Greentraveller's Guide to European Festivals

Here's our guide to some of the biggest and best festivals taking place across Europe this summer, with information on their green initiatives and how to travel to them without flying. See also our Guide to UK Festivals.

European Festivals

The crowd - and a blimp - get into things at Sziget, Budapest

Open'er, 1-4 July, Gdynia, Poland
Fast becoming one of the most popular festivals on the continent, Open'er is Poland's largest outdoor music festival and this year features big name acts such as Massive Attack, Kasabian and Hot Chip alongside rising stars Ellie Goulding and Wild Beasts, as well as a range of world music.

The winners of a 'Green n Clean' award, Open'er are now also working with Greenpeace.

Travelling to Oopen'er by train: You can take one of several trains a day from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Szczecin Glowny (under 2 hours), where you can connect to regular trains on to Gdynia (around 4 hours). Open'er runs free bus services from Gdynia's main station to the festival site.

See our detailed itinerary on How to Travel from the UK to Berlin by train.

Photo © Philippe BELOSSAT/Territoire de musiques

Eurockéennes, 2-4 July, Belfort, France
On a peninsula jutting into usually-tranquil Lake Malsaucy, in the beautiful Franche-Comté countryside, Eurockéennes is one of the largest festivals in France, and this year plays host to Jay-Z and Charlotte Gainsbourg alongside critical darlings The XX and electro-rockers Two Door Cinema Club.

On a green level, one of Eurockéennes' unique selling points is the Maison de l'environnement, providing information on the environment, as well as the nature of the region. The festival has great recycling facilities as well as offering solar-powered phone charging and is taking part in a 2010 year of biodiversity scheme.

Travel to Eurockéennes by train: The festival offers a shuttle service from Belfort, which is well-connected to the French train network (and to the UK via Paris), and they also have a car-sharing partner site.

Exit, 8-11 July, Novi Sad, Serbia
Award-winning Exit, the largest festival in South East Europe, has rapidly established a reputation as one of Europe’s hottest dance and electronic music festivals since its inception in 2000. Spectacularly sited in a fortress overlooking the Danube, this year’s line-up includes such heavyweights as The Chemical Brothers and Royksopp alongside Crystal Castles and club favourites Boys Noize. 

Exit's amazing fortress location overlooking the Danube

As a member of Yourope (European Festivals Association), Exit follows guidelines set out to ensure high levels of environmental responsibility, including environmental awareness campaigns at the festival and a Green Guerilla Eco Camp, as well as great recycling facilities and collaboration with waste-collection and recycling companies and NGOs.

Travel to Exit by train: Exit is accessible by train from the UK via Budapest (or Ljubljana). There are three trains a day each way between Budapest and Novi Sad, taking just under 6 hours. A shuttle service runs from the station to the festival site.

Benicàssim, 15-18 July, near Valencia, Spain
Benicàssim has become legendary as the place to party to the biggest bands under the blazing Spanish sun, and is set for yet another bumper year with the likes of The Prodigy, Kasabian, Dizzee Rascal and The Specials gracing various stages across the 130,000m2 site.

In recent years, Benicàssim has made major efforts to become environmentally friendly, with its Limpio y Verde (Green’n’Clean) Project. Initiatives include only using recycled paper for advertising, carbon offsetting through tree-planting, waste collection and recycling schemes and regulation of water use.

Travel to Benicàssim by train: Benicàssim is well-located on Spain's train network, with frequent services to nearby Valencia and Barcelona. See our detailed guide to How to Travel by train from London to Barcleona. The festival site is a short walk from the town's main station.

More European Festivals on page 2