Festivals in Europe: Ultra, Tomorrowland and the Best Music Festivals to Plan Around

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Europe’s summer calendar runs from a Barcelona indie weekend in early June to an electronic week in Croatia in late August, and most of the big names sell tickets months ahead. This guide to festivals in Europe picks five to plan around, lays out a 2027 calendar, and then looks at three things readers search for most: Ultra Europe in Split, Tomorrowland in Belgium and the best music festivals by style. One timing point first: the 2026 season is over, Glastonbury took a fallow year in 2026, and the 2027 dates below come mostly from commercial guides, so treat them as planning dates until the official sites confirm.

Top Festivals in Europe: Five to Plan Around

These five were chosen for scale, reputation and how often they appear across the guides we read. They are our own selection, not an official ranking.

1. Tomorrowland (Boom, Belgium)

Wikipedia says the festival was first held on August 15, 2005 at De Schorre provincial park in Boom, with capacity listed at 200,000 per weekend and attendance of about 400,000 per edition. The 2026 edition ran over two weekends, July 17 to 19 and July 24 to 26, according to DJ Mag.

2. Ultra Europe (Split, Croatia)

An electronic festival held in Split since 2013, at Park Mladeži since 2019, with satellite events on nearby islands. Wikipedia gives attendance of around 150,000 for 2024. Dates for 2027 are listed as July 9 to 11 by two commercial Split guides.

3. Glastonbury (Somerset, England)

Mixmag reported that the festival takes a fallow year in 2026 and returns on June 23 to 27, 2027 at Worthy Farm, a working cattle farm. Organiser Emily Eavis called the break overdue, since the previous fallow year was 2018.

4. Sziget (Budapest, Hungary)

A five-day festival on Óbuda Island, a Danube island in Budapest’s third district. Budappest.com lists August 10 to 14, 2027, while Festival Networks lists only “August 2027, TBC”, so the dates are not yet firm across sources.

5. Roskilde Festival (Denmark)

Festival Networks lists June 26 to July 3, 2027, an eight-day multi-genre festival with about 130,000 people and camping, with tickets from about €355. Its figures are commercial and unconfirmed.

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Best Festivals in Europe by Month: A 2027 Calendar

The best Festivals in Europe are easiest to plan by month. From Festival Networks (checked October 25, 2026) unless noted, with “TBC” meaning dates were not yet confirmed there:

1. June 2–6: Primavera Sound, Barcelona, multi-genre, five days, tickets from €350.
2. June 23–27: Glastonbury, Somerset, per Mixmag.
3. June 26–July 3: Roskilde, Denmark.
4. July 1–4: Rock Werchter, Belgium, rock, tickets from €315.
5. July 9–11: Ultra Europe, Split, per Technoairlines and Split Holiday.
6. July, TBC: Tomorrowland, Belgium, from €270 per Festival Networks, and also Montreux Jazz Festival, NOS Alive in Lisbon and Dekmantel in the Netherlands.
7. July 14–18: Electric Castle, Romania, five days.
8. July 28–31: Wacken Open Air, Germany, metal, about 85,000 people, tickets from €364.
9. August 10–14: Sziget, Budapest, per Budappest.com.
10. August 26–31: Dimensions, Croatia, electronic, six days, from €195.

Timing note: Festival Networks lists EXIT in Serbia as paused, with no 2026 edition and a return to be confirmed. Sziget ran a free pre-registration and a Super Early Bird sale in August 2026, at €299 plus a €19 handling fee for a five-day pass, according to Budappest.com, so the cheapest window has passed. Watch for the next round of pre-registrations, which for Tomorrowland usually comes before a January sale, according to a fan guide.

Europe Ultras: What People Mean When They Search It

Search data for Europe Ultras is ambiguous, and the phrase can point to football supporters or ultra-distance running. In festival terms, it almost always means Ultra Europe, the Croatian edition of the Ultra brand, which the Wikipedia page says began in 2013. The next sections cover its footprint across Croatia and the practical side of attending in Split.

Ultra Festival Croatia: History and Island Events

The Ultra Festival Croatia story, from Wikipedia, in dated steps:

1. 2013: First edition on July 12 to 14 in Split and on Hvar, with about 103,000 attendees.
2. 2013 to 2018: Held at Poljud Stadium in Split.
3. 2016: The Friday was cancelled because of severe weather, and the festival reopened on Saturday with a 16-hour day.
4. 2019: Moved to Park Mladeži, where it has been held since.
5. 2022: Partly shifted to the islands, with a regatta at a Bol club on Brač, and Ultra Beach and Resistance at Carpe Diem Beach Club on the Pakleni Islands off Hvar.
6. 2024: Attendance of around 150,000.

For 2026, a promotional blog published in March 2026 reported a first-phase lineup of Calvin Harris, Dom Dolla and FISHER on day one, Martin Garrix, John Summit and Mau P on day two, and Miss Monique, Sara Landry, I HATE MODELS and WORSHIP on day three. It also listed related events: Regatta Party on Brač on July 13, Ultra Beach on Hvar on July 14 and Resistance Closing on Vis on July 15, according to Kukuvia, a Split tour-guide site, with separate tickets and ferries needed. Hvar ferries can sell out weeks ahead. We found no equivalent schedule for 2027, and the 2027 lineup had not been announced, per Technoairlines.

Ultra Festival Split: Tickets, Getting There and Where to Stay

For the ultra festival split itself, the Split Holiday guide (last updated September 10, 2026, run by a single author with affiliate links) gives these practical points for 2027:

1. Dates and venue: July 9 to 11, 2027 at Park Mladeži, roughly a 20-minute walk from the centre.
2. Tickets: General admission, VIP, VIP Ultra and Fan Pit, typically from about €229 to €499, rising as the date nears. Buy only through the official site. Kukuvia says early bird starts around €180 and that cheaper regional tickets are only for Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian passport holders.
3. Age: The LIVE IT listing says the event is for ages 18 and over, and general admission tickets are named, with ID checked at wristband collection.
4. Airport: Split Airport is about 25 to 30 minutes by car from the city centre and the venue.
5. Late-night transport: Taxis and Uber surge, night buses are limited, and walking is often fastest after shows.
6. Accommodation: Book two to six months ahead. Staying near the venue means a short walk but a quieter area, while the Old Town and Riva have more amenities but a 20-minute walk or a surge-priced ride each way. Kukuvia names Spinut and Skalice as closest and Podstrana or Kaštela as cheaper but far.
7. Payments: Kukuvia says the festival is cashless and leftover wristband balance must be claimed online within 48 hours after the festival, or it is forfeited. Check this against the official site.

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Tomorrowland Europe: The Belgium Original and Its Spin-offs

Mentions of Tomorrowland Europe usually mean the flagship festival in Boom, which ran 17 to 19 July and 24 to 26 July in 2026. Wikipedia notes that the main stage caught fire on July 16, 2025, two days before opening, destroying about 75% of it, with no injuries, and a smaller replacement stage was built by July 18. For 2027, a fan site updated on October 19, 2026 says official dates were not yet communicated and estimates two weekends in late July, which is an unconfirmed extrapolation. Our own suggestion is to expect a late-July slot and wait for the official announcement.

Tomorrowland’s other European event is Tomorrowland Winter in Alpe d’Huez, France, held since 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 editions cancelled, according to Wikipedia. DJ Mag also reported that a banner at the Belgian festival’s camping area showed Las Vegas among Tomorrowland’s 2027 locations, without dates or details, so it should be treated as a teaser. Ticket sales for the 2026 edition followed a pattern of pre-registration on December 8, 2025, then a Global Journey sale and a Belgian sale in January, then a worldwide sale on January 31, 2026, per DJ Mag, and 2027 is likely to follow a similar order, though this is unconfirmed.

Best Music Festivals in Europe by Style

Which of the best music Festivals in Europe suits you depends on the sound. Genres below are as described by Festival Networks:

1. Electronic: Tomorrowland, Ultra Europe, Dekmantel in the Netherlands, Dimensions in Croatia and Sónar in Barcelona, which pairs electronic music with art and technology.
2. Multi-genre: Primavera Sound, Roskilde, NOS Alive and Glastonbury.
3. Rock and metal: Rock Werchter in Belgium and Wacken Open Air in Germany.
4. Jazz and blues: Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, which also lists rock, pop and electronic and over 600 events.
5. Indie and hip-hop: Way Out West in Sweden, which mixes indie, electronic and hip-hop.

Season note: Almost every festival above sits between June and August, so flights and rooms in host cities rise together. The most reliable rule from the sources is to register early, since early-bird windows at Sziget and Ultra sell out first.

Must Read: 8 Best European Music Festivals to Experience in 2026

Conclusion: Pick Your 2027 Festivals in Europe Early

Whether you want the stage spectacle of Tomorrowland, a Croatian summer at Ultra Europe or a week of rock at Roskilde, the best Festivals in Europe reward planning, with dates in June to August 2027 and ticket windows opening months earlier. Confirm each date on the festival’s own site, set alerts for pre-registration and book rooms in Split, Boom or Budapest before the lineup drops.

Heading to a festival in Europe in 2027? Open the Explurger app to find travelers on the same dates and share lodging and transfer plans.

FAQs About Festivals in Europe