FURTHER AFIELD

SUNSPLASH ANTALYA
Where: Hillside Su, Antalya, Turkey
When: 3-10 May
What: Swanky week-long private party for 500 in a beachside Mediterranean hotel described by organisers as a “Stanley Kubrick film set”. Soundtrack by DJs Jamie Lidell, Gilles Petersen, Norman Jay, Baba Zula and more. Web: www.journey-anatolia.co.uk/sunsplash

WOMAD CACERES
Where: Cáceres, Spain
When: 7-10 May
What: WOMAD heads to Extremadura, Spain for the 19th year with a line-up of international artists, a global village of merchandise stalls and workshops for adults and children. Web: www.womad.org

NUITS SONORES
Where: Lyon, France
When: 20-24 May
What: Electronic music festival taking over more than 40 venues in the city, this year including a derelict factory, ice rink, opera house and swimming pool. Carl Craig, Dizzee Rascal and others supply the sounds. Web: www.nuits-sonores.com

PRIMAVERA SOUND
Where: Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain
When: 28-30 May
What: Scorchingly hot ticket, a bit like ATP but bigger (and sunnier), starring Neil Young, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Bloc Party, Jarvis Cocker, Yo La Tengo, The Jayhawks, Spiritualized, Michael Nyman, Throwing Muses, Phoenix, Shellac and mucho mas. No onsite accommodation. Web: www.primaverasound.com

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
When: 11-14 June
What: Yeehaw. Biggest event in the country music global calendar. Expect legends like Reba McEntire, new acts like Taylor Swift and over 130,000 Stetson-wearing kerrazies from all over the planet. Web: www.cmafest.com

SYNCH
Where: Athens, Greece
When: 12-14 June
What: “Innovative music, moving image and new media festival that attracts 13,000 revellers every year and takes place in a museum and factory. Tortoise, The Matthew Herbert Big Band, Friendly Fires, Merzbow And Wassermann play live and there are DJ sets from Mr Oizo and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard among others. Web: www.synch.gr

FESTIVAL COULEUR CAFE
Where: Brussels, Belgium
When: 26-28 June
What: Ben Harper, Ayo, Amadou & Mariam, Alpha Blondy, Emir Kusturica, Benabar and Cesaria Evora perform at this deliciously jolly Belgian roots and world music fest drawing around 65,000 punters a year. Web: www.couleurcafe.be

GODS OF METAL
Where: Bologna, Italy
When: 27-28 June
What: Mötley Crüe, Heaven & Hell, Slipknot, Dream Theater and Queensryche are among the top heavy metal acts heading for Italy’s largest metal festival, now in its 12th year. Web: www.godsofmetal.it

B’ESTFEST
Where: Bucharest, Romania
When: 1-5 July
What: Now in its third year, this multi-genre music festival has lured The Killers, Moby, Orbital, Franz Ferdinand, Santana and many more. Web: www.bestfest.ro

FORDE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Forde, Norway
When: 2-5 July
What: Fingers in ears, please, for this folkie Norwegian knees-up, which always includes top international roots acts as well as homegrown talent. Web: www.fordefestival.no

ROCK WERCHTER
Where: Werchter, Rotselaar, Belgium
When: 2-5 July
What: Tickets sell like hot Belgian buns for this big, mainstream four-day affair. Elbow, Coldplay, Lily Allen Oasis, Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails, Seasick Steve, Placebo, Limp Bizkit, Lady Gaga and more ply their trade. Web: www.rockwerchter.be

ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
When: 2-5 July
What: Gigantic mainstream European rock fest, the very first of which, in 1978, was headlined by Bob Marley. This year’s minstrels include Coldplay, Pet Shop Boys, Fleet Foxes, Tony Allen and the not-related Lily (a “Pop-prinsesse med beskidt mund” in their opinion). Web: www.roskilde-festival.dk

ROTOTOM SUNSPLASH
Where: Rivellino Park, Osoppo, Italy
When: 2-11 July
What: Europe’s largest reggae fest – in Italy. Funny old world. Web: www.rototomsunsplash.com

THE GARDEN FESTIVAL
Where: Petrcane, Croatia
When: 3-12 July
What: Intimate boutique dance/funk/jazz/electro fest situated in a 900-year-old village on the Adriatic coast. As well as acts like Faze Action and Henrik Schwarz, and DJs including Joey Negro and Kid Bongo, don’t miss the twice-daily Argonaughty Boat Parties. Web: www.thegardenfestival.eu

HULTSFRED FESTIVAL
Where: Hultsfred, Sweden
When: 8-11 July
What: Big Scandinavian indie fest, which this year has snaffled The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Franz Ferdinand, Cyndi Lauper, The Gossip and Regina Spektor among many others. Web: www.rockparty.se

EXIT
Where: Novi Sad, Serbia
When: 9-12 July
What: Launched in 2000 as an act of defiance against Milosevic’s exclusionist policies, this Balkan bash now draws upwards of 10,000 Brits each year and was voted ‘Best Festival On The Continent’ by the UK Festival Awards in 2007. This year Kraftwerk, Madness, Manic Street Preachers, Moby, Patti Smith and more show up. Web: www.exitfest.org

OXEGEN FESTIVAL
Where: Punchestown Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland
When: 10-12 July
What: Kings Of Leon, The Killers, Snow Patrol and Blur join the craic at the Emerald Isle’s biggest pop event. Tickets sold out. Web: www.oxegen.ie

DANCE VALLEY
Where: Spaarnwoude, Netherlands
When: 11 July
What: Annual dance music festival now in its 14th year. Web: www.dancevalley.nl

BENICASSIM FESTIVAL
Where: Benicassim, Spain
When: 16-19 July
What: A sort of Spanish Reading/Leeds with all-night music, warm climate and final-day beach party. This year Kings Of Leon, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Oasis try to bag the sun-loungers ahead of the Germans. Web: www.fiberfib.com

MELT! FESTIVAL
Where: Ferropolis, Germany
When: 17-19 July
What: Five massive coal-mining diggers form the backdrop to this cult German fest set on a peninsula surrounded by a lake. Performances from Royksopp, La Roux, Phoenix, Goldie and Kasabian among others. Web: www.meltfestival.de

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL CROATIA 09
Where: Petrcane, Croatia
When: 17-20 July
What: Gorgeous sounding new music fest promising four days of sunshine, clear turquoise sea, boat parties and top dubstep, reggae and world beats from the likes of DJ Yoda, The Bays, Hexstatic and Trojan Sound System. Price: £60 (5 tickets for 4 offer till end of May), tel: 08701 535 353, web: www.soundwavecroatia.com

BELGIUM RHYTHM ‘N’ BLUES FESTIVAL
Where: Peer, Belgium
When: 17-20 July
What: International blues fest. This year’s line-up includes Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers. Web: www.break-away.be

FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL
Where: Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata, Japan
When: 24-26 July
What: One of the world’s biggest and most beautiful festivals with Mount Fuji as its backdrop and an unusually high altitude. Animal Collective, Basement Jaxx and Fall Out Boy pack their crampons. Web: www.smash-uk.com

WACKEN OPEN AIR
Where: Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
When: 30 July-1 Aug
What: Twenty years old and “louder than hell”, this is said to be the largest exclusively metal music festival in the world and attracts fans and bands from all over. This year’s line-up includes Motörhead, Napalm Death, Cathedral, Lacuna Coil, In Extremo, In Flames and Engel. Web: www.wacken.com

LOWLANDS
Where: Flevoland, Netherlands
When: 21-23 Aug
What: Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Basement Jaxx and Bon Iver head for this progressive outdoor three-dayer which bills itself as “Glasto meets Goa” and features theatre, movies, comedy, art, literature, multimedia and more in addition to music. Web: www.lowlands.nl

ELECTRIC PICNIC
Where: Stradbally, Co Laois, Ireland
When: 29-31 Aug
What: Sixth outing for this smaller, more leftfield alternative to Oxegen, set on a beautiful 600-acre estate just 50 minutes from Dublin. Fine music from the likes of Orbital, Zero 7, Bat For Lashes, Flaming Lips, Klaxons, Damien Dempsey, Lisa Hannigan and loads more, as well as art, theatre, comedy, pantomine and holistic health. Web: www.electricpicnic.ie

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL
Where: Gerlach, nr Reno, Nevada, USA
When: 31 Aug-7 Sept
What: Not so much a festival as a life-changing social experiment, this unique happening started life on a San Francisco beach in 1986 and now lures over 25,000 people into the Black Rock Desert for one week each year to create a strange and utopian new city that disappears again afterwards, leaving scarcely a footprint. Entertainments tend towards the weird, big and spontaneous, with visitors expected to partake. You have to take all your own food, drink, etc. Culminates in the burning of a giant wooden man. This year’s art theme: Evolution. Web: www.burningman.com

LAKE OF STARS
Where: Chintheche Inn, Northern Malawi, Africa
When: tbc, October
What: Highly rated and unique shindig set on the palm-fringed shores of Africa’s third biggest lake and once described by The Guardian as being “pitched somewhere between a WOMAD-style showcase and a north of England rave”. Uniting NGO workers, extreme festival-goers, backpackers, Malawians and South Africans, it mixes up Western DJs with acts from all over Southern Africa. No camping, but accommodation nearby ranging from beach huts to five-star hotels. Web: www.lakeofstars.co.uk

ICELAND AIRWAVES
Where: Reykyavik, Iceland
When: 17-18 Oct
What: Having weathered lceland’s financial slump, this remains the place to be for international trend-spotters, playing host to around 170 acts – last year these included Vampire Weekend, Young Knives and delightfully named locals Fist Fokkers. Check out the special packages from airline Icelandair. Web: www.icelandairwaves.com

RENCONTRES TRANS MUSICALES
Where: Rennes, France
When: December
What: Très cool, cross-genre musical melting-pot in which France’s most successful acts (past years have played host to Manu Chao, Etienne Daho, Daft Punk and legions of other cool dudes français) meet underground sorts from around the world. Line-up tbc. Web: www.lestrans.com

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