After the infamous world-wide disaster that must not be named started to quieten down, festivals of all kinds have come back in full force. We just missed them that much! 2022 was a chance to regroup, literally, and music and cultural festivals have come back bigger, better, and a whole lot stronger.
Deprived and absolutely raring to go, good-time chasers around the globe have been foaming at the mouth, banging on the doors. And one by one these magnificent festivals have opened back up and offered some fantastically bold events and line-ups. What. A. Come. Back! And 2023 is just going to get better…
Let’s take a look at what will be conjured up for the rest of the year. 2023, ARE YOU READY?!?!
1 – Tomorrowland
Where: Beliguim
When: 21st to 30th of July
What to expect: If you know anything about Contiki, you know that we rave on about (pardon the pun) social travel: connecting and experiencing things with others from all walks of life.
Well, Tomorrowland is kind of that, executed through EDM madness. 400,000 people are expected to make an appearance across the sets this year. So, strap in for the biggest, most iconic, electronic music festival on the planet and get ready to witness something beautiful, as well as some strange stories to bring home…
Image source:Contiki
2 – All Points East
Where: London
When: 18th, 19th, 25th, 28th of August
What to expect: This year it’s a big one. For the first time ever, and for one day only, APE have given a single artist an entire line up. Friday the 18th will be all about London’s king of grime, Stormzy. Returning to his hometown for this one off UK exclusive, the line up will include a full day of artists curated by the man himself. This is massive.
Other artists this year include The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girl in Red, Amyl and the Sniffers, etc. This is a party you do not want to miss.
Image source:Contiki
3 – Primavera Sound
Where: Barcelona, Madrid, Porto, LA, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo
When: 29th of May to 4th of June
What to expect: No, you didn’t read that title wrong. Primavera Sound really does take place in all these locations. Mental, we know. This festival has chosen to release fewer dates this year, but that doesn’t mean the momentum is low. On the contrary, audiences are teeming with excitement, especially after 2022’s line up that rivalled that of the festival giant Glastonbury.
2023 shows no signs of holding back either. Barcelona and Madrid’s line ups include Blue, Halsey, Central Cee, Kendrick Lamar, Fred Again, Skrillex, and a hell of a lot more. Expect sun, sea and Estella by the bucket load.
Image source:Nate Holland @ Unsplash
4 – World Pride
Where: Sydney
When: 18th of February to 5th of March
What to expect: It’s no secret that our Aussie mates know how to throw a party, and Pride is where they really like to turn it up. World Pride celebrations take over the city over 3 weeks, with events taking place during both weekdays and weekends. From art exhibitions, to gigs, to workshops, talks, sporting events (such as the World Gay Boxing Championships), and theatre, there’s something here for everyone to get involved in.
The biggest events of the season include the Mardi Gras Fair Day in Victoria Park on the 19th Feb., followed by the official Mardi Gras Parade taking place on the 25th located down Sydney’s very own Oxford Street. This year in particular is set to be a real show stopper as Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrates its 45th anniversary!
5 – Amsterdam Pride
Where: Amsterdam
When: 1st to 6th of August
What to expect: A pride celebration like no other (seriously!) 2023 will look back on 25 years of canal parade celebrations. With over 300 events taking place over the course of this period you can expect all things weird and wonderful that excite the senses… This is Amsterdam after all.
What really makes this Pride extravaganza so special is the location: right along the famous Amsterdam Canals. Residents and tourists alike swarm the canals across the city to catch a glimpse of the colourfully decorated boats (and crew members!) as they float down these beautiful and iconic canal routes. Music booms across the city as people navigate their way through the party… it’s a full on, but awesome experience!
If you want to surround yourself with all the positive vibes and love this Summer than get yourself over to the Amsterdam Pride Celebrations!
Image source:Contiki
6 – Hideout Festival
Where: Croatia
When: 25th to 29th of June
What to expect: Back yet again for 2023 this festival is popular among Brits. Hideout Festival is known for sun, sea, and house DJs galore. Set on the beautiful beach of Zrce on the island of Pag, experience some serious day-partying with antics that’d have your mum on the first flight out to Croatia to drag you home by your ear.
Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Allan Fitzpatrick, Honey Dijon, Sonny Fodera, Chase & Status, Patrick Topping, Gorgon City… I mean, say goodbye to sleep, and make sure to pack your comfy shoes ‘cuz you’re two stepping all night long baby.
Image source:Contiki
7 – St Patricks Day
Where: Ireland
When: 17th of March
What to expect: If you know anything about the Irish, you know that the promise of a good time is taken very seriously, and the promise of a good time in Ireland doesn’t loom much bigger than St. Patrick’s Day.
Make your way into Dublin during this festive period and expect to be introduced to some of Ireland’s top upcoming musicians performing on every street corner, pub and café in town (also plenty of fancy dress). Grab your Guinness and whisky chaser and embrace this celebration of Irish culture and tradition!
Image source:Contiki
8 – Parklife Festival
Where: Manchester
When: 11th to 12th of June
What to expect: PARKLIFE! They say that 13 is unlucky, but not for this festival. Ready to return for its 13th year in the UK’s cultural hub of Manchester, Parklife returns with its huge, genuinely HUGE, line-up. We’re starting to feel like there is definitely something in the water when it comes to festival line ups for 2023
Ready? Ok. Go! The 1975, Aitch, Fred Again, Little Simz, Wu-Tang Clan, Skrillex, Slow Thai, RAYE, Peggy Gou, Carl Cox, Fisher, Anderson Paak, Sonny Fodera, Beck Hill, The Prodigy. Geeeeeeez!
Expect a full-on party experience that won’t hold back. And, expect a fair few bucket hats… definitely a few bucket hats.
9 – Sziget Festival
Where: Budapest
When: 10th to 15th of August
What to expect: Think chilled out, good vibes, sexy dance festival, along with lots of sun, sand, and sea action. The line-up this year has a little bit of everything for everyone we reckon: Billie Eilish, David Guetta, Florence & the Machine, Sam Fender, Niall Horan, YUNGBLUD, FOALS, and Diplo just to name a few, with many more yet to be announced.
Hosted in one of our favourite cities and destinations in the world we can’t think of a better reason to book a trip to Budapest and leave some room in between to explore!
Image source:Contiki
10 – NOS Alive
Where: Lisbon
When: 6th to 8th of July
What to expect: I’m gonna start with 4 words. Red. Hot. Chili. Peppers.
Now I’ll continue with 2 more words. Arctic. Monkeys.
What more could you want from this legendary Portugal based festival? But wait, because it doesn’t stop there. They’ve also thrown in Queens of the Stone Age, the Black Keys, and of course everyone’s favourite Lizzo, just for good measure.
When it’s not hosting wicked music festivals, Lisbon is a still a city to fall in love and we have just the perfect route to allow you to do that.
Image source:Contiki
11 – EXIT Festival
Where: Serbia
When: 6th to 9th of July
What to expect: Dancing, and a lot of it. When thinking about what festivals to book next, Serbia may not be t the top of your list, but we’re here to tell you that it absolutely should be! The Prodigy, Skrillex, Camelphat, Hot Since 82 – this line-up is promising one hell of a show.
This award winning summer music festival takes place within the walls of the spectacular Periovarian Fortress and has as a motto “Together always” (which we quite relate to here). There’s a real focus on happiness and love here, with more than 1000 artists who play over 40 stages and festival zones, enough to share with everyone.
Bonus fact: founded in 2000, EXIT Festival has snatched up the award for Best Major Festival not once but twice at the European Festivals Award, and to top it off, it was awarded Best European Festival in 2013 and 2017.
Image source:Contiki
12 – Oktoberfest
Where: Munich
When: 16th of September to 3rd of October
What to expect: One of our personal favourites, we’ll take you to Germany to experience Oktoberfest like you never have before. Welcome to the biggest beer festival and travelling fairground on the planet. Have your Steins at the ready and prepare for cheesy tunes, even worse fancy dress, and some footlong hot dogs to get he party started.
Make the most of your time in Munich by getting out and about (pint in hand, of course) with Contiki.
Image source:Contiki
13 – Country 2 Country
Where: London
When: 10th to 12th of March
What to expect: Get your cowboy boots at the ready and grab the keys to the pick up truck, we’re calling all country fans! Listen, if you aren’t able to admit that country music absolutely slaps, then that sounds like a you problem. We’ll be over in the 02 Arena having the time of our lives.
This is the time of year when country artists from across the USA flee their Texas mansions and hop across the bond to the UK to belt out banger after banger for 3 nights.
Thomas Rett, Lady A, and the legendary Zac Brown Band, will headline the event this year and we cannot wait. So, if your heart belongs in Nashville, then this is one festival that you do not wanna miss out on. YEEEEhawwww!
14 – Sea Star Festival
Where: Croatia
When: 19th to 20th of May
What to expect: Brought to you by the organisers that started EXIT festival, Sea Star Festival takes us to a the Contiki fan favourite: the beautiful islands of Croatia. Who’s complaining?
Similar to it’s sister festival EXIT, Sea Star celebrates the best of EDM. We’re talking Skrillex, Campelphat, Hot Since 82, LF Syste, and the legends that are The Prodigy. You’ll be able to catch a good sprinkle of house classics and alternative indie tunes as well over the weekend, so there’s something here for everyone.
What we especially love about this festival though is the encouragement to go out and explore the lush surroundings of Umag, an island known for its beautiful Mediterranean landscapes and historical architecture. Partying and culture, it’s the best of both worlds, kind of like Contiki dreamt this one up…
Image source:Contiki
15 – Kala Festival
Where: Albania
When: 31st of May to 7th of June
What to expect: If you didn’t already know, Albania is an absolute gem of a country. Located just between Greece and Macedonia, it’s beachy and sunny, AND the birth place of Dua Lipa, so… Albania really doesn’t get enough praise, but maybe this festival will finally give it the points it deserves.
Kala Festival is banging, and though you may not initially recognise some of the names on the bill, you won’t regret buying a ticket one you’re there. It’s all about that adventurous spirit baby!
Image source:Elion Jashari @ Unsplash
16 – Slam Dunk
Where: UK, France, Italy
When: 27th to 28th of May
What to expect: Emos of the world, unite! It’s our time to have some fun. Come one, come all, and celebrate the early 00’s when bangs, ripped jeans, and MySpace ruled. Break out the Vans and your skateboards, maybe get a fresh scene haircut, some choppy highlights, and jump through this time portal to witness the magic of Billy Talent, Enter Shikari, Kids in Glass Houses, The Off Spring, and Bowling for Soup!
This awesome mosh pitting party started off as a small event in the city of Leeds, and grew massively in popularity. It opened for the first time as an open air festival in 2019 and the scene has just been bigger and better since. So much so, that this festival is heading over to France and Italy. It’s a revolution.
Image source:Contiki
17 – Mighty Hoopla
Where: London
When: 3rd to 4th of June
What to expect: Time to get the glitter out and turn the festival fashion up a notch. Located in South London’s Brockwell Park, Mighty Hoopla has gained massive popularity within the LGBTQ+ community and has become a safe space to express yourself exactly as you are, all while rocking out to smashing hits.
Mighty Hoopla is also huge in the female festival market as women from all over attend to dance the night away to the tunes of Britney Spears and the Spice Girls on deck. 2023 will welcome Kelly Rowland to the stage as well as LGBTQ+ icons Years & Years, Natasha Bedingfield, Rachael Stevens, and Sophie Ellis Bextor (did someone say murder on the dance floor?).
We already know this one is going to be one hell of a party!
Image source:Contiki
18 – Best Kept Secret
Where: The Netherlands
When: 9th to 11th of June
What to expect: I mean… It’s a secret so we can’t talk about it. But, what we will say, is that the line-up is to die for (indie kids get ready): The Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Maccabees, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club, Everything, Everything, Damien Rice, and to top it off Tyler The Creator. Wow. It’s giving off serious 2009 house party vibes and it’s incredible.
As the name suggests, this festival really keeps it on the down-low, and we’re not ashamed to admit that we hadn’t heard of it before, though we’re absolutely pumped know we have! Take a long weekend with us in the Netherlands, and we’ll party together like one big fam. According to the festival themselves they’re “Here to connect people, cultures and disciplines through music. From sounds to art to food to friendships to all kinds of expressions, we bring them together in the same place to create synergies and magic moments” Ok. We. Are Sold.
See you soon Netherlands…and if you have any sense, you’ll meet us there.
19 – Mystic Garden Festival – Amsterdam
Where: Amsterdam
When: 17th of June
What to expect: As is perhaps quite obvious in the name, the Mystic Garden Festival is indeed held in, drum roll please, a mystical garden! Stunning, and quite unique as well.
Not only that, but Amsterdam and MGF are leaders in the field when it comes to sustainability in the festival world. The organise massive clean ups during the festival, as well as free parking for electric cars, reusable cups, and loads more.
If there’s anything that’ll make us feel less anxious about last night’s antics, knowing that we did it sustainably is one of them.
Image source:Contiki
20 – Solidays 2023
Where: Paris
When: 23rd to 25th of June
What to expect: Back for it’s 25th anniversary, you will be expected to attend this massive celebration for three thrill-packed days in Paris, France. Bring your best attitude and your best party outfits, because it’s about to get crazy.
Solidays attracts party goers from across the globe due to that certain je ne sais quoi. It has a particularly strong fan following within the LGBTQ+ community as the festival was able to raise 25 million euros for the fight against AIDs, and we are totally here for that!
With over 160,000 tickets up for grabs and over 150 artists taking the stage playing everything from hip hop, rock, pop, indie, and EDM, you can be sure this will be the most epic weekend of your life.
21 – Take Off Festival – Crete, Greece
Where: Crete
When: 27th of June to 3rd of July
What to expect: Who said bigger was always better? Taking place in one of our favourite and most popular travel destinations, this boutique festival offers up just 2000 tickets and invites some of the hottest DJs from the UK to perform at various locations around the island. A dream come true for our island-hopping experts.
Packed with exclusive pool parties, beach parties, and paint raves (sounds promising), with the gorgeous backdrop of white sandy beaches and blue-domed buildings, this is the experience of a life time. It may not be the most cost friendly, but after partying through the most vibrant 6 nights of your life, we guarantee you won’t regret spending a single penny.
According the crew at Take Off the festival is all about “Focusing on both Music and Experience” and will also lean into what is already an incredibly busy period for the Greek Islands. It is giving Contiki Big Weekender vibes…
Image source:Contiki
22 – Lollapalooza
Where: Chicago, Brazil, Berlin, Argentina, Chile, Sweden, Mumbai
When: Location Dependant
What to expect: This is a HUGE one, and depending on where you are in the world you’ll probably end up with a slightly different Lollapalooza experience, but that’s the fun of it. With festivals happening in 8 different countries, you’re bound to find one close to home that you can fly to and go full party mode… and full party mode you will go.
Lollapalooza manages to hook some of the biggest and best names in the business and the 2023 lineup is no different. With genuinely too many names to mention, here’s a quick list just to give you a taste: Metallica, Lil Baby, Machine Gun Kelly, J Cole, Big Sean, Green Day, Dua Lipa, David Guetta, Blink 182, Billie Eillish, Lil Nas X, etc. I mean, it’s borderline ridiculous the names that this festival has managed to get on the bill. Don’t get me wrong, we ain’t complaining. Not in the slightest.
And for the first time ever, 2023 will welcome the festival to Mumbai! Basically, this is the biggest party on the planet, hands down. Lock the squad and book those flights, you will NOT regret it.
Image source:Hanna Tche @ Unsplash
23 – Glastonbury
Where: Somerset
When: 21st to 25th of June
What to expect: Now this, this is the Hunger Games of all festivals, and if we’re talking about the largest festivals in the world it’d be rude to end anywhere but here. Glastonbury festival. What can we say that hasn’t already been said. Glastonbury is known around the world for being a festival like no other. Ask anyone who’s been, and they’ll confirm.
The terms biggest and best have been thrown around quite a bit in this article, but when we use them here, we mean them. We really mean them. It’s not about the headliners here (though they are always fantastic), and it’s not about the setting or the time; here it’s all about the atmosphere, the vibes, and the people. And all three go crazy. A cultural festival with music at the heart of it.
Practically a city within a city, Glastonbury is set up across a slightly mental 900 acres of land. 210,000 incredibly lucky ticket holders will visit the site this year and along with these 210,000 over 3000 artists will play across 100 stages spread around the field
Organisation is key here if you want to secure your tickets with over 2.5 million people all grasping for them at the same time. But, if you’re successful, congratulations, you’re in for the treat of all treats.
Image source:James Genchi @ Unsplash
