I’ve been to a few festivals abroad and each one has been different. I very much enjoyed all of them, but there are a few things I’d recommend if you’re thinking about buying a ticket.
- Lollapalooza, Berlin (2016)
The great thing about Lollapalooza was it was in the city. Transport links were easy to navigate and we found cheap accommodation not too far away. We only bought a day ticket, so we were able to sightsee and check out the city the next day.
We mainly went to watch Catfish and the Bottlemen and Kings of Leon. New Order also played, but there were a lot of European artists we hadn’t heard of. So, it was good if you wanted to discover new music.
A friend of ours was a roadie for Catfish and we stood at the front with a sign that simply said WIDNES, our hometown. Van McCann had family from Widnes, so he noticed our sign and made a joke. After they played, our mate passed us the set list. We still have it framed.
We met some good people, even girls from Australia. There was a good vibe there.
Getting out of the festival after the headliners was interesting. The exit led you to a train station and from there you should be able to find your way home. However, when you’re a little worse for wear, it was a little more difficult. Me and my husband managed to get lost for a little while. But, it’s all part of the adventure, right?
2) Rock Im Park, Nuremberg (2018)
There was a fallow year at Glastonbury, and the headliners at Rock im Park were too tempting to say no!
This was a camping festival, so we decided to make use of the pre-erected tents to save messing with trying to bring it all from the UK. We also decided to buy a VIP pass for the first day. The VIP bar provided free food and drinks.
When we arrived, we found our tent. We were surprised to see how small it was, having looked at the wrong pictures when booking. Then, getting the VIP bands proved difficult as the staff didn’t seem to know and directed us to other staff, who also didn’t know. Eventually, we got told we had to exit the festival and go to a hotel down the road. We found the hotel, got our bands and returned.
By this point, it was almost time for Foo Fighters to come on and we had spent money on the VIP bar only to end up getting a few hours use out of it. Or so we thought.
Our airbeds were surprisingly comfy, so the next day we ventured out and heard a band playing on the main stage we had never heard before. We went to listen and really enjoyed this band. It turned out to be Greta Van Fleet. We sat around and had a big pretzel wondering about our VIP bands. Other peoples bands had days written on them, whereas ours just said VIP. My husband, Jac, said let’s see if we can get back in. To our surprise, we had no problem getting back in. We got to use the VIP bar for the rest of the weekend. Winner.
We met some great people at this festival, including one German guy who became a good friend. We visited him in his home city, Frankfurt, the following year. We all went to watch Metallica that weekend.
Muse headlined the Sunday night, and we discovered Germans love to crowd surf. My husband decided he wanted to have a go, so off he went. It looked so fun, that as Knights of Cydonia played, I got up there and the crowd carried me forward to the front of the stage. It remains one of my favourite moments at a gig.
Overall, this was a great festival. I would definitely go again.
3) Mad Cool, Madrid (2022)
We were drawn to this for the absolutely belting line up. Having experienced the VIP bar at Rock Im Park, we jumped at the chance to book this at Mad Cool.
Although it wasn’t free drinks, drinks were cheaper in the VIP bar, and you had access to good toilets. Plus, use of the platform to view the main stage. We thought it was worth the extra money.
Like Lollapalooza, there was no camping available. So, we had a hotel booked. Transport in to the festival was easy enough. Due to the heat, the festival didn’t start until later in the day and went on later into the night. Getting out of the festival was much more difficult.
One night, we ended up getting on electric scooters and scooting back to the hotel as getting an Uber was impossible.
The festival was great. Friendly people, again, and a great atmosphere. The music was incredible. To purchase drinks, you need a band that you topped up with cash. I know some people had some issues with this, especially refunds after the festival. We didn’t experience this though.
Overall, all three experiences with festivals abroad have been positive. I would recommend trying at least one.
Leave a Reply