There's no other way to get to know Europe quite like doing a summer music festival tour. Get out of Australia when the seasons are changing – leave winter for sunny Europe and enjoy fun, music and friends.
Packed into a couple of wonderfully busy days are camp-outs, food stalls, live entertainment and a whole lot of great music that will get you bopping your head and singing along.
Here are three not-to-miss festivals:
Amsterdam Open Air Festival
June 7 – 8, 2014
Taking place early June, this festival has been dubbed "unforgettable". In Gaasperpark, throughout the rose and floral gardens, it brings together musical delights as well as good food and company.
With the acts spread out over nine stages, five of which are bigger for the headliners, you'll have your pick of who you go and see from the star-studded line-up. This year, that includes Tensnake, Maribou State, Bakermat, Hudson Mohawke, Four Tet, across the Saturday and Sunday.
The beats mainly consist of more electronic styles, including house music, disco and hip hop.
As the day turns to night, you'll find yourself in the middle of Amsterdam's night-life and surrounded by electro music, which is an adventure in and of itself.
Orange Warsaw Festival
June 12 – 15, 2014
This Polish festival takes place every year and is a definite must on your festival route. This year it will showcase some stellar acts, who are all set to perform mid June. The line-up includes: Bring Me the Horizon, Chase and Status, David Guetta, Florence and the Machine, I Am Giant, Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, Queens of the Stone Age and Pixies.
The venue for the festival is the Warsaw National Stadium. Also home of the Polish National Football Team, the stadium holds 60,000 people and has a retractable roof so you can listen to your favourite bands under the stars.
Glastonbury Festival
June 25 – 29, 2014
This festival doesn't have its reputation for being a once-in-a-lifetime experience for nothing. Since it started in 1970, it's become the largest greenfield festival in the world – with 175,000 people showing up every year. The location adds the element of nature and is a great backdrop for the massive stages, live music and thousands of fellow festival goers.
Attendees will find all of the latest and greatest musicians in one place, surrounded by a host of other entertainment opportunities, including dance, comedy, theatre, circus and cabaret, as well as food and drink galore to give you that boost you'll need throughout the week.
This year Glastonbury will span five days at the end of June, and the line-up doesn't skimp on quality. Some notable attendees are Arcade Fire, Metallica, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran, The Black Keys, Lana Del Rey, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons and London Grammar. There are still acts to be announced that will take to one of the 100 stages.
Every year the festival teams up with a few worthy causes. This year, and for many previously, these organisations have been Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid. These corporations offer volunteers and help in any way they can to make the festival great – while also spreading the word about who they are and what they do. WaterAid is non-profit and works to provide clean water, safe toilets and hygiene to those who don't have it – they work in 27 countries all over the world and help millions of people every year.
When you're planning your trip to Europe, find room for an authentic festival and make a memory that you'll have for your life.
