All the festivals you definitely want to be attending this summer
Festival season is BACK, baby!
Gone are the days of summer lockdowns (fingers crossed), fear and groups of six restrictions. If you didn’t manage to bag yourself Glasto tickets (sigh) don’t worry because we’ve got you sorted with our round-up of festivals you’ll definitely be wanting to attend this summer.
UK
Field Day
When: 20th August
Location: Victoria Park, London.
Field Day will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in style this year so you know it’s going to be a big one. Having championed electronic dance music since 2007, the festival will mark the occasion by bringing together the genre's biggest duo, The Chemical Brothers as their headline act. Other people worth noting on the line-up include the brilliant Peggy Gou as a special guest, Folamour, Tourist Live and Helena Star.
Green Man
When: 18th - 21st August
Location: Brecon Beacons, South Wales.
For their 20th anniversary, Green Man Festival are celebrating in style with a line-up that is designed to impress. Whether it’s golden oldies like Metronomy and Aussie favourites Beach House, to household names like Michael Kiwanuka, Kraftwerk, Bicep Live or Parquet Courts. There’s no better reason to get yourself down to South Wales to party the night away in the gorgeous Brecon Beacons.
El Dorado
When: 30th June - 3rd July
Location: Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire
Set in the heart of the English countryside, El Dorado is the perfect place to get down to funky town this summer. Widely considered as a hidden gem of festivals in the UK, El Dorado boasts a lot of reggae, disco and house artists and this year will feature a series of full-on wellness workshops and more. Personally, looking at the line-up and being a dedicated Franc Moody fan, I’d just go to see them. BUT there’s also a touch of reggae dub with favourites Shy FX and Mungo’s Hi Fi on the line-up which would also tickle my fancy, not to mention the infamous David Rodigan. If you’re after decent DJ sets, you best get down to see our C word fave Lulah Francs.
The Last Word
When: 9th - 23rd June
Location: Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd, Camden Town, London NW1 8EH.
If you’re looking for something other than music, The Last Word is the festival for you. With a whole host (seven days to be exact) of electric performance. The Last Word is bringing a two-week programme of compelling stories and perspectives from some of the capital’s most vital voices. This year will see the return of the iconic Roundhouse Poetry Slam, where the search for the UK’s next young, trailblazing Spoken-Word artists commences and the coveted title of Slam Champion is crowned.
Mighty Hoopla
When: 3rd - 4th June
Location: Brockwell Park, London
As someone who went to Mighty Hoopla last year, it’s safe to say I can give it as a good recommended festival to attend in London. If you want to go to a day festival that leaves you grinning from ear to ear, this is the one for you. Diverse, inclusive, and just frankly an extremely colourful and fun day, it’s one of my favourites. Not to mention the throw back to the 90’s line-up. I’m talking: Steps, Sugarbabes, Anastasia, Cascada and SO much more.
South Facing
When: 29th July - 14th August
Location: Crystal Palace Bowl, London
The new, month-long, outdoor concert series which started in 2021 will be taking place again this year at the Crystal Palace Bowl, one of London's most iconic outdoor venues. The Stunning amphitheatre soaked with a rich heritage of live music, untouched for the last decade- aims to curate a standout series of bespoke and diverse concerts this summer with the likes of London Grammar, Jungle, Becky Hill and Bombay Bicycle Club.
Wide Awake
When: 27th - 28th May
Location: Brockwell Park, London.
This one day London festival delves into the underground scene to create a festival exclusively for music fans. The line-up hosts a breadth of artists creeping out from sub-cultures across left-field indie, post punk, electronica, techno, jazz. Personally I’d go to see Caribou (I love them), Bicep Live, and Floating Points.
Wilderness
When: 4th - 7th August
Location: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire.
For foodie fans as well as music fans, it could be the case that Wilderness is for you. True to its name it also allows for a spot of wild swimming in the scenic lakes, (weather permitting, of course). Wilderness may be seen as more of a high-end festival, what with it’s gourmet food selection, fancy dress cricket match, host of wellness events including celebs reading letters live, and a penchant for hippy style nudity, but those are all the reasons why we love it.
Cross The Tracks
When: 5th June
Location: 40 Street Food Traders.
Known as a carefully curated and lovingly presented one-day event that mixes up legendary big names and hot up and comers across an array of stages, Cross The Tracks definitely delivers. What’s more, if you love food and craft beer, they’ve got all the choices you could ask for. This year, the line-up boasts household names like Khruangbin and Joy Crookes as well as artists to watch like Jamz Supernova, Olivia Dean and Charlotte Dos Santos.
GALA
When: 2nd - 4th June
Location: Peckham Rye Park.
It may fall on the Jubilee weekend Bank Holiday, but what better way to celebrate the Queen than by partying it up - royal style - in Peckham Rye Park. Founded in 2016, Gala is all about bringing dance music to the forefront so if you’re looking to bust some moves and really find the meaning of escapism when it comes to boogying, this is the festival for you. I’ve already bought my ticket for Thursday, the question is, have you bought yours?
INTERNATIONAL
Balaton Sound
When: 29th June - 2nd July 2022
Location: Zamardi, Lake Balaton, Hungary
Located in the sunny shore of Balaton Lake in Hungary, Balaton Sound is one of the largest and most colourful open-air electronic beach festivals in Europe. Coming back with a bang in 2022, this festival is playing host to some great artists and DJs in the pop and electronic world including Martin Garrix, Becky Hill, Dillon Francis, Dimitri Vegas, Lost Frequencies, Jonas Blue and many more. Not only can you party on land, but you can also set sail for unforgettable fun on the exclusive boat parties contributing to the ultimate summer vibes.
EXIT
When: 7th - 10th July
Location: Petrovaradin Fortress, Serbia
Fresh from being the first major international festival to take place successfully after the pandemic, Serbian super-festival EXIT returns in 2022 with it's strongest edition yet with the biggest names in global music talent. The critically acclaimed music festival is rich in history, and never fails to host music legends that cater for all genres. Prepare for a once in a lifetime experience. Line-up wise, they’ve got Calvin Harris taking to the decks, along with Joel Corry, James Arthur, Iggy Azalea, and Jax Jones.
Sziget
When: 10th - 15th August
Location: Óbudai-sziget, Budapest, Hungary
Europe's biggest festival, Sziget, is coming back after a two year long break after COVID. With a banging line-up, the festival celebrates diversity and community, bringing together people from all over the world and providing a safe space at the Island of Freedom, where revellers can experience an escape from everyday life. Line-up wise, they’ve got all the favourites from pop, indie, DJ’s and more. My personal favourites? Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Sam Fender, Rufus du Soul, Jungle, Caribou and slowthai.
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Founder of The C Word Magazine, Emily is currently living in London. She is passionate about art, travel, culture, cinema, fashion, sports, feminism and a whole lot more. She is currently working on her own podcast with a friend and also dabbles in graphic design, when not doing her day job as an associate director in media planning. Find her on Instagram @emlrking or chatting on Confession Sessions, The C Word Mag’s own podcast.