Music fans on tour

Go Music Festivals:Irish fans are travelling in larger than ever numbers to European music events to see bands for less while also having a holiday, writes JIM CARROLL

OVER THE last decade, an increasing number of Irish music fans have taken to the ferries and planes in search of festival thrills.

Many have decided that they’ve had enough of a bash like Oxegen with its mud and teenage kids on the lash. Instead of giving up on festivals entirely, they’re choosing to go abroad, see the same bands for a lower ticket price and combine a couple of days at a festival with a bit of a holiday.

Those who promote such European festivals as Sonar, Primavera and EXIT have begun to notice and comment on the growing number of Irish fans who show up, with all publicising their events in one way or another in Ireland. It may not be on the same scale as the blanket promotion we see for Oxegen or the Electric Picnic, but it’s telling that a Serbian festival like EXIT now thinks it’s worth the effort to try to attract Irish fans in the first place.

Better weather, lower costs and the potential to combine a holiday with a music festival are the main drivers for fans behind festival tourism. That holiday could be a citybreak (Barcelona for Sonar and Primavera, or Paris for the Rock En Seine festival) or some time of the week (Benicassim outside Valencia uses this as a selling point).

The ticket prices to European events are usually cheaper and the cost of food, drink and accommodation offer better value. You can also get to see many of the same bands you were planning to see in Ireland.

Invariably, the same acts crop up on festival bills all summer long. If you’re a fan of Canadian band Arcade Fire, you have a dozen different chances to see them live as they traipse from one European festival to the next in June and July.

Aside from value for money and sunny skies, European festivals also offer more of an experience. The bulk of Irish music festivals tend to be about the bands and little else. By contrast, the Glastonbury, Bestival or Latitude festivals in Britain offer a whole range of non-musical fare.

Latitude, for instance, is as much about poetry slams, Edinburgh Festival warm-ups, book readings, cabaret and film screenings as the music on the main stages.

And for those who’ve done the European circuit and who want something a bit different, there’s always the US. The Coachella Festival is the big one – The Strokes, Kanye West, Kings Of Leon and more in the middle of the Californian desert from April 15th to 17th – but there are also events like the New Orleans’ Jazz Festival (April 29th to May 8th) and Austin City Limits (September 16th to 18th) to tempt music fans stateside.

The following is a list of 10 European festivals to check out.

Glastonbury

Name a band who will be touring in 2011 and chances are they’ll be heading to Michael Eavis’s 900-acre Worthy Farm in Somerset.

The festival has come a long way from its early 1970s hippie roots and now attracts 177,000 people, with all tickets for this year’s event snapped up in a few hours last October.

Glastonbury will not be held in 2012 due to the shortage and likely high cost of portaloos and policing because of a clash with the Olympics in London.

ActsColdplay and Beyonce confirmed so far with U2 heavily tipped to appear.

WhereWorthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, England.

WhenJune 22nd to 26th.

Tickets£195 (€227) – festival is sold out but returns may be available from April.

Webglastonburyfestivals.co.uk.

StayBowlish House, Wells Road, Shepton Mallet. Tel: 00-44-1749-342022 or see bowlishhouse.com. Located in the nearest town to the festival site, this Georgian-style country house will provide space to recharge your batteries. Rooms from £80 (€93).

Festival Internacional de Benicassim

FIB has been attracting indie and alternative music fans to the small beach resort an hour’s drive from Valencia on the Costa Azahar since 1995.

Ideal for those who want to combine a few days on the beach with an amazing line-up of acts, though the afternoon heat often means a hunt for shade rather than sun.

ActsArcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Portishead, The Strokes.

WhereBenicàssim, Spain.

WhenJuly 14th to 17th.

Tickets€140 to €170 (including up to seven days camping).

Webfiberfib.com.

StayHotel Tramontana, Av Ferrandis Salvador 6, Benicassim. Tel: 00-34-964-300-300 or see hoteltramontana.com. Well located on the promenade in the town with rooms sleeping up to four people. Rooms from €42.

Oya

Europe’s most eco-friendly music festival is held in the Medieval Park where Oslo was founded 1,000 years ago.

The festival’s four stages are surrounded by sandy beaches and the Oslo fjord – yes, you can swim from one stage to another.

ActsFleet Foxes, The Jayhawks, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Matthew Dear, Pulp, Warpaint.

WhereOslo, Norway.

WhenAugust 11th to 14th.

Ticketsfive-day ticket NOK 1995 (€252), one-day ticket NOK 665 (€84).

Weboyafestivalen.com.

StayHotel Europa, St Olavs Gate 31, Oslo. Tel: 00-47-23-25-63-00 or see thonhotels.com. Comfortable three-star hotel in the city centre within 15 minutes walk of the festival. Rooms from NOK 833 (€105).

Sonar

Running from noon until the wee small hours in two locations (one in the city centre, one miles away in the ‘burbs) in Barcelona, Sónar remains Europe’s favourite electronic music festival.

In addition to music, Sónar also has an excellent multi-media side, with visual installations and exhibits.

ActsUnderworld, Steve Reich, Magnetic Man, Little Dragon.

WhereBarcelona, Spain.

WhenJune 16th to 18th.

Tickets€39 (one day ticket), €60 (night ticket) and €155 (weekend ticket).

Websonar.es.

StayAmister Apartments. C/Pelai 11, Barcelona. Tel: 00-34-93-343-53-24 or see amisterapartments.com. Spacious apartments close to Sónar daytime location at MACBA/CCCB. Apartments for three from €108.

Bestival

Some 48,000 punters and nearly 400 acts turn up to party at this quirky, idiosyncratic and fun festival on the Isle of Wight where donning fancy dress is actively encouraged.

ActsThe Cure, Primal Scream, Brian Wilson, Magnetic Man, Omar Souleyman.

WhereRobin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight, England.

WhenSeptember 8th to 11th.

Tickets£170 (€200), children 13-15 years of age £85 (€100) and children under 12 free.

Webbestival.net.

StayBraunstone House, 33 Lugley Street, Newport. Tel: 00-44-1983-822994 or see isleofwight.com/ braunstonehouse. Family-run guesthouse and restaurant in the island's main town. Rooms from £60 (€70).

Primavera

One of Europe’s smartest city fests, Primavera in Barcelona is the one where you’ll hear a lot of Irish accents as those too old for Oxegen enjoy a knees-up.

Always features one of the best alternative and indie bills on the circuit.

ActsPJ Harvey, PiL, Pulp, Animal Collective, Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, Interpol.

WhereParc del Forum, Barcelona, Spain.

WhenMay 26th to 28th.

Ticketsfrom €170 (weekend ticket).

Webprimaverasound.com.

StayHotel Barcelona Princess, Avinguda Diagonal 1, Barcelona. Tel: 00-34-933-56-10-00 or see hotelbarcelonaprincess.com. Smart four-star hotel beside Parc del Forum. Festival acts also stay there so you never know who you'll meet in the lift. Rooms from €85.

EXIT

Held in the 18th century Petrovaradin fortress overlooking the Danube in Novi Sad, Serbia, EXIT debuted in 2000 as a 100-day protest festival against Slobodan Milosevic.

These days, EXIT draws music fans from all over Europe for its hedonistic atmosphere and idiosyncratic line-up.

ActsArcade Fire, Portishead, Underworld, Tiga, Grinderman, Hadouken.

WhereNovi Sad, Serbia.

WhenJuly 7th to 10th.

TicketsRSD 10,721 (€103).

Webexitfest.org.

StayHotel Aurora, Beogradski kej 49b, Novi Sad. Tel: 00-381-21-4871-400 or see hotelaurora.rs. Affordable modern hotel just across the river from the festival site and within easy reach of the city centre. Rooms from RSD 3,450 (€33).

Pukkelpop

One of the bigger European bashes, Pukkelpop in Belgium attracts around 180,000 punters over the course of the weekend.

It celebrated its 25th birthday last summer and is a festival with a well-established international following.

ActsTo be announced in April.

WhereHasselt, Belgium.

WhenAugust 18th to 20th.

TicketsTo be announced in April (last year weekend tickets were €145).

Webpukkelpop.be.

StayHoliday Inn Express. Thonissenlaan 37, Hasselt. Tel: 00-32-11-379300 or see hiexpress.com. Three-star hotel within walking distance of station for shuttle bus to and from festival site. Rooms from €71.

End of the Road

Punters are drawn to this North Dorset festival by the beautiful setting, friendly atmosphere and quality folk, country and rock bookings rather than any over-hyped headliner.

It’s also a festival where the parrots and peacocks on parade in the gardens are as much of a draw as the four music stages.

ActsBeirut, Midlake, Joan As Policewoman, John Grant, Mountain Man.

WhereLarmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset, England.

WhenSeptember 2nd to 4th.

Tickets£145 (€171) weekend, children aged 13 to 17 £120 (€141), children aged six to 12 £55 (€65), children under five free.

Webendoftheroadfestival.com.

StayGrasmere Hotel. 70 Harnham Road, Salisbury. Tel: 00-44-1722-338388 or see grasmerehotel.com. Relaxing and quiet hotel in nearby Salisbury. Rooms from £99 (€116).

Rock En Seine

A relative newcomer on the European festival circuit, Rock En Seine is held in a beautiful park which was once home to Napoleon and is located about 10km to the west of Paris.

What began as an one-day event in 2003 is now a three-day bash attracting over 100,000 fans.

ActsTo be announced in April.

WhereDomaine National de Saint-Cloud, Paris.

WhenAugust 26th to 28th.

TicketsTo be announced in April (last year, weekend tickets were €99).

Webrockenseine.com.

StayHotel Quorom. 2 Bd de la République, Saint-Cloud, Paris. Tel: 00-33-1-47-71-22-33 or see hotel-quorum-paris.com. Excellent public transport links means you can commute with ease to the festival, but this hotel is recommended for those who want to stay local. Rooms from €85.