4 of the best pop festivals in Europe
Your festival experience can be more than just men with guitars, the idea of what a festival headliner should look like is being reimagined by pop stars, bringing with them a young female and queer audience. These are our top picks for the best pop festivals in Europe this summer
Mad Cool Madrid, Spain
The festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an impressive pop lineup. Taylor Swift announced last year that she would not embark on a traditional tour for Lover, instead performing at festivals for the first since 2009, including at Mad Cool Madrid. She said in a statement that “Lover is open fields, sunsets and summer and I want to perform in a way that feels authentic”. She will be joined by Billie Eilish, Twenty One Pilots, Tove Lo, Charli XCX, HAIM and Kali Uchis.
• 9-11 July, €177 madcoolfestival.es
Down The Rabbit Hole, Netherlands
This psychedelic festival is located in a lakeside forest about an hour from Amsterdam. It promises to be an amazing weekend with Tyler the Creator, Kacey Musgraves, Charli XCX, FKA Twigs and BANKS all set to perform. It is the penultimate stop of Musgraves’ Golden Hour tour and the beautiful setting makes it the perfect place to watch her perform Oh What A World, the country singer’s trippy appreciation to nature.
• 3-5 July, €187,50 downtherabbithole.nl
Glastonbury, United Kingdom
Glastonbury is one of the most famous festivals in the world and this year it’s marking its fiftieth anniversary. It was once just a rock festival, but like Coachella it has come to highlight the most popular artists of all genres, making it one of the top destinations in Europe for pop music. The full line up has yet to be revealed, but Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney are all confirmed, as well as the disco sensation Diana Ross who will be playing the legend’s slot. Ross will follow Kylie Minogue's triumphant performance last year.
• 24-28 June, €298 glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
Primavera Sound, Spain
Primavera Sound is held in Barcelona. The outdoor venue is minutes away from the city centre on the metro so if camping in a field of mud puts you off from going to a festival then this one could be for you. The huge lineup includes Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, Brockhampton, Tyler the Creator, King Princess, Disclosure, Bad Bunny, Mabel, Rina Sawayama, Kim Petras and Maggie Rogers.
• 3-7 June, €205 primaverasound.com
