The DICE Guide to Music Festivals in Europe for 2024

Over the last few years, festivals have exploded in size, number and variety. For fans of music, they can be the main event around which holidays are planned.

With the pandemic fading from our memories, our appreciation of music festivals has returned with a vengeance. The days of bluetooth speakers and garden-raves-for-one did the trick for a while, but nothing could ever replace the  experience of sharing amazing music with your best friends and a field full of happy strangers. Whether you’re a hardened raver pining for the slopes, a UK jazz addict looking for the next breakthrough act, or a pop junkie fiending for a sun tan, there’s a festival out there waiting to become your annual go-to. 

Barcelona: 30 May - 2 June
Porto: 6 - 8 June

Primavera Sound is arguably the GOAT of music festivals in Europe. Its secret? Immaculate lineups across both Barcelona and Porto that thread the needle from global superstars like Lana Del Rey, SZA and Justice, to cult heroes like Water From Your Eyes, Dorian Electra and Beth Gibbons. Primavera understands that all music lovers contain multitudes; you could be pretending not to cry at American Football’s ‘Never Meant’ and launching into main character mode when Charli XCX drops ‘Unlock It’ a few hours later. Combine that intelligent approach with the festival’s unique waterfront location and there’s nowhere punters would rather be than watching DJ Playero when that Spanish sun comes up. 

Primavera Sound Barcelona tickets here
Primavera Sound Porto tickets here

22 - 25 March

Sónar Festival, known for its groundbreaking fusion of electronic music, creativity, and technology, continues to push boundaries in 2024. From pulsating beats to avant-garde soundscapes, the festival celebrates electronic music in all forms. With a lineup featuring Kaytranada, Charlotte De Witte and Ben Böhmer live, Sónar continues to redefine the festival experience, inspiring and captivating audiences with unmatched creativity and vision.

Sónar Barcelona tickets here
Sónar Lisboa tickets here

31 March - 1 April

Over Easter 2024, techno fans descend on Florence’s Nelson Mandela Forum for Resonance, a two-day event from the team behind the legendary Decibel festival. As you might expect, Resonance promises a lineup of the best DJs in European techno – and there’s something for everyone in the group chat. Looking to get locked in to the precision and speed of a Nico Moreno set? Can’t wait to experience the airy, slow-build euphoria that comes when Indira Paganotto drops ‘White Horse’ live? Combine this with the Florentine sunshine, and it’s a bit of a no-brainer.

Lineup and tickets here

31 October - 3 November

C2C, or Club to Club, is a titan of the European festival scene, and the remarkable Turin setting is just one of many reasons to make the trip. With previous headliners including Aphex Twin and the much-missed SOPHIE, the lineup is always adventurous and daring. Tracking the rich seam between pop and the avant-garde, you’re just as likely to stumble upon Evian Christ opening a 90 minute set with a Postal Service sample as you are a pop masterclass from Caroline Polacheck. This one should be an annual pilgrimage. 

Get your tickets here

Paris: 13 April

Rennes: 19 - 21 April 

Bordeaux: 14 - 16 June

Madame Loyal is a Technicolour experience with a unique flair. Across three kaleidoscopic weekends in April, you can expect a stimulating blend of quality French electronic music, circus arts and a general air of hedonism. Veteran French-Algerian collective Acid Arab land in Paris, 999999999 bring their hardware-only set to the Rennes edition, and French techno veteran Antigone brings his throwback, groove-driven sensibility to Bordeaux. In short, Madame Loyal is escapism through and through.

Get your tickets here

Leeds: 23 - 24 February

Liverpool: 27 January, 3 February

Boiler Room, the global music broadcaster, has been at the heart of international club culture for 14 years, and its authority always shows. Look no further than this series of events coming to Leeds and Liverpool – two of the UK’s finest nightlife cities. First up is Liverpool, where dubstep originators Skream and Benga will offer an education in bass pressure and metal-plated steppers, assisted by vital UK selectors including More Time label head DJ Ahad Elley, a.k.a. Ahadadream. The Leeds lineup remains firmly under wraps at the time of writing, although based on the strength of names for Liverpool, it’s guaranteed to be massive. 

Get your tickets here

21 - 24 March

Hibernation… as in, coming out of. This is the perfect ice-breaker for people who cherish big room electronic music set against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty.

This high-altitude affair returns for its sixth iteration in 2024 and once again brings a stacked lineup of house, techno, drum’n’bass and trance to the mountainous location of Andorra, in the Pyrenees. The lineup is incredible, but we’re probably most excited about DJ Holographic, a Detroit native who is keeping her hometown’s legacy alive with her strain of deep and rolling techno. 

Get your tickets here

1 - 7 July

Helmed by Brownswood label boss Gilles Peterson, Worldwide brings together jazz, disco, house, techno and more, all with a casual disregard for fixed boundaries. Taking place in the port city of Séte in southern France, the daytime schedule offers up a programme of beach parties that make the most of the spectacular location. Come the evening, proceedings move to the stunning Théâtre De La Mer, an amphitheatre backdropped by the Mediterranean. This year’s lineup remains top secret, but for 2023, acts included 6 Music favourite Jamz Supernova, jazz multi-instrumentalist Kahlil el Zabar and Brilliant Corners mainstay Donna Leake.

Get your tickets here

10 - 14 July

Consistently voted one of the best festivals at the UK Festival Awards, 2000trees takes place in the Cotswolds with a guitar focused lineup and a real emphasis on community values. And while the festival covers a broad spectrum of rock music, this year sees it skew towards pop punk with Kids in Glass Houses (who will be playing a Smart Casual-heavy set), Boston Manor and Hot Mulligan locked in and ready to go. Warm pints of cider, hugging your mates, and massive choruses: all back for 2024, baby.

Lineup and tickets here

6 - 12 May

Spread across Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, XJAZZ! is an example of everything an inner city festival should be, showcasing venues as well as musicians – it’s a great way to get a walking tour of the city while also seeing some of the best, most boundary-pushing names in contemporary jazz. To give you a taste, last year’s lineup included London’s KOKOROKO who brought their fusion of jazz and Afrobeat to the table, as well as saxophonist and improviser Chelsea Carmichael, and beloved veteran composer Roy Ayers.

Get your tickets here

Click here to see more music festivals available on DICE.