Where to go in summer: Music festivals in interesting places
We all have long been dreaming of a summer vacation, but only the most prudent and responsible have planned it. Someone for the tenth time will go to the same village in Italy, someone went on about friends, someone will go to a place that he had long dreamed of. But if you are still tormented by uncertainty, we offer traditional summer entertainment - music festivals, where you can go together, a company or even one. At the same time, it is not necessary to rush from morning to night between festival venues, and then fall backwards from fatigue - there are always pleasant cities nearby where you can continue cultural tourism or just relax. We tell where to go in such a way as to capture the concert of your favorite group, and good food, and trips to museums.
Sónar
In June, Primavera cedes Barcelona to the Sónar festival of good electronic music. It is difficult to think of a more attractive option for a sunny holiday: the festival takes place in the very heart of the Catalan capital, so both before and after you can spend quite a cultural holiday. In June, of course, you can take the beaches by storm, but it is even better to spend more time in the city: various trade fairs and creative showcases within Sónar + D will take place during the day at the festival dates. While you are walking around the incredible beauty of Barcelona, soaking up Gaudi and modernism, stop not only to eat seafood, although you can just have time to go to a festival of restaurant food. Do not forget about Montjuic, Joan Miró Park and St. Paul’s Modernist Hospital, Sant Pau, which is still in the process of restoration; in the heat it will be especially pleasant to immerse yourself in the coolness of the Maritime Museum, located in the Gothic shipyard. In addition to the main exhibition, until the end of June, the Picasso Museum will be able to catch the exhibition "Post-Picasso" with the works of artists that it influenced, including the neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It is worth staying until the 24th to get on the crazy St. John's Night with bonfires and fireworks throughout the city. During the summer on Saturdays, by the way, La Fiesta Catalana takes place, in which Catalan traditions are told and shown. Those who did not have time to take a vacation in June, can go to Benicàssim, from which you can get to the same Barcelona and, if desired, to Valencia or Madrid. But in general, the beach there is such that we will not condemn you if you don’t go anywhere beyond the festival.
Glastonbury
Once in a lifetime, it seems you need to go to Glastonbury - if you managed to buy tickets, then take off your hat. The paradox of the Buridan donkey is more applicable here than ever: choose firmly and do not regret anything, the feeling that here you can finally see everything, it is deceptive - it will not work out everywhere. You can compensate for the frustration of drunken Englishmen, overnight stays in an uncomfortable tent and other joys of the legendary festival by planning a trip around England. Glastonbury is located so that everything and nothing is around: there is absolutely nothing to do in the immediate vicinity, but it is about the same time to get to big cities. You can go to Bristol-Bath-Cardiff, on the English Riviera (you are suddenly lucky and you can swim) or, undoubtedly, to London. If you go from, but not to, then in Bristol you can get to the UK's biggest eco-festival, Bristol's Big Green Week. In London, before the festival, you can get to the Queen’s official birthday celebration (this year - June 14), go to the London Zoo in the evening, after closing, the Urban Food Fest city food festival (June 21), get into the usually closed and therefore more desirable parks in the framework of the Open Garden Squares Weekend (14-15) or cycling naked in Hyde Park is also on the 14th (for sure, there are fans). Throughout the summer, you can, and should, go to staging at the summer theater in Regent's Park (Open Air Theater Regent's Park) and at Matisse in Tate Modern ("Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs"). The above applies to those who go to London to Wireless in early July.
Exit
If you don’t have enough money for Sónar, then it’s time to pay attention to Eastern Europe. European Festival Awards have called Exit this year "Best Major European festival" - and deservedly so. An incredibly fun and relaxed festival with a bias in electronics, where this year Damon Albarn was somehow headlining on, takes place in the hottest month in Serbia, in a huge XVII century Petrovaradin fortress. Around - picturesque Novi Sad and Fruska Gora National Park. It's hot there in every sense - no less strongly than on distant Coachella, so the festival Masthevs like cropped tops and shorts are finally useful - this is not a Scandinavian “summer”. After the festival, you can spend a couple of days at the local beach on the banks of the Danube, which is usually praised, despite the large number of people. Activities for the study of Serbia, it is better to plan up, while there is still strength. You can book a tour and go look at the canyons in another national park - on Mount Tara. Be sure to visit Belgrade, where in July you can catch a boat carnival (for those who do not suffer from seasickness), Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF) is an art festival held in July and August and exciting the whole city. Somewhere in late June - early July, the Jazz Festival Summertime Jazz Festival is held at the Sava Centar, as well as in many other European cities, where in addition to the concerts themselves there will be many side events such as photo exhibitions and thematic film screenings. Belgrade boasts an emerging crowd life, which can be checked for dispersal before the main event of the trip.
Optimus alive
Portugal is absolutely not inferior to neighboring Spain in part of the festivals - this year there is not only the large Primavera branch in Porto - Optimus Primavera Sound - but also the European version of Rock in Rio in Lisbon. In July, the festival madness will continue, and Optimus Alive will be held around the most relaxed of all European capitals - not in the city center, but in the suburb of Algesa. It is worth going not only for the festival on the Tagus River - in Lisbon there is something to do during the hot season, summer is sometimes considered an incessant party and, for example, the BaixAnima Street Festival street festival with a theater, a circus and other things and lasts for two months. In summer holidays in Lisbon there is a sort of medieval raid and a stereotypical southern relaxation. In addition to the classic tourist beauties such as the Belena Tower, the Castle of St. George, walks in Cascais and Jeronimushi monastery, you should not forget about seasonal entertainment. In Sintra, you can visit not only palaces and castles, but also various concerts as part of the musical Festival de Sintra. In July, the Cool Jazz Festival and the medieval fair in Obidos, right in the castle and its surroundings, take place in Lisbon. The craft fair will be held in Estoril, where you can find cool stuff for little money. Toward August, symphony orchestras come to Estoril for a music festival, and magicians are spreading around Lisbon - the ever-popular week of Lisboa Mágica begins. It is imperative not to forget about the Portuguese tiles Azulejos (exhibition "O Azulejo no Montijo"), and if you decide to buy something for memory, you need to look for a simpler store - but to make it look like it was always there. This southern paradise, in general.
Melt!
The most guitar festivals in Germany - Rock am Ring and Rock im Park - thank God, have already passed, as well as the much more pleasant Southside and Hurricane. The latter, despite the interesting lineup, the devil knows where, and Melt! clearly gains from them due to the proximity of Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden. The immediate location is also impressive: a huge open-air museum of production facilities of the 20th century Ferropolis, the City of Iron. We love Berlin with all our hearts and believe that we can go there anytime, however, before planning the affairs in the center, you can take this opportunity to drop in, for example, in Leipzig to have a beer on the Leipzig Beer Exchange (Leipziger Bierbörse, beginning July) or go to the “Summer Night of Museums” in Dresden, where more than 45 museums of the city open their doors (July 12). Visual hunger can be satisfied at the Film Nights cinema festival on the open air on the banks of the Elbe (June 26 - August 31), where more than 100 thousand people come to each summer. This year, Germany celebrates 25 years of unification, which is especially felt not only in Leipzig, but also, obviously, in Berlin, where the Spy Museum dedicated to intelligence during the Cold War is to open in July. On a more joyous note, Bowie is returning to Berlin, or rather, an exhibition about the legendary author "Berlin Trilogy", which will be located in Martin-Gropius-Bau until August 10. At the end of July - in early August, you can catch performances of the street theater at Alexanderplatz, and also have time to study the materials of Kandinsky from the archives of the Bauhaus (until August 9) or visit the 8th Berlin Biennale (before August 3).
Open'er and off
There are two options for summer in Poland: either to go to Open'er in Gdynia at the very beginning of July, and at the same time to go to the local resort of Sopot or Gdansk, or to Off in Katowice in early August. A pleasant lineup in both cases is complemented by small expenses for all items, which is why many people go to Eastern European festivals. It is quite comfortable to get to the capital in both cases by train, but in the second, if you take the car, you can easily make yourself a trip trip to get to know Poland. You can get to Warsaw by driving through Krakow, Lodz and Wroclaw, capturing thereby the largest cities in the country. Krakow at this time is the festival of Jewish culture - one of the largest of its kind in a series of many others, here everyone chooses to his taste. The parade with the unofficial symbol of the city - Kraków Lyconik - will be held on June 24: the "Tatar" rider will dance through the city center to the delight of the spectators. In addition to the summer jazz festival for the European city, in the largest park in Warsaw Лазazienki, the Chopin Festival is traditionally held, which is not surprising. Warsaw's historical sights in the summer usually transform into venues for various festivals, be it the “Music Gardens” in the Royal Palace or the “Summer Film Festival” in Uyazdow Castle. And the beautiful Wroclaw, by the way, was declared the European Capital of Culture in 2016 by the European Union. Keep in mind that August 1 in Poland is a memorial day for those who died in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
Way out west
The greenest (in all senses) Scandinavian festival takes place in student Gothenburg and from year to year it remains the favorite festival of many. Not too many people? Check. Great lineup? Check. Yes, and you can get quite simple, and if desired, interesting, unlike the British or American festivals. Only those who are counting on summer heat are unlucky: do not be deceived by Nordic women in short shorts - you should pack more than one sweatshirt with a fleece so as not to darken the festival experiences with a snotty nose. From Gothenburg to Stockholm, on average, 4 hours by train, which fly by unnoticed, but in the city of the festival there is something to do before and after. After WOW, the Göteborg Cultural Festival traditionally begins (August 12-17) with events throughout the city, from fashion markets to ballet, where in six days you can learn about the cultural life of Sweden, it seems, almost everything. For the first planning of routes in the city, we recommend using the official website of the city, whose go: teborg avenues you will see more than once. Fans of museums who have not yet turned 25 can visit most of the expositions for free at all, this summer they recommend looking at the city from a bird's eye view ("Gothenburg from above"), tracing the history of Sweden through painting ("A Painted History") and admiring modern jewelery ("From the Coolest Corner: Nordic Jewelery"). In Stockholm, in the area of festival dates, a gay parade is held (July 28 - August 2), which the whole city is watching. In fairness, gay parades can be caught in almost any of the listed cities, but Stockholm is not just the biggest in Scandinavia - it is really a holiday for the whole city. Be sure to visit the classic sights like the Vasa ship museum, the Old Town and the bohemian Södermalm - cool weather is ideal for exploring the capital of Scandinavia.
Flow
Of all the Scandinavian fests, Flow is the most accessible: you can take a bus from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, as long as there is a visa. A lineup there usually looks something like Wow and Øya, so if you have already been to the countries listed above, you can also save a little by choosing Finland as your destination. And even though it is not officially considered to be Scandinavia (but only the country of Northern Europe), there is a completely Scandinavian spirit reigning in design minimalism and in the northern nature around. The largest in Finland, the Helsinki Festival has scattered venues and cultural events throughout the city during the last two weeks of the summer; in the Suomenlinna fortress, by the way, in addition to the festival, restaurant days will also begin. Among the events of the festival, for example, the newly found prologue of Shostakovich's opera "Orango" (conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen), previously performed in only two cities: Los Angeles and London, will be performed. The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in turn will pay tribute to the Finnish games and perform the soundtracks for Angry Birds, Clash of Clans and Alan Wake (why not), and in the performance of Australians Back to Back Theater Ganesh will fight with Hitler. This year, Finland marks the centenary of the birth of Tove Jansson, in connection with which it is not a sin to go to an exhibition entirely dedicated to the mummy trolls' mother. It is worth looking at the installations of Alfredo Jaara in the futuristic Kiasma (Museum of Modern Art), the Helsinki Yacht Week, the traditional lush changing of the guard and listen to modern folk music on Etno-Espa (August 11-21). At the end of the holiday, you can hack into techno at the local Weekend Festival (August 15-16). Well, since Schengen is open, you should sail on the ferry to Tallinn - nothing exceptionally interesting happens at this time, but it’s always nice to explore the beautiful Old Town and have a drink in a secluded bar.
Sziget
The Sziget festival, translated as an “island,” takes place, as you might have guessed, on the island of Obuda in Budapest. The modest name corresponds to a very immodest scale of 400 thousand visitors, 50 sites and countless third-party events. The festival may not be the most impressive by today's standards in terms of the lineup, but it gives an excellent reason to go to Hungary for a week - all of Eastern Europe goes exactly here. Much ahead of time this year the festival decided to open its branch abroad, but due to the Ukrainian events, the festival, scheduled for June in Kiev, was unfortunately canceled. Throughout the summer Budapest Summer Festival goes in Budapest, with events scattered around the city, and closer to the festival days (August 16-20) Mesterségek Ünnepe - Festival of Folk Arts in the Buda Castle begins. By the way, it will be possible to try Hungarian cuisine there - in general, the feeling is that summer is just another reason to hold a gastronomic festival, there are many of them in Budapest during the whole season, so you can’t even get into anything. Do not forget about the organ concerts in the Basilica of St. Stephen. In the summer, it is strongly recommended to visit the Szécheny Baths, the largest bath complex in Europe, where parties and a laser show are organized in the summer after ten in the evening. Contrary to the associations with Turkish foamy discos, swimming pools are so popular at least because of the weather - 30 degrees even in August in the capital of Hungary is not uncommon. If you stay until August 20, you can get to the main Hungarian holiday - St. Stephen’s Day, the founder of the Hungarian state.
Rock en seine
"Rock on the Seine" does not owe its name to either the hay or Lope de Vega, but exclusively to the place where it passes: the suburb of Paris Saint-Cloud, through which the river of the same name flows. The main music festival of the city takes place at the very end of the summer - a good time for those who love quiet and cool festivals. This year, his languor and completely rolls over - Lana Del Rey will arrive. The theme of romance unobtrusively takes place in many Parisian summer entertainments, whether it is nightly film screenings or festivals near the water. Among them are classic French cinema in the gardens and parks of Paris on "Cinéma au Clair de Lune" (until mid-August). All three months, the festival is held on the Urque canal - L'été du Canal, l'Ourcq en fête: thematic events, tanning Parisians, dances, and so on; The canal itself is especially beautiful where it passes through the Sevran Forest Park. The same, in general, the idea lies at the heart of the "Summer Festival of Parisian Surroundings" - Festival Paris quartier d'été, and within the framework of the Paris Plage, various points in the city are turned into beaches, and swimming pools are set over the Seine. Many museums in Paris are free on the first Sunday of the month, however, since you most likely will not be able to get to it, you should get the Paris Museum Pass card, from which it is very convenient to go to the Louvre, Georges Pompidou Center and Orsay Museum, whose new halls, if you were not in Paris in the last two years, be sure to look. До конца лета можно успеть на выставку об андеграунде со всего мира "Raw Vision" (Halle Saint-Pierre, до 22 августа), выставочную коллаборацию Дриса ван Нотена с Музеем декоративного искусства "Dries Van Noten: Inspirations" (до конца августа), а также выставку пионера итальянского абстракционизма Лучо Фонтана (Музей современного искусства, до 24 августа). Nota Bene: Вознесение Богородицы 15 августа считается национальным праздником (Fête de l'Assomption) - в это время Собор Парижской Богоматери становится местом религиозного паломничества.
Bestival
Последний по счету, но точно не по важности, Bestival, закрывает фестивальный сезон. Фест проходит на родине пушистых овечек острове Уайт - излюбленном месте в силу нулевого уровня преступности, летних языковых школ. В нефестивальное время остров возвращается в свое идиллически скучное существование, так что можно смело отправляться прочь, благо на поезде везде не так уж и далеко. Поклонницы (и поклонники) Джейн Остин совершенно точно должны заехать в Бат: среди невероятной архитектуры Бата в начале осени начинают разгуливать женщины в капорах - верный признак начала одноименного фестиваля (12-20 сентября). In London, Matisse is just ending (before September 7) and summer festivities as part of the city festival The Scoop, but the season of autumn events opens. In the British Museum exhibit 8 new mummies ("Ancient Lives"), simultaneously talking about technologies that allow for a detailed reconstruction; in continuation of the topic of archeology in the Museum of Natural History ends "Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story". In the Thames month in London, Buckingham Palace (up to 28) opens for public access and hosts classic events such as the Tall Ships Regatta (5-9), London Fashion Week, 12th Design Festival in London (13-21), exhibitions of young designers " Designers in Residence "(from 10) and open day for architects - Open House London (20-21) - with free access to many iconic buildings. The most strange and beautiful festival of the autumn harvest - “Parade of Pearl Kings and Queens” ends the series of events. Well, absolutely lucky if you manage to catch the monkey race (with people in costumes, of course) Great Gorilla Run to save the population of gorillas on the ground.
Photo: Sónar, Way Out West, Flow, Sziget, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 via Flickr, Getty Images / Fotobank (1)