Best European Festivals pt II

Best European Festivals pt II

21 July, 2008
by: Emma

Exit
Petrovaradin Fortess, Serbia
Thur July 10 -Sun July 13
Weekend Ticket: £72 / €91
Following all the hubbub about Bjork being dropped from the bill after some apparent pro-Kosovo remarks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was nothing else of interest in this year’s line up. Yet Exit marches on, and with its stunning backdrop – an 18th Century fortress on the banks of the Danube – as well as a growing international reputation and genuinely eclectic line up, this will be a highlight of the European festival calendar.
Headliners: Sex Pistols, Paul Weller,
Spoonfed Recommends: 2 Many Djs, Soulwax, Primal Scream, Gogol Bordello, The Hives, Manu Chao, Ministry
Best For: Eclectic music fans

Dance Valley
Spaarnwoude Recreation Ground, Holland
Saturday July 12 10am-11pm
All €62.50
A Dutch mash-up of international trance, electro and hard house DJs, Dance Valley is an open-air dance fest with 50,000 clubbers descending upon a nature reserve outside of Amsterdam. For one day only, make the most of the 15 stages and 135 artists scheduled to perform. Dubbed the ‘Woodstock of Dance’, the festival is known for its astounding vibe and the party atmosphere is bound to continue as everyone heads back into the capital.
Headliners: Carl Cox, Tiesto, Sander van Doorn; Mason, Ferry Corsten, Judge Jules, Mr V, Astrix, Alex Kidd and Murphy
Spoonfed Recommends: John Digweed, Danny Howells, Dave Seaman, Mark Knight and Dave Spoon
Best For: Day Ravers

10 Days Off
Ghent, Belgium
Fri 18th- Mon 28th July
Full access membercard €67.50 / pre-sale single ticket €15 / single on the door €17.50
With a full 10 days clubbing at this Belgian city festival you’ll have plenty of time to see all your favourite artists and some new ones with an enormous musical spread of electro, breakbeats, rock, hip hop, drum 'n' bass, minimal, techno, funk, dubstep and house to choose from. The Vooruit Arts Centre is the place to be with three rooms devoted to some of the cream of the electronic crop including Anja Schneider, John Digweed, Richie Hawtin and Tiefschwarz amongst others.
Headliners: John Digweed, Richie Hawtin, Tiefschwarz
Spoonfed recommends: Dominik Eulberg, Anja Schneider
Best For: Stamina

SonneMondSterne
Bleilochtalsperre, Saalburg, Germany
Fri 8-Sun 10th August
Weekend pass €80
This massive German festival has one of the most impressive electronic line-ups in Europe with over 150 acts from big dance names like Massive Attack and Moby to minimal techno and underground legends like Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Ivan Smagghe, DJ Koze and Tobi Neumann. The festival, set up next to the beautiful Bleilochtal reservoir, is perfect for outdoor clubbing; it's also surrounded by mountains and has two beaches where the fabled clubber's tan is a real possibility.
Headliners: Massive Attack, Moby
Spoonfed recommends: Digitalism, Troy Pierce featuring Magda, Ricardo Villlobos, Sven Vath, James Holden, Gregor Tresher, Mathias Tanzmann
Best For: Sunburn

Popkomm
Berlin, Germany
8th -10th October
3 day ticket €295, Day ticket €170
Basically Germany’s version of SXSW, Popkomm is a international trade-show for the music and entertainment industries based around a congress where important people discuss live music and stuff. Last year over 400 acts performed more than 600 hours of live music to approximately 70,000. Amongst these performs were The Long Blondes, Juliette and The Licks, Chiks on Speed and The Aggrolites. There is no reason to think this year will be any different!
Headliners: The line-up is still shrouded in secrecy
Spoonfed recommends: Hanoi Rocks, Billy Bragg, sausage and beer.
Best For: Industry big-wigs, The press, Germans

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Emma