the world.
Who: Arcade Fire, Metallica, Editors, Mastodon and Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters.
Price: Tickets for Pinkpop will be released on 15th March 2014
Sonar – Spain
When: 12 – 14 June 2014
Where: Barcelona, Spain
What is it: A very cool hybrid: it’s part music, part technology and part audio-visual fest, and Sonar the organization has held over 50 events since 2002.
Who: Richie Hawtin, Caribou, Jon Hopkins, Moderat, Four Tet, Massive Attack
Price: €195
Meadows in the Mountains – Bulgaria
When: 13 – 15 June 2014
Where: Rhodope Mountains, just south of Sofia.
What is it: Inspired by the infamous Burning Man Festival, this Bulgarian fest organised by two brothers has a focus on experience, underground and hard partying. Visitors are encourage to run wild through the fields and forests and play in the waterfall.
Who: Lots as yet to be announced, but previously it has included Riot Jazz, Will Saul and unsigned acts.
Price: TBA
Roskilde – Denmark
When: 29 June – July 6 2014.
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
What is it: One of Europe’s best and biggest music festivals, run as a non-profit event.
Who: Arctic Monkeys, Interpol, Jenny Wilson, Haim, Pusha T, Warpaint, Damon Albarn, Kasabian, Outkast, Rob Zombie,
Price: €256 for eight days of festivalling.
Best Music Festivals 2014 – July
Image via @ Exit Festival
EXIT Festival – Serbia
When: 10 – 13 July 2014
Where: Novi Sad, Servia
What is it: Where Hedonism meet activism, you can be sure of a great time at EXIT in 2014.
Who: Damon Albarn, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, Skrillex,
Price: Starting from £115 with discounts for groups.
Benicassim – Spain
When: July 17 – 20th 2014
Where: Between Barcelona and Valencia, Spain
What is it: Alternative rock and electronica festival with no licensing restrictions; starts at 5pm and goes on until the early hours.
Who: Kasabian, Paul Weller, Lily Allen, M.I.A. Manic Street Preachers, Klaxons, Ellie Goulding.
Price: around €150
Tomorrowland Festival – Belgium
When: Two weekends from 18 – 27 July 2014
Where: Boom (!) in Belgium
What is it: One of Europe’s best and biggest dance festivals. We love the look of the uniquely designed Tomorrowland Theme Hotel: Boom!
Who: Carl Cox, Erol Alkin, Laidback Luke, Nicky Romero, Eric Prydz.
Price: TBA
Soundwave – Croatia
When: 17 – 21 July 2014
Where: The Garden, Tisno, Croatia
What is it: A mix of beautiful music and beautiful people in a fantastic beach front location. Festival weekends don’t get much better than this.
Who: Madlib, Mr Scruff, Huey Morgan.
Price: Standard weekend pass £125. Groups can get 5 for the price of 4 for £500
Melt Festival – Germany
When: 18 – 20 July 2014
Where: Ferropolis, Germany
What is it: Roaring drums fill the night while mellow tunes will relax you by day. Join 20,000 visitors to Germany for a whopping good time.
Who: Bombay Bicycle Club, Chromeo, Chet Faker, Fuck Buttons, Haim, Jagwar Ma, John Grant, Metronomy
Price: TBA
Arenal Sound – Spain
When: 31 July – 03 August 2014.
Where: Burriana, near Valencia in Spain
What is it: A sun drenched, on-the-beach festival that specialises in edgy music, cool vibes and all night partying.
Who: Die Antwoord, Azealia Banks, Boys Noize DJ Set, Miles Kane.
Price: Single tickets from €55
Best Music Festivals 2014 – August
Melt Festival Image via @ Melt Festival
Off Festival – Poland
When: August 1-3 2014
Where: Katowice Poland
What is it: A music festival with an artistic heart. Off Festival is drawing big names this years, but also supports a variety of independent arts and culture events, with exhibitions, cinema screenings and workshops.
Who: Just announced: Jesus and Mary Chain, Belle and Sebastian, the Black Lips, CLipping and Dean Wareham.
Price: Cheap and cheerful, you can buy packages from €50.
Sziget – Budapest
When: August 11 – 18 2014
Where: Island of Obuda, Budapest
What is it: 24 hour scheduled music festival with costumed entertainers, known as the Island of Freedom!
Who: So far, we’ve heard Queens of the Stone Age, Placebo, Kalaxons, The Prodigy, Bonobo, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Skrillex and Jake Bugg.
Price: Camping €209, non-camping €199
Pukkelpop – Belgium
When: August 14 – 16 2014
Where: Kempische Steenweg, Belgium
What is it: Fine Belgian beers, free train travel from Brussels and an excessive list of the best names playing make Pukkelpop an excellent summer festival option.
Who: A mix of badass DJs, rock and pop acts that you can head bang to and top dance performers.
Price: £128
Best Music Festivals 2014 – September
Image by Gregory Nolan
Electric Picnic – Ireland
When: September 3 – 5 2014
Where: Stradbally, Ireland
What is it: One of the most wide ranging music festivals in Ireland, EP also has a focus on the arts with onsite cinemas, late night fun and frolics and a general good time atmosphere.
Who: Fatboy Slim, Bjork, Robert Plant, My Bloody Valentine, Eels, Two Door Cinema Club.
Price: Weekend tickets from €240
Best Music Festivals 2014 – October
Ibiza Closing Parties
When: End of September – Early October
Where: Ibiza Clubs
What is it: Finish the summer with a bang at one of Ibiza’s best closing parties. We like the look of the Space Closing Party with six different arenas including a massive outdoor stage. Party people only need apply!
Who: TBA
Price: Tickets start from €50
Best Music Festivals 2014 – November
Iceland Airwaves
When: November 5 – 9 2014
Where: Reykjavik, Iceland
What is it: Fantastic venues including the infamous Blue Lagoon draw big names like Bjork, Florence and the Machine and TV on the Radio.
Who: The Flaming Lips and Icelandic bands like Mammut and Vok.
Price: From €90
To book holidays to the Best Festivals Europe 2014, talk to the expert travel team at Purple Travel.
