Still wondering where to go on holiday next summer? Follow the music! Every year, a wide range of music festivals take place in Europe, but unfortunately the most famous ones often don’t suit students’ limited budgets. That’s why we’ve put together a list of 8 cheap music festivals that could become the perfect excuse to go on a language stay in one of our great destinations.
1. Solidays (Paris, France). June
This music festival is a charity event happening every year in Paris whose proceeds are donated to HIV/AIDS organisations. The performers accept a reduced fee to play there and the festival offers musical acts as well as art exhibitions, workshops and food trucks. Artists like David Guetta, Milky Chance and Shame will be there to entertain you, and the 3-day pass only costs €40 if you buy it in advance!
2. Low Festival (Benidorm, Spain). July
Sun, tapas and music… what else? Catch the Chemical Brothers, Phoenix or Vitalic at this nice and cheap festival on the Spanish Mediterranean coast! The 3-day pass costs around €67, and there are plenty of accommodation options in the area. Valencia and its amazing attractions are only 1h30 away… Plan your trip around the festival and enjoy the Spanish sun!
3. Nice Jazz Festival (Nice, France). July
The inaugural event took place in 1948 and hosted no less than Louis Armstrong and his All Stars! Since then, the Nice Jazz festival is an unmissable annual rendez-vous, if you like jazz. Tickets are only €39, and this year, artists such as Massive Attack will perform to celebrate the 70th birthday of this exciting festival on the French Riviera!
4. Victorious Festival (Portsmouth, UK). August
Portsmouth is definitely one of the most vibrant cities on England’s south coast, and it’s definitely a student favourite! If you decide to go in August, you’ll be able to enjoy this festival’s really cool line-up, with legendary bands such as The Libertines or The Prodigy. With day tickets starting from £33, the Victorious Festival definitely deserves a spot on our cheap music festivals list!
5. Rototom Sunsplash (Benicassim, Spain). August
Founded in Italy in 1994, this week-long reggae festival was moved to Benicassim in 2010. It’s definitely one of the largest festivals in Europe, but it managed to stay affordable. The full pass costs €160, but you can also choose to do only a few days (€65 for 2 days, for example). For its 25th edition, the festival is expecting legendary artists such as Ben Harper, Alborosie and Julian Marley.
6. We Can Dance (Zeebrugge, Belgium). August
About 1h30 from Antwerp and 2h30 from Brussels, the We Can Dance Festival is a quality electronic music festival in Zeebrugge. Get a weekend pass (€100) and dance until dawn with world-known DJs such as Agoria, Nico Stojan, Tale of Us and Stephen Bodzin. It’s the perfect excuse to visit Belgium next summer!
7. OASIS (Marrakesh, Morocco). September
If you are looking for an unusual destination for your language stay, this might be for you: the OASIS festival takes place in Marrakesh, in September. It’s slightly more expensive than the other cheap music festivals on this list (€140 for the weekend), but you’ll have the chance to listen to Carl Cox or The Black Madonna in an incredible setting!
8. Home Festival (Treviso, Italy). September
It only started in 2016, but the HOME Festival has quickly become the best music festival in Italy. Day tickets are only €35 and give you access to an exciting live music programme, which last year included amazing international artists such as Moderat, The Libertines, Justice and Liam Gallagher. Big plus: you’ll be 40 minutes away from beautiful Venice…
We offer language stays in all these destinations (or very close)… so, what about taking a language course followed by one of these festivals with your new friends? Plan your trip around one of these cheap music festivals and your summer will turn into a great language and music experience!
What do you think?