Europe’s finest and biggest music festivals are also some of the heaviest hitters in the world. When you think of the likes of Glastonbury, Tomorrowland, Primavera Sound, Rolling Loud Portugal and Mad Cool, it’s easy to realise how spoilt we are on the continent.

Here’s our run-down of a few European bucket list festivals in 2022, in no particular order and covering all kinds of genres.

Tomorrowland

Festival lineup (2020): Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Marshmello, Amelie Lens, Adam Beyer, Eric Prydz, NERVO

Tomorrowland is, simply put, the biggest electronic music show on earth. Massive lineups cherry-picked from any artist they could want, allied to an intense attention to detail, create an unrivalled wonderland that keeps on mesmerising the world.

When & where: 22-24 July & 29-31 July 2022; Boom, Belgium

Mad Cool Festival

Festival lineup (2022): Metallica, The Killers, Muse, Kings of Leon, twenty one pilots, Imagine Dragons, Faith No More, Pixies, Placebo

Only a few years old, Mad Cool is already one of Europe’s most glittering, glaringly popular festivals. It may not have the history and reputation for breaking ground that its Barcelona rival Primavera Sound commands, but in Mad Cool, Spain has gained another festival that stands alongside the continent’s biggest and best.

When & where: 6-9 July 2022; Madrid, Spain

Primavera Sound

Festival lineup: (2022): Massive Attack, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Tyler, the Creator, Jorja Smith, Gorillaz, Beck, Lorde, Dua Lipa, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Megan Thee Stallion

One of the most respected and celebrated festivals in the world, Primavera Sound celebrates a 20th anniversary edition in 2022 by doing what they do best – showcasing an eclectic, exciting, and progressive array of talent across the expansive lineup.

And as it’s a landmark edition, the Barcelona stalwart extends to two weekends for the first time, with a full week’s programming in the interim.

When & where: 2-12 June 2022; Barcelona, Spain

NOS Alive

Festival lineup (2022): Metallica, The Strokes, Imagine Dragons, Da Weasel, Faith No More, Royal Blood, alt-J, St. Vincent, Caribou, Phoebe Bridgers

Now one of Portugal’s biggest and most popular festivals, NOS Alive has been consistently curating forward-thinking lineups since 2007, mixing all-time greats with newfound talent in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.

When & where: 6-9 July 2022; Lisbon, Portugal

Time Warp

Festival lineup (2020): Richie Hawtin, Nina Kraviz, Adam Beyer, Sven Väth, Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Seth Troxler

A bastion of techno music’s evolution for nearly three decades now, Time Warp’s German flagship event is still the quintessential rave for any techno purist; ground-breaking audio-visual production, the scene’s biggest names, and like-minded electronic music enthusiasts consistently keep Time Warp at techno’s fore.

When & where: 2 April 2022; Mannheim, Germany