12 amazing music festivals in Europe this summer and how to get there on the cheap

Fancy heading?

With the first few lineups being announced for Irish festivals - check out the Longitude, Forbidden Fruit and Croke Park dates for BrucEoncye - it's easy to overlook the fact that there's also a healthy interest in what's going on abroad, especially for music fans that fancy a holiday. With this in mind, we've drawn up a list of the best festivals that are taking place around Europe this summer along with the bands that are playing at them and the cheapest way to get there. Sadly Glastonbury and Tomorrowland are already sold out but there's still plenty of great gigs to see. Note: All flights are departing from Dublin and as always with any festival there's a few  variations of ticketing packages that you can buy to suit your needs.

BBK Live - Bilbao

Main acts playing: (So far it's) Arcade Fire, Pixies, Foals, New Order and lots more. Dates and cost: 7-9 July, €100. Getting there: Dublin to Bilbao from July 6-11 is currently €172 but you can probably find cheaper ways of getting there. https://twitter.com/Belivemusic_es/status/695561371929415680

Opener - Gdynia, Poland

Main acts playing:  (So far it's) Foals, Florence and the Machine, LCD Soundsystem, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sigur Ros and lots more. Dates and cost: June 29th -2nd July, 4 day ticket with camping is €150. Getting there: Dublin to Gdansk on June 27-July 5th is €155. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJseqQNQ_zA

Reading/ Leeds Festivals

Main acts playing:  (So far it's) RHCP, Disclosure, Foals, Imagine Dragons and lots more. Dates and cost: 26-28 August, €275 for the weekend campaign. Getting there: Dublin to Leeds/Bradford on August 25-29 is currently €34. https://twitter.com/hannah_wants/status/692660896213143553

Rock Werchter - 30km outside of Brussels

Main acts playing : (So far it's) Disclosure, RHCP, At the Drive In, Jamie XX, Rammstein, Florence and the Machine and lots more. Dates and cost: June 30th - July 3rd, €236 but there are variations.  Getting there: Dublin to Brussels on 29 June - July 4th is only €70. https://twitter.com/RockWerchter/status/687533019410857984

Rock Im Park - Nuremberg

Main acts playing: (So far it's): Biffy Clyro, Black Sabbath, Deftones, Foals, Rudimenta,  RHCP and lots more. Dates and cost: 3-5 June, €195 for camping. Getting there: Flying from Dublin to Nuremberg on June 2nd - 7th is €120. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ3w2s3UxO4

Sonar -  Barcelona

Main acts playing: Fatboy Slim, Boyz Noize, James Blake, Flume, Four Tet, New Order Dates and cost: 16-18 June, €180. Getting there: It's a bit steep, €182 when flying out on the 14th and coming back the 20th but maybe you can find a cheaper route. https://twitter.com/SonarFestival/status/691595168714264576

Sziget Festival - Budapest

Main acts playing: (So far it's) Muse, David Guetta, Bloc Party, Sigur Ros, The Lumineers and lots more. Dates and cost: 10-17 August, €249 for the week. Getting there: Dublin to Budapest from August 8th - 18th is €162. https://twitter.com/szigetofficial/status/690652284146061312

Primavera Sound- Barcelona

Main acts playing : Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Sigur Ros, Brian Wilson, Tame Impala, The Last Shadow Puppets and loads more. Dates and cost - June 1st-5th. Full weekend tickets are already sold out but you can get individual dates for Thursday and Saturday at €80. Getting there: If you fancy spending a few days in Spain then a return from Barcelona to Dublin on May 29th- June 6th is is currently €143. https://twitter.com/Primavera_Sound/status/690104827037229056

Roskilde Festival, 30 km west of Copenhagen

Main acts playing: (So far it's) LCD Soundsystem, New Order, RHCP, Foals, PJ Harvey and loads more. Dates and cost: June 25- July 2nd, €270 for 8 days of camping. Getting there: Dublin to Copenhagen from June 24th- July 3rd is currently €95. https://twitter.com/MOMOMOYOUTH/status/691586512979398656

Isle of Wight, Off the coast of Southern England

Main acts playing: (So far it's) Queen with Adam Lambert, Faithless, The Buzzcocks and loads more. Dates and cost: 9-12 June, €250 Getting there: Dublin to Southampton on June 9-13 is €95. Then you'll need to get a boat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1G0jl0Vc64

Benicassim ,  Costa del Azahar

Main acts playing: (So far it's) Muse, Disclosure, Kendrick Lamar, The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and loads more. Dates and cost: July 14th-17th , €148 Getting there: Dublin to Barcelona for €183 from July 13-20th. https://twitter.com/fiberfib/status/689853639763058689

Rock en Seine - Paris

Main acts playing:  Hasn't been announced yet but it's an absolutely gorgeous festival and their lineup is always excellent. Last year it was The Libertines, Kasabian, Hot Chip and Alt-J that were the main draws. Dates and cost: 26-28 August, €120. Getting there: Dublin to Paris on Aug 25-29 is €72. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2-nSSYBZ7o