By Natalie Paris
There are more benefits to combining a festival with a holiday than just being able to see your favourite band somewhere scenic and sunny. Whether on the coast, in an industrial complex or at the top of a mountain, festivals are an easy way to mingle with locals, sample food specialities and take in some popular culture.
They can take you to remote and beautiful landscapes or provide an introduction to nightlife that might otherwise remain hidden on a standard city break. The only decision to make is whether you want the diversions of a big city, time spent on a beach, entertainment for the children or a one-to-one with nature. Here are some of the top festivals for the 2015 northern summer.
In the countryside
Camp Bestival, Dorset: Perfect for the whole family.Credit: Getty Images
Meadows in the Mountains, Bulgaria
June 12-14
meadowsinthemountains.com
Three-day pass £150 ($A290)
With Glastonbury already sold out (unless you hope to buy a resale ticket, for which you will need to have already registered) your best option for bucolic bliss may be... Bulgaria. Held on a mountaintop, above fields full of cows and wildflowers a three-hour drive from Plovdiv, this tiny, family-run festival gets everything right.
The people – all 600 or so here by word of mouth – are the kind who offer massages and face paint to new friends, the music is under the radar but essential, and the setting as isolated as you could wish for. In midafternoon, when indie and folk bands perform intimate sets at the modest main stage, mist rolls in.
By the time beats kick in at the DJ stage, it has formed a blanket beneath ethereal sunrises. You can either camp in the village below the festival or stay in basic rooms let out by villagers – something that only adds to the experience. The whole site is lovingly handcrafted, with a soap-sud death slide and a tree canopy zip line for daytime high jinks.
When night falls, campfires are a hub for revellers in feathered headdresses and glitter – all available from a stall on site. Musical highlights this year include urban vocalist Kele le Roc, Hispanic-influenced DJ and producer Quantic and talented young songwriter Chaz Thorogood.
Secret Garden Party, Cambridgeshire
July 23-26
secretgardenparty.com
Limited adult weekend pass available on May 14 for £185 ($A360)
With a pagoda stage that floats on a lake and a secret sunflower field entered through a portaloo, beauty and eccentricity best sum up this festival. Held on a Cambridgeshire estate, the music is diverse – a mix of house, drum and bass, reggae and dubstep. Annual themes set a fantastical tone, with last year's "goodbye yellow brick road" manifesting in a magnificent "emerald city" structure placed in the centre of the lake, to be set alight during Saturday's fireworks display.
Green Man, Wales
August 20-23
greenman.net
Three-day pass from £165 ($A320)
In velvety Welsh hills, this folky favourite branched out musically this year to include electronic treats from Hot Chip and St Vincent. Alongside Courtney Barnett, Father John Misty and Sun Ra Arkestra, it promises to be one of the UK's most interesting line-ups. Elsewhere, find a 24-hour cinema, massage tents, a science garden and a Welsh beer and cider festival – in scenery suited to finding a mossy patch on which to sit and sup. With the natural attractions of the Brecon Beacons close by and the promise of fair August weather, it's tempting to make a week of it and spend some time splashing about in local waterfalls beforehand.
Mandrea Festival, Italy
July 30 - August 2
en.mandreafestival.com
Three-day pass from £44 ($A86)
Set up on a cliff ledge above Lake Garda, Mandrea - known as Mandstock last year - is a relaxed, reggae-soaked get together. While chai tents and bead stalls circle the grassy bowl where the main stage is located, there are also unexpected finds, such as stone-baked pizza, bars specialising in aperol spritzers and, gasp, good coffee - well this is Italy. The dance stage sees lots of techno, while the tiny forest stage, twinkling under a crown of branches, was last year curated by The Harrison pub, a mainly folk music venue in Kings Cross, London.
Rock climbing and circus tumbling are available for kids during the day, while a glorious bathing beach down in colourful Riva, at the north of the lake, is only a half-hour drive away.
Bestival, Isle of Wight
10-13 September
bestival.net
Three-day pass is £195 ($379)
Slap bang in the middle of the Isle of Wight, Rob da Bank's brainchild promises secret stages, ambient forests and non-stop dancing. Supporting local businesses and vegetarian food choices, the ever-impressive line-up has welcomed the likes of DJ EZ, Outkast and Elton John to its small site. Become an islander for four days of unexpected surprises but don't forget your fancy dress. Take what you please from the themes that last year saw the world's largest disco ball decorate the sky. If you can handle a 'Summer of Love' then this year's Bestival is bound to excite.
Edge of the Lake, Switzerland
June 26-28
aubordeleau.ch/festival
Three-day pass from £27 ($A52)
Claiming to be Europe's cheapest and most scenic festival, Edge of the Lake certainly deserves a look. Set on the shores of the alpine Lake Geronde, the site is small and pretty, catering to just 5000 people. There are plenty of good walks nearby and lake water sports are available, too, from pedalos to paddleboarding. Foodies, meanwhile, will want to sign up to culinary tours and wine tasting in the local area. Nightmares on Wax and Bonobo perform.
Isle of Wight
June 11-14
isleofwightfestival.com
Three-day pass from £185 ($A359)
The Isle of Wight has been welcoming music enthusiasts to its fields for more than 40 years. Big-name acts, such as last year's Red Hot Chili Peppers, draw a refined but fun-loving crowd from the mainland. This year, Fleetwood Mac and the Prodigy play on one of three stages. Ride the funfair to see the bright lights of the site but beware, the amiable atmosphere is hard to leave.
For the family
Somersault, Devon
July 23-27
somersaultfestival.com
Weekend pass is £125 ($A243)
Somersault has all the ingredients of a classic British summer holiday, from a Devon location (near Barnstaple) to water sports for energetic kids, organised games, a garden party and a circus. Chefs from Fifteen Cornwall and River Cottage will prepare campfire feasts, while music-wise, the festival more than stands up to scrutiny, with Bombay Bicycle Club, Honeyblood and Jimmy Cliff playing.
Camp Bestival, Dorset
July 30-August 2
campbestival.net
Adult weekend pass is £195 ($A379)
Curated by DJ Rob da Bank, this event goes from strength to strength. There's comedy, poetry and theatre for little ones, such as The Cat in the Hat Live and an appearance from Dick and Dom. Mums and dads might be interested to know that David Rodigan has just been made a lifetime resident. Joining him to provide evening entertainment are Underworld, Kaiser Chiefs and Buzzcocks.
Just So Festival, Cheshire
August 21-23
justsofestival.org.uk
Adult weekend pass is £110 ($A214)
Magical theatre and arts are the order of things at this fresh-faced but respected festival. Families can pick animal tribes to join, bang drums at a wild rumpus carnival, hear campfire stories in the woods, meet the Gruffalo and visit the New Curiosity Shop or – curiouser – the Museum of Curiosities.
By the sea
Croatia Rocks, Croatia
July 19-23
croatiarocks.com
Five-day pass from £119 ($A231)
The island of Pag is known for two things: salty sheep's milk cheese and summertime beach clubs. The sister of Ibiza Rocks hopes to find similar success on the Adriatic coast with this first foray here, and promises DJs, boat parties and dancing in the shallows of Zrce beach to Jungle, Kwabs, Years & Years and Zane Lowe.
Garden, Croatia
July 1-8
thegardenfestival.eu
A week's pass is £120 ($A233)
Croatia's original electronic music festival, Garden celebrates its 10th and final year, with a big turnout including Eats Everything, Seth Troxler, Bonobo and Crazy P. Alongside 20 boat parties, the site's Seventies nightclub, Barbarella's, will host an "end of an era" send-off. Zadar, one of Europe's oldest cities, is nearby if you tire of the area's pebble beaches.
In the city
Rock en Seine, Paris
August 28-30
rockenseine.com
Three-day pass from £86 ($A167)
If the arrangements at Rock en Seine are anything to go by, it's clear the French do things a little differently. Here, revellers line up in an orderly fashion until a member of staff wearing a high-visibility jacket directs them to a designated box marked neatly on the ground in white paint.
It isn't just the camping arrangements that set this Parisian festival, now in its 13th year, apart. The location - the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, on the western outskirts of the city - is a far cry from your archetypal muddy field. While the grand château that once stood here is gone, destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War, the glorious gardens remain, with fountains, statues and tree-lined pathways to wander among before the bands go on stage.
The campsite itself sits on high – a stone's throw from one of the finest views of Paris, stretching all the way to the Eiffel Tower, known as "La Lanterne". It is relatively small (the vast majority of those attending have day passes) and considerably more civilised than your average festival – complimentary showers for all, with coffee and croissants for breakfast, rather than bacon sarnies washed down with warm cans of Carling.
The music isn't as rock-focused that the name suggests. This year's highlights, over five stages, include The Libertines, Chemical Brothers and Latin duo Rodrigo y Gabriella – so don't go expecting Slayer and a mosh pit.
It also doesn't begin until around 3pm each day – which leaves plenty of time to explore Paris. And that's the festival's biggest draw - hop on the metro and in little more than an hour you can be lunching on the finest French cuisine. It sure beats queuing outside a van for another overpriced burger.
Primavera, Barcelona
May 28-30
primaverasound.es
Three-day pass from £135 ($A262)
Becoming more established with Britons each year, thanks to a consistently impressive roster of new and classic acts, and the appeal of Barcelona itself, this urban festival works perfectly as a city break, with sightseeing, pinchos and beach time filling up your days and the likes of The Strokes, James Blake, Jon Hopkins and Caribou seeing you through the night.
Flow, Helsinki
August 14-16
flowfestival.com
Three-day pass from £123 ($A239)
Sensible but supercool, this arty event takes over a disused power station in an industrial corner of Helsinki. Beers cannot be taken out of the areas they were bought in, but the variety of drinks (try a vodka with Nordic berries) and cuisine available (from 30 of the city's best cafés and restaurants) means this is unlikely to slow you down. The line-up is strong, with Beck, The War on Drugs and Flying Lotus. If the sun comes out, the nearby island of Suomenlinna has popular swimming spots.
Sziget, Budapest
August 10-17
szigetfestival.com
Five-day pass from £145 ($A282)
Taking over Obuda island on the Danube in central Budapest, Sziget has the feeling of being cut off from the city while still in reach of it. Voted "Best European Major Festival" at this year's Festival Awards, with mini-stages dedicated to everything from reggae to jazz, a dance tent named after the city's A38 riverboat club and crazy visual installations in the trees, it's easy to get lost and even easier not to care. Headliners this year include Florence + the Machine, Interpol, Foals and Robbie Williams.
Additional reporting by Sophie Hughes, Belinda Maude and Oliver Smith.
The Telegraph, London
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