Europe’s festival scene is second to none. From beachside sessions in Croatia to late-night raves in Amsterdam, the continent is home to some of the best events in the world. Whether you’re after high-energy club sets, boundary-pushing live performances, or something more laid-back, there’s a festival for every kind of dancer.
This guide rounds up the best festivals in Europe for 2026 – events that get it right year after year, with strong programming, standout locations, and the kind of energy that keeps people coming back.
The Hague, The Netherlands
April 9th-12th, 2026
City festivals have a special charm, offering the chance to explore unique spaces that might normally be inaccessible, as well as gain new perspectives on familiar buildings as they temporarily transform into creative playgrounds. At Rewire, you can experience sensory audiovisual delights in churches, theatres, galleries and public areas. Nothing beats the adrenaline-fuelled buzz of walking from one venue to another in anticipation of discovering your next favourite act. This year, dynamic pairings like Actress & Suzanne Ciani are a highlight.
RA Pick: Experimental jazz project ØKSE teams up with rapper billy woods for what promises to be a soul-stirring performance. Nyshka Chandran, Senior Editor
Lyon, France
Date expected: May, 2026
A festival that truly integrates its programme with its host city, Nuits Sonores offers many hidden gems. Beyond sets from some of clubland’s most innovative names, the Lyon gathering presents a wide range of free events, plus conferences, debates and workshops as part of Nuits Sonores Lab. The lineup is action packed, with the 2025 edition featuring the likes of Jeff Mills, DJ Danifox and Rosa Pistola. There’s a lot to explore at Nuits Sonores, so come ready to move.
Brussels, Belgium
May 14th-16th, 2026
After last year’s Horst Arts & Music, we praised the Brussels festival for the way it marries cutting-edge electronic music with striking production. The 2024 edition should push this partnership further still, as the team returns to ASIAT Park, an industrial-yet-overgrown former military base, to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary. Ravers from across Belgium, mainland Europe and beyond will descend on Brussels for three days of serious dancing. Featuring a broad mix of artists, as well as local stage hosts like Kiosk Radio, the lineup this year includes Four Tet, DjRUM, Josey Rebelle and DVS1. RA will return to host the Vesshcell stage, where we’ll welcome sets from BADSISTA, Verraco, DJ Marcelle and many more.
RA Pick: Horst is packed with exciting back-to-backs this year, such as Call Super and Parris. Katie Thomas, Senior Editor
London, England
May 22nd -24th, 2026
As summer arrives in London, the city’s parks come alive with festivals, and GALA is among the first to kick off the season, bringing thousands of ravers to Peckham for a three-day party. Back for its eleventh edition in 2026, GALA has become a key fixture in London’s festival calendar. The strength of the event stems from the reliability of its programming, alongside its slick production and dedication to working cooperatively with the local community. GALA continues to thrive amid the capital’s bulging festival offerings.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
May, 2026
AVA Festival is the jewel in the crown of Ireland’s festival circuit. The two-day event has become an essential date on the dance music calendar, boasting striking audiovisual installations, an expertly curated lineup and a crowd famed for their enthusiasm. Known for its raucous, up-for-it crowd and lineups that combine Irish talent with stars from further afield, it’s become one of the UK’s most loved festivals.
Barcelona, Spain
June 18th-20th, 2026
The influence of Sónar on European dance music festivals cannot be overstated. The longstanding Barcelona event created the blueprint that countless others have sought to emulate, and three decades on from its formation, it continues to push the boundaries of what a successful festival can look like. As part of an expansive cultural programme, the 2025 edition took over an array of spaces across the city, featuring sets from the likes of Four Tet, Peggy Gou, Honey Dijon, and Mochakk. Stay tuned for updates on the 2026 edition.
Crato, Portugal
June 16th-22nd, 2026
Since 2017, non-profit organisation Waking Life has hosted a yearly gathering celebrating the weird and the wonderful, offering attendees an escape from “default reality.” But it’s no hedonistic daydream: community values are fundamental to the festival’s otherworldly experiences, such as its no-photos-on-the-dance-floor rule and strict policies around littering. The musical programme is idiosyncratic, from minimal house stars, to heroes of UK dance music and a host of rising talents. The idyllic site also hosts regenerative agriculture workshops during the off-season, ensuring the team’s commitment to the land and local community continues far beyond the June reverie.
Somerset, England
Fallow year in 2026, next edition is in June 2027
What to say about one of the world’s best-known festivals, where something unexpected lies around every corner? Returning to Worthy Farm in Somerset across five blissful days, Glastonbury’s electronic programming pretty much covers all bases. All roads lead to the South East Corner after dark, where areas like Block9, Shangri-La and The Common play world-class dance music all night long. For those looking to avoid the trek to the South East Corner, Silver Hayes provides ample options, with stages like Levels and Assembly offering a diverse range of electronic sounds. And of course, there’s Arcadia, where a towering, fire-breathing installation—whether it’s a Spider or Dragonfly—creates an unforgettable backdrop for late-night raving. As the sun rises, there’s no better place to wind down than at the mystical Stone Circle.
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Tolmin, Slovenia
July 15th-17th, 2026
Around two hours south-west of Lake Bled’s famous turquoise waters, attendees at Butik Festival can wade into the similarly crystal-clear Soça river as they dance. In just six editions, the Slovenian festival has become one for festivalgoers in the know, thanks to its astute programming, intimate capacity and stunning natural beauty. From dancing in the river to daytime boat parties and stages that bring ravers together under glorious weeping willows, Butik is a barely touched festival paradise.
Gräfenhainichen, Germany
Date expected: July 2026
WHOLE isn’t just any queer festival—it’s the biggest in the world. Last year, 8,000 ravers descended onto Ferropolis, “the city of iron,” located between Berlin and Leipzig. The three-day festival turns the industrial surroundings into a nonstop playground for queer clubbers who fly in from all around the world. An element that’s vital to WHOLE’s success is the inclusion of queer collectives over individual DJs. In 2025, crews like Herrensauna, Pornceptual, Papi Juice and Cocktail D’Amore hosted stages.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Date expected: August 2026
Dekmantel turns eleven, and the celebrations are bigger than ever. Over five days, the festival takes over Amsterdam with a lineup that spans club pioneers, cult favorites, and next-gen innovators. A motley assortment of acts performed live in 2025, such as The Orb, Two Shell, Four Tet and Jeff Mills across intimate venues and the vast greenery of Amsterdamse Bos. Roll on the festivities.
Norfolk, England
August 6th-9th, 2026
Over the course of a few short years, Houghton has emerged as one of the UK’s best dance music festivals. The brainchild of long-running fabric resident Craig Richards, the weekender brings together some of the most sought-after names in minimal, tech house, deep house and much more, for an impeccably loose and headsy four days in the Norfolk countryside. Notable new names for 2025 included Budino, Al Wootton and Kyle Toole, alongside returning favourites like Zip, Saoirse and Rhadoo.
Norfolk, England
August 21st-24th, 2026
The Norfolk weekender–praised for its intimacy (capacity is little more than 1,000) and DIY energy (often likened to a ’90s rave)–holds a special place in the hearts of many UK festival goers. As always, the lineup consistently strikes a balance between international heavy-hitters (2024’s edition saw the likes of Jennifer Cardini, Solid Blake, Deena Abdelwahed) and regulars who can now consider themselves part of the wider FM family (Wheelman, Telfort, Ambient Babe Station Meltdown).
Berlin, Germany
Date expected: August 2026
Berlin Atonal is one of Europe’s most prestigious experimental electronic festivals. In honour of its standing, the event was recently made a member of the International Biennial Association, joining a network of arts showcases that also includes the long-running Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art. The team will celebrate this major milestone with a return to the Kraftwerk complex, where a typically avant-garde lineup will unfurl across clubs, venues and vast exhibition halls. Highlights include Moin, Malibu, Carrier, Purelink, Niecy Blues and the inimitable DJ E (AKA Chuquimamani-Condori).
Tisno, Croatia
August 27th-31st, 2026
Dimensions returns to The Garden in Tisno, where a contingent of serious dance music heads will gather for five days of raving, swimming, seafood feasts and breathtaking vistas, especially at dusk, when the sun melts into the Adriatic Sea. Across four stages on-site—plus additional boat parties and afterparties at legendary al-fresco club Barbarella’s—the festival will welcome sets from a slew of in-demand DJs and live acts. Highlights include Helena Hauff, DJ Fart in the Club, Softi and more.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Date expected: TBC
Tilburg festival Draaimolen has gradually built a reputation as one of the best independent festivals in Europe, so much so that weekend tickets for this year’s sold out long before any lineup announcements (don’t fret, there are still some late Friday tickets on sale.) All of this has been built without compromising on the ambitious, forward-thinking spirit at the heart of the festival. The 2024 edition featured legends paired with rising talents (DJ Paulette back-to-back ISAbella, Fadi Mohem back-to-back Moritz Von Oswald), spotlighted emerging talent (LUXE, KYRUH, FAFF). You can also expect site-specific art installations and stage design that will blow your socks off.
Athens, Greece
Date expected: September, 2026
Now in its 15th year, Plisskën remains one of Greece’s most forward-thinking festivals. Returning to Athens in mid-September for two days at Peiraios 260, the event is known for its sharp curation and independent ethos. The programme blends club sounds with experimentalism and forward-thinking pop auteurs: this year’s lineup includes King Krule, Brutalismus 3000, TOMM¥ €A$H, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, John Maus and Confidence Man. Beyond the music, Plisskën has been recognised twice by the Greener Festival Awards and runs The Lab, a free workshop series on festival production.
Turin, Italy
Date expected: October, 2026
Built on a foundation of futurism and innovation, C2C Festival has spent the past two decades establishing itself as one of Europe’s most far-reaching electronic events. The Turin weekender bridges the (not so wide) gap between pop and the avant-garde, crafting a programme that feels both accessible and mind-expanding. This year’s lineup is yet to be announced, but last year’s edition saw a Hessle Audio takeover, a history-of-Hyperdub performance from Kode9 and even a rare-as-hen’s-teeth DJ set from the iconoclastic Dean Blunt.
