Christian P. Pewitt Blogs: 5 Up and Coming Music Festivals Gaining Popularity in Europe

Sunday, February 4, 2018

5 Up and Coming Music Festivals Gaining Popularity in Europe

Music festivals are an important meeting point between artists and their fans and can represent a major springboard in the career of aspiring musicians and bands. In recent years, the festival scene has become dominated by the major names in the market like Coachella, Tomorrowland, Rock in Rio, and Fuji Rock, to name just a few. Being booked by these can be a dream for any emerging band - but it can be hard, too, as all others know the importance of such an event in their careers. But there are many smaller events gaining a lot of attention nowadays that might be easier to get into, with potential fans that will set aside the mobile pokies guide they're reading to listen to what you have to play.

Fire is Gold, Vilvoorde, Belgium

Fire is Gold is an interesting initiative - it is a summer music festival focusing on sports and fashion, too. The inaugural edition of the event featured headliners like Wiley, Damso, Sevn Alias, Brodinski, Hamza, and Mula B, playing on stages alternating with basketball courts and skate ramps, among others. The event had supporters like Red Bull for skateboarding, had Jordan Kilgannon hold a slam dunk demo, and Sean Garnier do a freestyle showcase. Fire is Gold 2018 will take place on June 23.

Neverse, Constanta, Romania

Neversea is another music festival making its debut in 2017, this time on the Black Sea beaches of Romania. The event had headliners like Tiësto, Afrojack, Fatboy Slim, and Rita Ora, along with undercards like Bassjackers, Ferry Corsten, Netsky, Wilkinson, and Dub FX. The three-day event takes its attendees right to the beach. The promoters behind it are the guys responsible for Untold, the biggest EDM event in Romania to date.

Wacken Winter Nights

Wacken Winter Nights is an emerging winter festival taking place in Wacken, Germany, at the end of February. The event gained a lot of attention by winning the "Best New Festival" award at this year's European Festival Awards. Wacken Winter Nights is a "mystic medieval and fantasy festival", last year headlined by bands like Schandmaul, Torfrock, Coppelius, Elvenking, and many others.

Sea Star Festival

Sea Star Festival is a new event by the people behind Serbia's EXIT, taking place in Stella Maris, Umag (Croatia) between the 24th and 27th of May, 2018. The headliners of the event last year were The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Paul Kalkbrenner, Dubioza kolektiv, Modestep LIVE, Pendulum, among others. For this year, they haven't announced any participating artists and bands yet.

Waking Life

Waking Life is an arts and music festival in Crato, Portugal. Its location has been described as "a place with hidden realities waiting to be unveiled, in the endless plains and mountains, in the water that entertains and cures, in the great open spaces in the midst of nature". Its lineup consisted of bands and artists like Aleksi Perälä, Koodoo & LaMaz, Mihai Popoviciu, and many others. This year, the event will take place between the 15th and the 19th of August.