Festival lovers look to Europe with Glastonbury cancelled
With Glastonbury cancelled, ABTA is expecting more music lovers to look to continental Europe this year for their festival fixes. There are some great line ups available with the added bonuses of low prices, a foreign holiday and an adventure thrown into the mix.
In recent years some ABTA Members have seen bookings more than double for European music festivals and bookings are predicted to outperform the overall holiday market this summer.
Options are available throughout the continent with festivals in some of Europe's most fascinating cities or by the sea. Many festivals can pretty much guarantee good weather, rather than the traditional mud baths that can be part of the fun in the UK. With festivals running from the end of May until the beginning of September there are options available throughout the summer.
Prices in Eastern Europe are particularly good with festival tickets coming in at as little as £39, less than you would pay for a single gig in the UK. Many of the venues are in beautiful areas, with Benicassim in Spain standing out with its beach location, complete with showers! All of the festivals offer camping options, many included in the basic ticket price, but for those preferring a bit more luxury, B'ESTFEST in Romania, Exit in Serbia, Sziget in Hungary and INmusic in Croatia have the option of taking a hotel room in town.
Victoria Bacon ABTA Head of Communications: "Taking in an overseas music festival this summer is a great way of combining two British love affairs; live music and summer holidays abroad. British festival goers are an adventurous bunch and more and more of them are happy to go that extra mile for some truly amazing and memorable experiences. Ticket prices in Europe are often much lower than the UK and food and beer can be a lot cheaper too. There are now many specialist tour operators providing bespoke festival holidays that enable you to protect your money and ensure you avoid scams - contact your ABTA travel agent."