European festival lineups stack up for 2023
The final week of January has brought a flood of festival announcements from events across Europe for this summer.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary France’s Rock en Seine will return to Paris on 23 and 25-27 August, headed by Billie Eilish, Placebo, The Chemical Brothers, Florence + The Machine and The Strokes.
The Strokes will also star at AEG’s All Points East in Victoria Park, London, on 25 August, while the UK’s Wireless Festival will feature headliners Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and D-Block Europe in London’s Finsbury Park from 7-9 July.
Also in the UK, Kendal Calling will be topped by Nile Rodgers & Chic, Kasabian, Royal Blood and Blossoms at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District from 27-30 July, and Love Saves the Day will take place at Ashton Court Estate, Bristol from 27-28 May, topped by Fatboy Slim and Years & Years.
Travis Scott, Playboy Carti and Meek Mill will top the bill at the second annual Rolling Loud Portugal
Afro Nation Portugal will host Burna Boy, 50 Cent and Booba in Portimao, the Algarve, from 28-30 June, and Travis Scott, Playboy Carti and Meek Mill will top the bill at the second annual Rolling Loud Portugal, also in Portimao, from 5-7 July.
Elsewhere, Stormzy is a new addition to Belgium’s Rock Werchter, scheduled for 29 June to 2 July and Wizkid and Blur have been unveiled as headliners for Norway’s Øya Festival from 8-12 August. The latter two acts have also bolstered Finland’s Flow Festival Helsinki, which is set for 11-13 August, while Ellie Goulding and The Kid Laroi have joined Sam Smith and The 1975 on the Orange Warsaw Festival 2023 line-up from 2-3 June.
And Denmark’s Tinderbox has 19 new names including Black Eyed Peas, Lukas Graham and Dean Lewis. The event takes place in Odense from 22-24 June.
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Portugal to host Rolling Loud’s European debut
US hip-hop festival Rolling Loud will finally make its European debut when it lands in Portugal this summer.
Headlined by J. Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future, the Live Nation-backed event will take place from 6-8 July on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve.
Other artists on the bill include AJ Tracey, Central Cee, D-Block Europe, Skepta, Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow and Lil Baby. Tickets go on sale on Friday (28 January). Acts will appear across two stages.
Rolling Loud has previously expanded from its flagship Miami festival to launch in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York, as well as Sydney, Australia
Rolling Loud Portugal was originally set for the summer of 2020, before being called off due to the pandemic. Founded in 2015 by Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, the brand has previously expanded from its flagship Miami festival to launch in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York, as well as Sydney, Australia. A proposed Hong Kong spin-off was cancelled in 2019.
Organisers introduced an 18+ age policy for its 2021 California leg in an apparent response to the Astroworld tragedy. Kid Cudi, J. Cole and Future headlined the 55,000-capacity festival at Nos Event Center, San Benardino, from 10-12 December last year.
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European festivals reveal line-ups for 2021 editions
The UK’s Download Festival, Serbia’s Exit Festival and Rolling Loud Portugal are among the first major European festivals to unveil line-ups for next year, after cancelling their 2020 editions due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Kiss, Biffy Clyro and System of a Down have been announced to headline the UK’s heavy metal festival, which will take place between 4 and 6 June in Donnington Park next year.
In place of Download Festival 2020, promoter Festival Republic created a virtual version of the festival, airing footage of previous live performances from the acts billed to play including Kiss, Iron Maiden and System of a Down.
Exit Festival has also revealed the first wave of headliners including David Guetta, Tyga and DJ Snake for its 2021 edition, which will take place from 8 to 11 July in Novi Sad.
Rolling Loud will make its European debut next summer with performances from A$AP Rocky, Future, Wiz Khalifa
The Serbian mega festival was one of the last major European events to cancel this year’s edition after hopes of postponing from July to the end of August were dashed due to new outbreaks of the virus in the country.
Elsewhere, Rolling Loud will make its European debut next summer with performances from A$AP Rocky, Future, Wiz Khalifa. The hip-hop festival will take place between 6 and 8 July next year at Praia da Rocha beach in Portimao, Portugal.
Among the festivals that have already announced line-ups for 2021 are Primavera Sound Barcelona, which reported a record sell-out for next year’s edition, and Mad Cool in Madrid, which will welcome performances from Twenty One Pilots, Placebo and the Killers.
The UK’s Isle of Wight Festival has also announced the first wave of artists for next year’s edition, taking place from 17 to 20 June including Lionel Richie, Snow Patrol and Duran Duran.
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Festival Fever: latest wave of line-up announcements
In the most recent edition in a series of 2020 line-up announcements, IQ rounds up the festival billings from Rolling Loud Portugal, Jazzopen Stuttgart, Nos Primavera Sound Porto, Balaton Sound, Mallorca Live and Fest Festival.
(See the previous edition of Festival Fever here.)
Rolling Loud Portugal
When: 8 to 10 July
Where: Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Portugal
The Rolling Loud festival brand is making its European debut this summer in the Algarve region of Portugal.
The beachside festival is headlined by ASAP Rocky, Future and Wiz Khalifa, with performances from artists including AJ Tracey, Roddy Ricch, Dababy, Young Thug, Tyga, Playboi Carti, D-Block Europe and Giggs.
In an Instagram post, Rolling Loud co-founder Tariq Cherif warned that capacity is “limited” for the festival due to the beach setting, and advised fans to act quickly to purchase tickets.
Founded in 2015 by Cherif and Matt Zingler, Rolling Loud has expanded from its flagship Miami festival to take place in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and Sydney, Australia. An inaugural Rolling Loud Hong Kong was called off earlier this year.
The pre-sale for Rolling Loud Portugal starts on Thursday 6 February at 8 a.m. Remaining tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. the following day here.
The Rolling Loud festival brand is making its European debut this summer
Jazzopen Stuttgart
When: 9 to 19 July
Where: Stuttgart, Germany
How many: 50,000 (whole festival)
Founded in 1994, the Jazzopen Stuttgart has hosted the likes of Quincy Jones, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Jamiroquai, BB King, Herbie Hancock, James Brown and Joss Stone over the years.
The 2020 edition will see artists including Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Van Morrison, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, John Legend, Jessie J, Jamie Cullum and Corinne Bailey Rae grace the main stage.
Staged in multiple venues ranging from 250- to 7,000-capacity, fans will be able to see acts such as Nils Frahm, Herbie Hancock, Arturo Sandoval, James Carter Organ Trio, Emmet Cohen and Rymden over the course of ten days.
“In the last 10 years we expanded the jazzopen from a regional event to one of the leading international jazz festivals with 50.000 ticket sales annually,” comments festival director Juergen Schlensog.
“This was only possible by means of a strong sponsoring. Daimler, Mastercard and Allianz accompany the festival alongside other valuable partners and brands. The UK market is of vital importance for us, as we book all major acts in direct exchange with local agents in the UK and USA.”
Tickets for Jazzopen Stuttgart 2020 are available here, with full festival passes priced from €700. Tickets for individual shows are also available for a range of prices, with some free-to-access concerts.
The 2020 edition will see artists including Sting, Lenny Kravitz and Van Morrison
Nos Primavera Sound Porto
When: 11 to 13 June
Where: Parque da Cidade, Porto, Portugal
How many: 30,000
The Portuguese sister event of Barcelona festival Primavera Sound has released the line-up for its ninth edition.
Tyler the Creator, Lana Del Rey, Pavement, FKA Twigs, Beck, Bad Bunny and King Krule are among those headlining the festival, which also features Chromatics, Earl Sweatshirt, Cigarettes After Sex and Kim Gordon.
Primavera Sound’s flagship Spanish event, which sold over 10,000 tickets in a day after announcing its line-up last month, will feature performances from the Stokes, Iggy Pop, Massive Attack, Lana Del Rey and Brittany Howard.
Tickets for Nos Primavera Sound Porto are available here, with a full festival pass priced at €120 (£102) and a day ticket at €60 (£51). Tickets for Primavera Sound Barcelona are still available here for €195 (£165).
The Portuguese sister event of Barcelona festival Primavera Sound has released the line-up for its ninth edition
Balaton Sound
When: 8 to 12 July
Where: Lake Balaton, Hungary
How many: 40,000
Balaton Sound, one of Europe’s largest open-air electronic music festivals, is back in 2020 following a record-breaking outing last year.
Over 170,000 fans attended the five-day event in 2019 to see artists including Tiesto, Marshmello, the Chainsmokers and Armin van Buuren.
The 2020 edition brings performances from the likes of Martin Garrix, DJ Snake, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, Kygo, Steve Aoki, Don Diablo, Sigala and Jonas Blue.
A special, Hollywood-themed VIP area will provide guests with a massage parlour, makeup lounge, exclusive pool parties and surprise shows.
Tickets for Balaton Sound 2020 are on sale now, with multi-day passes starting from €169 and going up to €325 for a five-day VIP ticket. Prices will increase on 14 February.
Over 170,000 fans attended the five-day event in 2019
Mallorca Live
When: 14 to 16 May
Where: Old Aquapark of Calvià, Mallorca, Spain
How many: 11,000
Mallorca Live festival is back in 2020 for its fifth year, with a headline performance from British electronic pop band Pet Shop Boys.
Crystal Fighters, Michael Kiwanuka, Miles Kane, Kate Tempest and Temples are among other acts performing at the festival.
Last year’s festival saw a record attendance of 33,500 people over three days, thanks to a festival site extension. A new fourth stage – Tròpic Stage – has been added for 2020, dedicated to electronic acts, featuring DJs including Marcel Dettman, dOP, Or:La and Red Axes.
Tickets for Mallorca Live festival can be purchased for €75 (£64) plus fees for the two-day pass (Friday and Saturday) and for €90 (£76) plus fees for the three-day pass here.
Crystal Fighters, Michael Kiwanuka and Kate Tempest are among other acts performing at the festival
Fest Festival
When: 13 to 15 August
Where: Silesia Park, Chorzów, Poland
Poland’s Fest Festival, one of the fastest-growing music festivals in eastern Europe, has announced the second wave of acts for its 2020 edition.
The festival’s second outing will be headlined by Mark Ronson, with performances from James Bay, Nothing But Thieves, Denzel Curry, Sigrid, Alice Glass, Sohn and Daughter.
Polish rappers Taco Hemingway and Mata have also been added to the line-up, along with local indie-rock band Sonbird.
Fest Festival was nominated for best new festival at the European Festival Awards 2019 and is up for the New Gig on the Block prize at the 2020 Arthur Awards, taking place at the International Live Music Conference in March.
Tickets for Fest Festival are available here for PLN 349 (£70), with prices set to increase on 14 February.
The festival’s second outing will be headlined by Mark Ronson
Forbidden Fruit Festival
When: 30 to 31 May
Where: Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland
How many: 10,000
Pod’s Forbidden Fruit Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary edition in 2020 at its home in the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin.
The line-up for this year’s festival includes headliners Jorja Smith and Underworld, along with Peggy Gou, Loyle Carner, Hot Chip and the Avalanches.
The festival is returning to its roots this year, taking place over two days, rather than the three-day format preferred in previous editions. Organisers promise plenty of “birthday surprises” for their tenth year.
Weekend tickets are available here, priced at €124.50, with day tickets available for €69.50.
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