Thomas Cook What’s on Abroad: Benicassim Festival

Sun, sea and some of the best live acts all in the one place, as usual, the Benicassim festival will be high on the priority list for many a music fan this summer.

When you think of festivals on this side of the world, whether it be Oxegen or Electric Picnic here or the likes of Glastonbury or Reading across the pond, arguably the prevailing image is of thousands of music fans covered from head to toe in mud. They’re great craic surely, but wouldn’t it be great if you could combine all of the positives of those festivals and throw some good weather into the bargain as well?

Well, at the Benicassim Festival in sunny Spain, music lovers have been doing just that since the mid 90s.

Staged in the seaside resort of Benicassim on Costa del Azahar near Valencia and only a hop, skip and a jump away from Valencia airport, the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB) has been pulling in the crowds and the biggest acts in world music for years and this year is no different.

From July 18-21, the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, Dizzee Rascal and a whole lot more brilliant acts will be rocking out at a festival that caters for a whole range of musical tastes and pretty much guarantees a good time down by the beach.

The festival itself runs for four days but those heading along can savour the atmosphere for double that time with patrons able to camp for up to eight days in a row at a location on the Mediterranean that is pretty much as perfect as you’re going to get.

For more information on the festival itself, you can check out the official website.

Thanks to Flexibletrips, it's dead easy to get there too. Thomas Cook’s dynamic package brand Flexibletrips allows customers to book flights, hotels or holiday packages and with millions of hotels and destinations to choose from, it’s perfect for weekend breaks or for those that want to organise their own holiday this summer.

Flexibletrips have daily flights operating directly from Dublin and Cork to Barcelona and rock bottom rates at hundreds of hotels if you fancy a couple of nights where you won’t be slumming it in a tent during your trip.

Once you get to Barcelona, it’s pretty easy to make it to Benicassim and it won’t take you all day either. For more details on accessing the festival via bus or train, click here.

For more information on the deals on offer for Barcelona and various other locations, check out the Flexibletrips website or call (01) 514 0349. Now get ready to boogie!