This #festivalfriday is all about #headliners. Check out our guide to where to see the best festival headliners this summer!
Festival season is just around the corner and whether you’re into hip-hop, rock & roll, indie-rock or punk, there’s an incredible selection of headline acts set to perform on the European festival scene. Your favourite artists are only a short flight away!
See Liam Gallagher in a fortress in Serbia or Sean Paul on a beach in Montenegro. There’s something for everyone! Here’s our picks of this summer’s must-see headlining acts…
LIAM GALLAGHER AT EXIT FESTIVAL IN SERBIA
Oasis frontman and true rock star Liam Gallagher will headline Exit festival in July 2017. Having shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, Oasis became true 90s legends and with Liam penning huge singles including ‘Songbird’ we’re excited to hear what his highly anticipated solo album has in store for 2017 after the success of his debut single ‘Wall of Glass’.
Just a short ride away from the Serbian capital Belgrade, the magical Petrovaradin Fortress set high on the banks of the river Danube in Novi Sad provides the perfect setting for the EXIT Festival. Started as a student protest in 2000 fighting for political change and freedom, EXIT continues to spread positive vibes, promoting change and positive education, supporting many community and humanitarian missions, while throwing a damn good party. The award winning festival has something for music lovers of all genres with a diverse mix of artists performing on numerous stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels. Also renowned for it’s amazing atmosphere and energy the Dance Arena champions the who’s who in the electronic music world set in the awe inspiring moat of the fortress, it’s that special moment when the sun’s rays shine over the fortress walls and your favourite tune is belting through the soundsystem and into your soul! EXIT continues to deliver the most adventurous and value for money festival experiences in Europe so keep your eyes peeled for the first acts to be announced soon. EXIT. Where hedonism meets activism.
Exit Festival takes place from 6-9 July 2017. 4-day tickets from £79 available at exitfest.org
PIXIES AT POSITVUS FESTIVAL IN LATVIA
American alternative rock band are back on the road and after a series of shows in the US to support their 6th Studio LP ‘Head Carrier’. The Pixies’ music contains elements including psychedelia, noise pop, hard rock, and surf rock with surreal lyrics covering offbeat subjects such as extraterrestrials, incest, and biblical violence. We are sure they will receive a warm welcome from the Latvian fans as they return to play in Europe this summer.
Taking place in the picturesque coastal town of Salacgriva in Latvia,Positivus is the largest music and arts festival in the Baltic States, transporting chart-topping headliners, underground emerging talent and exciting art and dance stages to their unspoiled atmospheric coastal setting amid stunning woodland. Festival goers can dip their toes in the baltic sea or take in the atmosphere in a hammock beneath the trees while enjoying a rich diversity of international chart toppers and underground emerging talent in this idyllic holiday location. Positivus also offers art and dance stages giving festival goers a variety of activities and stalls selling locally made designer clothing and accessories, giving festival goers plenty to see and do during the 3 day event. Positivus was also recognised in the 2013, 2015 and 2016 European Festival Awards being a finalist in the ‘Best Medium Sized Festival’ category and also for ‘Best Festival Line Up’ in 2013. First acts for 2017 will be announced soon.
Positivus takes place from 14th to 16th July. 3 day festival passes from £67 positivusfestival.com
SEAN PAUL AT SEA DANCE IN MONTENEGRO
Sean Paul’s distinct voice, catchy rhythms and first class production, have been the perfect blend for the success of this Grammy Award winning, international superstar. The success of his albums and his affinity for live performances have brought him much fame and the multi-platinum artist has ignited stages in well over 100 other countries, performing for huge audiences in some of the biggest venues around the world. Dancing his reggae vibes on the beach will be an experience to remember.
Recently listed by Skyscanner as the number 1 cheapest holiday destination for 2017 this country is well worth checking out. Montenegro has towering mountains perfect for hiking and mountain biking as well as some of the world’s best unspoiled beaches on the Adriatic Sea. And if that wasn’t enough Montenegro featured in the James Bond Film Casino Royale and if it’s good enough for Bond, it’s good enough for us! Award winning Sea Dance festival gathers each year fans from over 50 countries from all over the world, and impressive line up of more than 100 hottest international music stars. This year, fourth edition of the festival, will be held in Budva from 13th to 15th July, in Budva, Montenegro with acts including John Newman and Sean Paul. Voted best European medium-sized festival, Sea Dance has proven much within just three short years. Stunning location, world renowned artists and outstanding productions make this festival a must see. Save the date and experience Sea Dance festival on Europe’s hottest summer destination, city of Budva, Montenegro.
Sea Dance Festival takes place from 13-15th July 2017. To book tickets visit seadancefestival.me
SWANS AT OFF FESTIVAL IN KATOWICE
Born during New York’s no wave reaction to punk rock, cult icons Swans return to Poland for a farewell show in 2017 with frontman Michael Gira also curating the festivals Experimental stage. Having outlived peers and reinvented themselves twice, creating new musical phenomena along the way, their 2016 album ‘The Glowing man’ proved to be yet another surprise. This goodbye show to the band in their current form is sure to shake the OFF crowd to their core and we can’t wait for this undoubtedly incendiary live show.
OFF is a festival for the discerning music fan and the place to discover the best alternative acts from around the world. A truly unique boutique music festival, OFF Festival takes place in ‘Three Lake Valley’, Katowice – a beautiful green oasis in the heart of industrial Silesia. OFF is a way of life, one that flies in the face of current trends and stays true to itself, and the ethos of organiser Artur Rojek is firmly aimed at supporting art and music with the festival bringing many acts to Poland for the first time. OFF Festival’s reputation is growing year on year driven by the festivals forward–thinking, eclectic music policy and it’s bold and eclectic lineups. From the greatest alternative music stars from around the world to the increasingly strong Polish scene, OFF festival has inspiring music in abundance and the organisers and crowd have one serious finger on the pulse when it comes to music.
OFF Festival takes place from 4-6 August 2017. 3-day tickets from £52 available at off-festival.pl.
KASABIAN AT SZIGET IN BUDAPEST
English rockers Kasabian quickly took the UK by storm in the early 2000s with a sound rooted in swaggering, fragmented dance textures and boisterous rock & roll. Having won several awards and media recognition for their several studio albums and live performances, most notably their headline set at Glastonbury in 2014, the band have certainly established themselves as rock & roll royalty and with a sixth album on the way for 2017 we’re looking forward to seeing what they’ve got up their sleeves at Sziget festival.
Proud winner of the ‘Best Major European Festival’ award in 2015 and 2011, and ‘Best Festival Line Up’ in 2016, Sziget Festival is one of the biggest multicultural events of Europe. Taking place on the picturesque Óbuda Island in Budapest, Sziget welcomes over 490,000 visitors from over 100 countries to express themselves on their self-proclaimed Island of Freedom. Sziget is not just about music, with more than 50 program venues offering festival goers the chance to experience many different things including; circus, theatre and dance, art and installations, yoga and sports and a huge variety of food. There is also has a beach area where fans can truly enjoy the summer and the Danube. With so much on offer in the heart of Budapest, Sziget provides a complete festival-holiday experience with a week long party, great live concerts and all the attractions the city has to offer such as beautiful historic buildings, thermal spas and special ’ruin pubs’. For their 25th anniversary edition.
Sziget takes place from 9-16 August 2017. 7-day tickets from £175 available at szigetfestival.com.
THE XX AT LOWLANDS IN THE NETHERLANDS
Atmospheric indie rock trio The xx will make a welcome return to Lowlands following the release of critically acclaimed third studio album ‘I See You’ in 2017. The new sound is fresher, brighter and is sure to have the festival crowd on their dancing feet.
Get ready for A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise 2017, as they festival prepares to celebrate it’s 25th anniversary edition. Taking place next to the Walib Fairgrounds, Biddinghuizen Lowlands is the Dutch answer to Reading & Leeds, but with impressive installations including the renowned red and white chimney stacks, plus unique covers for all stages so you can enjoy all the music rain or shine. Just over an hours drive from Amsterdam you can easily mix your festival trip with a few days city break in Amsterdam. Tickets are available from ticketmaster.co.uk and include festival entry, camping + shuttle bus from / to railway station or Dronten Lelystad. More acts will be announced soon with over 250 acts in total performing at this years event.
Lowlands takes place from 18th – 20th August. 3 days tickets from £150 available at lowlands.nl
CONTACT
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk