FURTHER AFIELD

NUITS SONORES
Where: Lyon, France
When: 7-11 May
What: Electronic music festival taking over more than 40 venues in the city, including, this year, a derelict factory, ice rink, opera house and swimming pool. Einsturzende Neubauten and others supply the sounds. Web: www.nuits-sonores.com

ROCKET FESTIVAL
Where: Andalucia, Spain
When: 16-18 May
What: Coldcut headline this three-day event set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Andalucian mountains and promising to blend traditional British festie traditions with Spanish fiesta spirit (and sunshine). Kids’ field and Natural Living area, too. Web: www.rocketfestival.com

PRIMAVERA SOUND
Where: Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain
When: 29-31 May
What: Scorchingly hot ticket, a bit like ATP but bigger (and sunnier), starring Portishead, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Explosions In The Sky, Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las, The Notwist, Shellac, Sebadoh, Cat Power, Devo, The Sonics, The Go! Team, Rufus Wainwright, Dinosaur Jr., Tindersticks, Animal Collective, Young Marble Giants, Throbbing Gristle, and mucho mas. No on-site accommodation. Web: www.primaverasound.com

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
When: 5-8 June
What: Yeehaw. Biggest event in the world country music calendar. Expect legends, new acts and over 130,000 stetson-wearing kerrazies from all over the globe. Web: www.cmafest.com

HULTSFRED FESTIVAL
Where: Hultsfred, Sweden
When: 12-14 June
What: Big Scandinavian indie fest, which this year has snaffled Rage Against The Machine, Linkin Park, The Donnas, Rufus Wainwright, Jimmy Eat World, Babyshambles and The Hives, amongst many others. Web: www.rockparty.se

SYNCH
Where: Benaki Museum & Technopolis, Athens, Greece
When: 13-15 June
What: Greek-run “innovative music, moving image and new media festival” with sets from Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, Liars, Four Tet & Steve Reid and Roisin Murphy amongst others. Web: www.synch.gr

FESTIVAL COULEUR CAFE
Where: Brussels, Belgium
When: 27-29 June
What: Bouge de là! The one and only MC Solaar headlines this deliciously jolly Belgian roots and world music fest drawing around 65,000 punters a year. Orishas, Jimmy Cliff, Kassav and Zucchero, too. Web: www.couleurcafe.be

GODS OF METAL
Where: Bologna, Italy
When: 27-29 June
What: Top name-attracting heavy metal event, which has been running since 1997 and is the largest in Italy. Iron Maiden head the line-up. Web: www.godsofmetal.it

FORDE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Forde, Norway
When: 3-6 July
What: Worldy/folky Norwegian knees-up which always includes top international roots acts as well as homegrown talent. Web: www.fordefestival.no

ROCK WERCHTER
Where: Werchter, Rotselaar, Belgium
When: 3-6 July
What: Big Belgian job which started life in 1974 as a one-day festival, and from 1996 has built up to a four-day festival. Awesome line-up: REM, Radiohead, Neil Young, Moby, Underworld, The Verve, Kings Of Leon and more. Web: www.rockwerchter.be

ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
When: 3-6 July
What: Hooge mainstream European rock fest, the very first of which, in 1978, was headlined by Bob Marley. This year’s minstrels include MIA, Kings Of Leon, Grinderman, Duffy, Hot Chip, Enter Shikari. Web: www.roskilde-festival.dk

ROTOTOM SUNSPLASH
Where: Rivellino Park, Osoppo, Italy
When: 3-12 July
What: Europe’s largest reggae fest - in Italy. Funny old world. Not just music (from Inner Circle, Groundation, Junior Reed, Fully Fullwood, Lady Saw and more), but films and documentaries on reggae and rasta culture, and classes in African dance and digeridoo. Web: www.rototomsunsplash.com

THE GARDEN FESTIVAL
Where: Petrcane, Croatia
When: 4-6 July
What: Smallish dance fest with Norman Jay, Mr Scruff and Crazy P, situated on the Adriatic coast. Web: www.thegardenfestival.eu

EXIT
Where: Novi Sad, Serbia
When: 10-13 July
What: Voted ‘Best Festival On The Continent’ by the UK Festival Awards last year, this Balkan bash (this year featuring Gogol Bordello, The Gossip, Juliette And The Licks, MIA, Laurent Garnier, Sex Pistols, Primal Scream, Paul Weller and more) launched in 2000 as an act of defiance against the Milosevic’s exclusionist policies, and now draws upwards of 10k Brits each year. Web: www.exitfest.org

BELGIUM RHYTHM ‘N’ BLUES FESTIVAL
Where: Peer, Belgium
When: 11-13 July
What: International blues/country fest. This year’s line-up tbc: last year’s included John Hiatt and North Mississippi All Stars. Web: www.break-away.be

OXEGEN FESTIVAL
Where: Punchestown Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland
When: 11-13 July
What: Prodigy, Kings Of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs, Rage Against The Machine and REM join the craic at the Emerald Isle’s biggest pop event. Tickets sold out. Web: www.oxegen.ie

BENICASSIM FESTIVAL
Where: Benicassim, Spain
When: 17-20 July
What: Apparently every band’s favourite festival, with all-night music, warm climate and final-day beach party. This year’s beach bums include Leonard Cohen, My Bloody Valentine, Mika and Siouxsie. Web: www.fiberfib.com

MELT! FESTIVAL
Where: Ferropolis, Germany
When: 18-20 July
What: Cult German festie set on a peninsula surrounded by a lake against the backdrop of five massive coal mining diggers. Performances from Björk, Franz Ferdinand and Editors amongst others. Web: www.meltfestival.de

FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL
Where: Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata, Japan
When: 25-27 July
What: Set high up in the mountains, this is one of the world’s biggest and most beautiful festivals, with Mount Fuji as its backdrop. Shame the ugly mugs of Feeder, Ian Brown, Gogol Bordello, Hard-Fi and Primal Scream have to spoil it but that’s rock ‘n’ roll. Web: www.smash-uk.com

WACKEN OPEN AIR
Where: Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
When: 31 July-2 Aug
What: Said to be the largest exclusively metal music festival in the world, attracting fans and bands from all over. This year’s line-up includes As I Lay Dying, At The Gates, Children of Bodom, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, Kreator and Nightwish. Web: www.wacken.com

LA ROUTE DU ROCK
Where: Saint Malo, France
When: 14-16 Aug
What: Gigs and DJ sets on the beach by day, evening entertainment in an 18th-century fort by night. The Notwist are the only confirmed act at time of going to print. If you want to camp, book early. Web: www.laroutedurock.com

LOWLANDS
Where: Flevoland, Netherlands
When: 15-17 Aug
What: Billing itself as “Glasto meets Goa”, this Dutch three-dayer features music, theatre, movies, comedy, art, literature, multimedia and more. Web: www.lowlands.nl

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL
Where: Gerlach, nr Reno, Nevada, USA
When: 25 Aug-1 Sept
What: More a lifestyle experiment than a festival, this unique happening started life on a San Francisco beach in 1986 and now lures 25,000+ people into the Black Rock Desert for one week each year to create a strange and utopian new city that disappears again afterwards leaving scarcely a footprint. Entertainments tend towards the weird, big and spontaneous, with visitors expected to partake. You have to take all your own food, drink etc. Culminates in the burning of a giant wooden man. This year’s art theme: American Dream. Maaan. Web: www.burningman.com

ELECTRIC PICNIC
Where: Stradbally, Co Laois, Ireland
When: 29-31 Aug
What: Fifth outing for the Emerald Isle’s other big, mainstream pop fest (see also Oxegen), with The Sex Pistols (in, incredibly, their first ever Irish show), Sigur Ros, The Breeders, Franz Ferdinand, Wilco, Tinariwen, My Bloody Valentine and loads more. Web: www.electricpicnic.ie

LAKE OF STARS
Where: Chintheche Inn, Northern Malawi, Africa
When: 10-12 Oct
What: Uniting NGO workers, extreme festival goers, backpackers, Malawians, and South Africans, this unusual festival mixes up Western DJs like Gilles Peterson, Rob Da Bank and Annie Mac with acts from all over Southern Africa and has been described by The Guardian as being “pitched somewhere between a WOMAD-style showcase and a north of England rave”. No camping, but accommodation nearby ranging from beach huts to five-star hotels. Web: www.lakeofstars.co.uk

ICELAND AIRWAVES
Where: Reykyavik, Iceland
When: 15-19 Oct
What: The place to be for international trend-spotters, playing host to around 170 acts - last year Bloc Party, !!!, Buck 65 and native band Múm. Check out the special packages from airline Icelandair. Web: www.icelandairwaves.com

WOMAD CANARIAS
Where: Canary Island
When: 6-9 Nov
What: WOMAD grabs itself some winter sun. Web: www.womad.org

RENCONTRES TRANS MUSICALES
Where: Rennes, France
When: 4-6 Dec
What: 30th outing for this cool, cross-genre musical melting-pot in which France’s most successful acts (past years have played host to Manu Chao, Etienne Daho, Daft Punk and legions of other cool dudes français) meet underground sorts from around the world. Line-up tbc. Web: www.lestrans.com

WOMADelaide
Where: Adelaide, Australia
When: 7-9 Mar 2009
What: Adelaide’s beautiful Botanic Park is the setting for WOMAD’s Aussie adventure. Six outdoor stages featuring performances and intimate workshops by around 35 groups from over 20 countries. Plus a KidZone, visual arts and street theatre programs, and a Global Village of 100 arts, crafts, international cuisine and educational display stalls and three bars. Web: www.womad.org

WOMAD NEW ZEALAND
Where: Brooklands Park & TSB Bowl, New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
When: 14-16 Mar 2009
What: Performanses from more than 300 artists around the world in a stunning spot on NZ’s North Island. Web: www.womad.org

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