With no Glastonbury next year, and the temperamental UK weather hardly an appealing prospect, many of us might be looking a little further afield when it comes to our festival plans for 2026.
Whether it’s late-night dancing on a volcanic island, basking in the rays of the Albanian Riviera, or some of the world’s biggest stars on an old airstrip in Poland, here are some of the best festivals happening across Europe in 2026.
Conveniently located in the idyllic park of Slottsskogen in the heart of Gothenburg, next year’s stacked Way Out West lineup features an eclectic mix of megastars that include the likes of The Cure, Lorde, Gorillaz, Moby, The XX and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Away from the music, Way Out West doubles up as Sweden’s third-largest film festival, premiering everything from indie music docs to global feature films, while after hours, the festival’s late-night programme, Stay Out West, takes over Gothenburg’s venues, clubs and bars into the early hours.
Way Out West’s culinary offering has also earned plenty of plaudits. As part of the team’s keen focus on sustainability, all food in the festival area is completely plant-based, and has been since back in 2012. Check out our review of the 2025 festival here.
Set along the sprawling, canal-lined streets of Utrecht, Le Guess Who fills the medieval city’s churches, warehouses, galleries, museums, theatres and clubs with four days’ worth of adventurous, innovative and ‘often overlooked’ sounds. Running alongside the music is a curated programme of film screenings, exhibitions and talks, so there’s plenty going on if you need to catch your breath.
Conveniently, Utrecht can be reached in just 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam Schiphol airport, making it a breeze to get to from the UK. 4-day tickets are unsurprisingly sold out, but day tickets are still available for all four days.
As far as festival sites go, an old abandoned air strip in Poland is certainly one of the cooler sounding options. Throw a seriously impressive bill that features David Byrne, The XX, The Cure, Calvin Harris, Nick Cave and Jade into the equation, and it’s easy to see why Open’er has become a giant amongst the European festival circuit.
Given that the festival is held right by the coast of the Baltic Sea, visitors have the option to spend the afternoons at stunning beaches in nearby Sopot and Gdansk, which are buzzing, lively and joyous when Open’er is in town. It’s also as good a spot as any to sleep off any fuzzy heads brought on by the night before.
Sziget is as big as they come. Stretched over six days, the programme features over 1,000 performances across six stages upon Budapest’s lush Óbuda Island, nestled in the heart of the city on the Danube River. The tree-lined site feels worlds away from Hungary’s historic capital, when in reality, it’s just a short stroll over a bridge, making this a great option for anyone wanting to merge their festival with one of Europe’s most popular city breaks.
Sziget 2026 lineup is still TBC, but last year’s bill was topped by Charli XCX, Shawn Mendes, A$AP ROCKY, Anyma, Post Malone and Chappel Roan.
Portugal’s appetite for live music has given us a plethora of great festivals to pick from, and Parades de Coura, which is now 30+ years into its journey, is one of the jewels in its crown. The river beach location and serene leafy surroundings ensure attendees are fully immersed in nature throughout their stay, and mornings spent paddling and lounging by the water are very much part of the experience.
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Amyl and the Sniffers, Wet Leg, Aldous Harding, Kurt Vile & The Violators and Cate Le Bon are all performing this year, and full festival tickets are priced at an incredibly reasonable €130.
Rock en Seine is another behemoth amongst Europe’s biggest musical get-togethers, always pulling in a lineup packed full of globally renowned artists. This year is no different, as Tyler The Creator, Nick Cave, Deftones and The Cure headline.
Hosted just outside of Paris, the festival site is a fully fledged historic monument, transforming the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud — a 460-hectare park and former castle — into a genre-hopping party that caters to a wide range of musical tastes. Unsurprisingly, weekend tickets sold out immediately, but day passes are still available.
While it may be the smaller sibling of the gargantuan Primavera Barcelona, the Porto edition’s popularity has risen and risen in recent years. For 2026, organisers may well have pulled together the festival’s biggest lineup yet, with The XX, Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Big Thief, Kneecap, IDLES, Nation of Language and Yard Act playing across the weekend.
Another breathtaking setting, Tremor takes place on São Miguel, one of nine volcanic islands in Portugal’s autonomous region of Azores. As well as music from both local, national and international artists, talks and exhibitions, festivalgoers can join ‘performative hikes’ through the gorgeous landscape, making it a standout for outdoorsy types.
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General passes are already sold out, but week passes will be available from December.
Not too far from Copenhagen, Roskilde Festival in Denmark has been a global beacon for music, art, and activism since 1971. Each year, more than 200 artists and 30,000 volunteers transform the festival site into a vibrant celebration of creativity and community. Gorillaz, The Cure, Zara Larsson, David Byrne, Ethel Cain, Little Simz and Kneecap have already been announced for 2026, and full-week tickets are now on sale for around £305.
Blending beach holiday with a dance festival, Kala brings a week of sun-soaked partying to the Albanian Riviera. A curated lineup of world-renowned DJs spin across six open-air beach stages, and all tickets include hotel accommodation, ranging from beach huts to glitzy 5* hotels, so it’s the very opposite of roughing it. First batches of tickets are already gone, but there’s more coming in February.
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- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Fri 12 Dec 2025
Held along the shoreline of Lake Geneva, you’ll struggle to find a prettier backdrop for a music festival than that of the Montreux Jazz Festival. Over the years, the legendary event has attracted some of the most famous musical icons in history.
Montreux Jazz Festival’s dedicated free programme is also a major pull. With more than 600 events spanning concerts, DJ sets, jam sessions, silent discos, screenings and workshops, there’s tonnes of wonderful stuff going on that can make the glitzy shindig surprisingly friendlier on the wallet than you might think.