Summer is coming closer, and we all know what that means. Yes, it’s festival season! Everyone wants to enjoy the best time of the year with great friends, fresh cocktails, and good music. But with all the hundreds -or even thousands- of music festivals that are going on in just two months, which one is worth spending all that money? We from Nomada How Far made a list of our top 10 unique and innovating music festivals in Europe you should go to. Some of these have great concepts, while others try to do everything to make the world a better and happier place, at least for a short period. It’s up to you which one to choose, or maybe you can combine them all in one major European road trip!

Note: this list is ranked in date of happening.

10 INNOVATING MUSIC FESTIVALS IN EUROPE

SONAR

Spain

Start your summer in Barcelona, because in June, Sónar will take over the city for the 24th time. During the 3 days of this cultural event and festival, you can check out hundreds of artists and DJ’s in different locations all over the city, day and night. The line-up is mainly focused on electronic music, but you can also find some other genres like hip-hop, jazz, experimental, etc. Besides music, Sónar also pays attention to film, art installations, and ‘new media’. Remember to keep an eye on pre- and afterparties, because they often take place on rooftops, beaches, and other cool locations in the city. Besides organizing Sónar every year in Barcelona, they host other Sónar events during the year in other cities all over the world as well.

Sónar Festival
14-16 June 2018
Barcelona, Spain

TAURON NOWA MUZYKA

Poland

This Polish festival is held in Katowice, which is well-known for its underground salt mines close to Krakow. The festival is renowned for delivering new and exciting music. And you immediately notice this when seeing this year’s line-up with acts like The Cinematic Orchestra, Christian Löffler & Mohna live and much more! Besides experimental and electronic music, you can also check out promising jazz, rock & hip-hop artists. If this didn’t convince you yet, Tauron Nowa Muzyka is three-time winner of the European Festival Awards for Best Small Festival in Europe! Let’s drink cheap beers in the shadow of the mine shaft towers and discover some new artists!

Tauron Nowa Muzyka
28 June – 1 July 2018
Katowice, Poland

POLIFONIC

Italy

Polifonic is holding its 2nd edition this year that will be held at Masserie Del Turco, a beautiful old building surrounded by olive trees in the Itria Valley, near Monopoli. They didn’t give much information yet, but by looking at the line-up, with artists like Carl Craig, Tama Sumo and Mano Le Tough, the festival looks really promising. Apart from the musical aspect, they offer yoga classes, a chillout area, art exhibitions and of course, great Mediterranean food.

Polifonic
27-28 July 2018
Monopoli, Italy

DEKMANTEL

Netherlands

Dekmantel has made quite a big name in the festival scene in a short time. All their festivals are always sold-out months before the first record gets played on-site. But what makes this festival so unique? With multiple beautiful stages spread out over the terrains of the Amsterdamse Bos, and one of the best line-ups an electronic music lover can get, this is definitely a festival that you just can’t miss! They now also organize Dekmantel Selectors in Croatia, with a limited capacity and only a small number of high-caliber DJ’s.

Dekmantel Festival
1-5 August 2018
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dekmantel Selectors
23-27 August 2018
Tisno, Croatia

NACHTDIGITAL

Germany

Nachtdigital Festival is definitely one like no other! Although it already exists since 1998, they still manage to keep it a small and intimate festival. There are only 3000 tickets available, which all get sold-out in minutes after the release. But what makes it stand out from other festivals? They try to make the experience as personal as possible by making handmade decorations (which become real pieces of art), aspiring visual arts and carefully selected artists. We heard that the crowd and atmosphere are like no other!

Nachtdigital Festival
3-5 August 2018
Bungalowdorf Olganitz, Germany

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Ireland

For its first edition, All Together Now strives to bring you a weekend of freedom and escapism through music, spoken word, comedy, theatre, debate, art, and workshops. An important aspect of this festival is that they want it to be family friendly. Parents are encouraged to bring their little ones to let them be inspired an enjoy themselves in the beautiful setting of the festival area. Music, art, friendship, and camaraderie are the tenets by which All Together Now will adhere.

All Together Now
3-5 August 2018
Portlaw County Waterford, Ireland

CHÂTEAU PERCHÉ

France

Château Perché is a nomad multidisciplinary festival taking place each year in a new location, always at one of the most beautiful castles in the middle of France. In only two years, Château Perché imposed itself as a front-runner in the French festival world. With nearly 200 artists (musicians, DJs, decorators, actors, etc) from France, Europe, but also China, the festival induced a true national craze attracting 5000 people per day coming from every corner of France and abroad. The festival offers a wide range of genres and art compiling different kinds of music, art, light shows, performances, and many more. This year 2018, the festival will happen at the Château d’Avrilly, which got a whole potential for being the place of an astonishing festivity!

Château Perché
10-12 August 2018
Château d’Avrilly, Trévol, France

WAKING LIFE

Portugal

This 5-day arts & music festival will take place in Portugal for its second edition near the medieval town of Crato, which lies in one of the most desolate places regions in Southern Europe. The event focuses on bringing quality underground music in a mythical place where you can be creative and disconnect from the world for a few days. Also, performance artists, stimulating installations and a cinema get their own place on the festival ground.

The whole idea is to create an extraordinary experience on an eco-friendly way to be part of the transition towards environmental and social responsibility. With exciting names like Molly, Luke Abbott, Call Super and many more, we are sure this festival has the right to be featured as one of the best small festivals of Europe.

Waking Life
15-19 August 2018
Crato, Portugal

ATLAS ELECTRONIC

Morocco

This festival is on top of our list to attend this year. Atlas Electronic started out as an intimate arts & culture festival and has become a platform in various, sometimes quite literal ways. The elaborate four-day programming includes various underground electronic sounds, borderless cross-over acts, exclusive artistic collaborations, inspirational cultural encounters, and a nomadic luxury On-site Desert Camping. Not only with the festival but also during the year Atlas Electronic Projects tries to contribute to the local scenes as much as possible.

Atlas Electronic
31 August – 2 September 2018
Marrakech, Morocco

MEAKUSMA FESTIVAL

Belgium

This rather small festival in Belgium provides a finely selected line-up of known and unknown musicians & DJ’s in all kinds of electronic genres, from contemporary to experimental. A lot of the performances are performed live so that the audience and artists really can connect with each other. You’ll also find various lectures and installations on-site.

Meakusma Festival
7-9 September 2018
Eupen, Belgium

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It’s Road Trip Time! 10 Innovating European Music Festivals You Can’t Miss This Summer