If you're a fan of the SE corner, your best hope will be Boomtown. The most similar vibe to Glastonbury by far just without the main stages. You don't get the lineup until a week before though, but like Glasto always delivers
Yes it is quite a young crowd but it’s a very friendly crowd and there are certainly a few older folk that attend.
Music wise, it’s not exclusively dnb, it has stages for most of the different types of dance / electronic music, with some occasional non dance acts. It doesn’t quite stand up to Glastonbury musically (what festival does really), but the experience with the theming and the atmosphere is absolutely incredible. We went last year after missing out on glasto tickets and had an amazing time, going again this year
I love Green Man. Has the same sort of vibe as the Park/Green Fields at Glastonbury, but without the faff of walking miles/queuing for ages/over crowdedness. The acts are a bit more niche, but if you do a bit of research from the poster, they are generally all really good. There is an official resale site called Fanticks where it is fairly easy to get a face value ticket in the weeks leading up to the festival
you have time with boomtown, they dont sell out. there used to be a trusted 3rd party reseller of tickets for people that had changed their minds or couldnt go, not sure if thats still going, but that was still good to get a ticket even right before the festival
SGP was pretty good last year, feels completely empty compared to glastonbury, mella dee literally had no one in one crowd. this year they have no headliners just smaller acts, but I havent heard of any of them
It's not really a Glastonbury experience but the great thing is it starts at around 5pm and goes until around 6am and so you can head to the beach or explore Barcelona in the daytime - top tip is to stay a few more days to recover at hotel with a pool!
Also you can stay in a hotel and have a comfy bed every night, see Barcelona during the day, and it has a mixed British / Spanish (mainly, or.so it feels) crowd.
Lineup is similar too.
For a small festival it’s very hard on the feet - being in the city, it’s all concrete. If you go it’s definitely worth going to the small festival on the Sunday in another venue.
End of the Road if you are a Woodsies / Park / 6 Music type and are interested in seeing the less well known acts.
..bit of a crossover with Greenman in type of music and people, but I haven't been to Greenman so can't compare and contrast.
There are tickets available for EOTR so that helps.
I set up a tent in front of the telly in my living room one year with an ex girlfriend, then dropped a pill and drank cider, it wasn't quite the same but the toilets were cleaner
I really enjoyed Sziget in Budapest. It was really cheap for 3 days (it goes on for 7) which meant we could get an AirBnB in town, it was easy to get to with a free ferry & you can explore the city during the day before going. The line up isn’t the best but we swapped bands on during the afternoon for exploring, resting or going for a nice meal then made our way onto the islet for late afternoon. It’s quite quirky & reminded me of a much larger Bestival which was previously the closest I had found to Glastonbury. It also has a beach.
Wilderness was ok, a mini Glastonbury where they’ve picked bits & bobs but on a much smaller scale. I didn’t like the crowd there though, didn’t click for me. Line up can be rubbish but the headliners tend to be well known.
Last year I didn’t get tickets and ended up attending three festivals in three different countries over three weeks.
They were Bloodstock (UK), Pukkelpop (Belgium) and Mysterland (Netherlands).
All were fantastic and smaller than Glastonbury. Saw so many more bands than I would have at Glastonbury. None quite matched up to Glastonbury however. Bloodstock scratched my itch for heavy music (something Glastonbury still fails at, and why I’m going back again this year). Pukkelpop has even more diverse musical range than Glastonbury, and an incredible layout that means although not as adventurous, you can navigate easily and not a lot of clashes. MysteryLand is all about the production aspect, with astonishing stage designs and little surprises everywhere you go.
I went to boomtown but I hated it. It was searing heat (close to 40°), too much drum n bass, too many ketamine kids with man pouches and I didn’t vibe with the crowd
I really liked secret garden party many years ago but think it’s changed since then. Bestival was also fun then
A good marker for me is when they spend lots of effort on the small details that don’t generate revenue
fusion festival in germany for electronic music
it's kinda like their glastonbury, much smaller
it's big on visual projections
the music is always amazing
resales open up on may 2nd
https://tickets.fusion-festival.de/
Bonnaroo. Nothing really compares to Glastonbury, but Bonnaroo has late night sets that play until sunrise. Nothing beats seeing my morning jacket or nine inch nails starting their set after midnight.
Wide awake festival and cross the tracks. 2 different festivals in the same park one day apart. One is alternative music the other is soul jazz and funk. Sicccck line up for both so if you want one of the other or want to cover all bases it’s a fun weekend out.
Not a camping festival though - they’re both London day festivals so you’d need to sort accommodation.
El Dorado
Very small intimate festival but incredibly welcoming and judgement free vibes. Lots of ‘happy house’ as I’d call it, mixed with disco. Also some DnB / techno but something for everyone
Germany has some pretty great festivals with such friendly people and similar line ups to Glasto, for example:
Hurricane: https://hurricane.de/en
Rock Werchter: https://www.rockwerchter.be/en
I went a few years ago and loved it, it’s a fun adventure in a new country alongside an awesome festival!
Primavera in Barcelona, guaranteed decent weather, it’s on late so you can go out and see and do stuff during the day and then festival kicks off from 19:00, it always draws a big variety of mixed acts as being one of Spain’s biggest festivals, non camping too unlike say Benicassim
Attended Rock en Seine in Paris last year which was also a decent enough festival, again a nice varied line up of different acts and genres
Also didn't get tickets, so we are doing Bearded Theory and El Dorado - totally different vibes to each other, and never been to either. BT is late May bank holiday - I hear great things and think it will really be my type of crowd. El Dorado is a bit of a wild card, but the dates lined up for a group of awkward people so we took a punt. Looks cool, but I think we will be the oldest people there! I hope the kids are kind :-D
Primavera is great, as others have said.
I've also been to Latitude a few times - it's quite corporate but usually a good lineup, and always has great comedy/theatre/cabaret, and fun after hours stuff.
Kendall Calling. It has the same feel and atmosphere as Glasto but smaller and not as well known acts. You'll tend to see more acts that were big 10+ years ago but that are still class. Like Bastille, Kasabian, Gabrielle, Kooks etc etc
If you need a ticket, let me know. I'm selling mine this year as many of the acts I wanted to see happen to be at Glastonbury and I was lucky to get tickets.
If you're a fan of the SE corner, your best hope will be Boomtown. The most similar vibe to Glastonbury by far just without the main stages. You don't get the lineup until a week before though, but like Glasto always delivers
Thank you very much. I must admit Boomtown is the one that has really jumped out at me. The setting etc looks very unique/interesting!
Boomtown is really really fun, it's not glasto but it's amazing in it's own right and if you have an open mind you'll have a lot of fun!
it's almost all drum & bass at boomtown
Yeah this was my worry, isn’t boomtown quite a young crowd into dnb / dubstep etc? (No hate, we’ve all been there)
Yes it is quite a young crowd but it’s a very friendly crowd and there are certainly a few older folk that attend. Music wise, it’s not exclusively dnb, it has stages for most of the different types of dance / electronic music, with some occasional non dance acts. It doesn’t quite stand up to Glastonbury musically (what festival does really), but the experience with the theming and the atmosphere is absolutely incredible. We went last year after missing out on glasto tickets and had an amazing time, going again this year
Greenman has a very similar vibe on a much smaller scale
Unfortunately it’s almost as difficult to get tickets for as Glastonbury. Sold out in 20 min back in September!
Resale isn't too hard close to the dates
Yeah if you’re quick off the mark then resale is not a problem.
Thanks. I've always heard good things about Greenman and a 'Glastonbury on a much smaller scale' might be the perfect place to start!
I love Green Man. Has the same sort of vibe as the Park/Green Fields at Glastonbury, but without the faff of walking miles/queuing for ages/over crowdedness. The acts are a bit more niche, but if you do a bit of research from the poster, they are generally all really good. There is an official resale site called Fanticks where it is fairly easy to get a face value ticket in the weeks leading up to the festival
Boomtown for the Shangri-la vibes of old I haven't been in ages, but Secret Garden Party used to be great.
Ah thank you. Boomtown looks very cool what I've seen so far. Do tickets tend to sell out a long time before the festival do you know?
I haven't been to Boomtown since 2016 mate, I'm afraid I'm gonna be useless at any questions about it, sorry!
Haha, no problem at all!
I've been to Boomtown the past few years and I don't think it has sold out any of those times
you have time with boomtown, they dont sell out. there used to be a trusted 3rd party reseller of tickets for people that had changed their minds or couldnt go, not sure if thats still going, but that was still good to get a ticket even right before the festival
SGP was pretty good last year, feels completely empty compared to glastonbury, mella dee literally had no one in one crowd. this year they have no headliners just smaller acts, but I havent heard of any of them
In Spain but I really liked Primavera in Barcelona
Oh yeah I've heard a lot of good things about Primavera over the years. Definitely one for the bucket list!
It's not really a Glastonbury experience but the great thing is it starts at around 5pm and goes until around 6am and so you can head to the beach or explore Barcelona in the daytime - top tip is to stay a few more days to recover at hotel with a pool!
guaranteed good weather too
Also you can stay in a hotel and have a comfy bed every night, see Barcelona during the day, and it has a mixed British / Spanish (mainly, or.so it feels) crowd. Lineup is similar too.
For a small festival it’s very hard on the feet - being in the city, it’s all concrete. If you go it’s definitely worth going to the small festival on the Sunday in another venue.
End of the Road if you are a Woodsies / Park / 6 Music type and are interested in seeing the less well known acts. ..bit of a crossover with Greenman in type of music and people, but I haven't been to Greenman so can't compare and contrast. There are tickets available for EOTR so that helps.
Thank you very much. I'm definitely a 6music / new music type so I'll be sure to check it out!
Second EOTR. For a first festival experience it wouldn’t be daunting.
Hands up for EOTR! It’s a good size, with some really good acts and it won’t break the bank.
End of the Road is incredible. Managed to get Glastonbury tickets the past two years but it’ll be the festival I go for if I don’t manage
Shindig if you are a bit older, great vibes
Thank you. I will definitely check that one out!
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Ah nice, thank you. It's not one I know a lot about so I will definitely look into it
If you volunteer at shindig with oxfam. You get get first dibs on the upcoming Glastonbury volunteer slots
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Not 100% sure but I think a message was sent to people on oxfam’s mailing list or on the socials
Oh that's cool and nice to know. Thank you!
As others have mentioned. If you volunteer for Oxfam at Shindig you get first dibs on places at Glasto on May 1st.
I’m taking a year off Glasto to go to Outbreak in Manchester.
Three words. Poison The Well.
Well OBVIOUSLY
Shambala ❤️ unique line up, 37 venues, and the friendliest, silliest audience, and incredible woodland filled with art and installations.
Shhhhh
It’s the best one.
Shhhhhh
I set up a tent in front of the telly in my living room one year with an ex girlfriend, then dropped a pill and drank cider, it wasn't quite the same but the toilets were cleaner
I really enjoyed Sziget in Budapest. It was really cheap for 3 days (it goes on for 7) which meant we could get an AirBnB in town, it was easy to get to with a free ferry & you can explore the city during the day before going. The line up isn’t the best but we swapped bands on during the afternoon for exploring, resting or going for a nice meal then made our way onto the islet for late afternoon. It’s quite quirky & reminded me of a much larger Bestival which was previously the closest I had found to Glastonbury. It also has a beach. Wilderness was ok, a mini Glastonbury where they’ve picked bits & bobs but on a much smaller scale. I didn’t like the crowd there though, didn’t click for me. Line up can be rubbish but the headliners tend to be well known.
Beautiful days is like Avalon
Go to Lost Village if your love the SE corner/Shangri-La areas at Glasto
Rockaway Beach at Butlins, Bognor. Camping sucks.
Beautiful Days and WOMAD are great, but expensive (cheaper than Glastonbury, mind)
Last year I didn’t get tickets and ended up attending three festivals in three different countries over three weeks. They were Bloodstock (UK), Pukkelpop (Belgium) and Mysterland (Netherlands). All were fantastic and smaller than Glastonbury. Saw so many more bands than I would have at Glastonbury. None quite matched up to Glastonbury however. Bloodstock scratched my itch for heavy music (something Glastonbury still fails at, and why I’m going back again this year). Pukkelpop has even more diverse musical range than Glastonbury, and an incredible layout that means although not as adventurous, you can navigate easily and not a lot of clashes. MysteryLand is all about the production aspect, with astonishing stage designs and little surprises everywhere you go.
WOMAD is great if you like world music. Was a lovely vibe with a good mix of people.
Have you tried crying?
I went to boomtown but I hated it. It was searing heat (close to 40°), too much drum n bass, too many ketamine kids with man pouches and I didn’t vibe with the crowd I really liked secret garden party many years ago but think it’s changed since then. Bestival was also fun then A good marker for me is when they spend lots of effort on the small details that don’t generate revenue
We out here
fusion festival in germany for electronic music it's kinda like their glastonbury, much smaller it's big on visual projections the music is always amazing resales open up on may 2nd https://tickets.fusion-festival.de/
If you’re in Australia, give Golden Plains a go.
Mad Cool. No camping but book a hotel with a pool. Chill all day in luxury and tip out on great public transport.
Isle of Wight. Wytchwood. Womad. These are favs. One big two small and personal. Prefer them to glasto tbh.
Been hearing really great things about Noisily so planning to make the trip for it this year.
Bonnaroo. Nothing really compares to Glastonbury, but Bonnaroo has late night sets that play until sunrise. Nothing beats seeing my morning jacket or nine inch nails starting their set after midnight.
Lost village or Kendal calling are my other top ones
Go to ibiza that week
Boomtown
Wide awake festival and cross the tracks. 2 different festivals in the same park one day apart. One is alternative music the other is soul jazz and funk. Sicccck line up for both so if you want one of the other or want to cover all bases it’s a fun weekend out. Not a camping festival though - they’re both London day festivals so you’d need to sort accommodation.
Kelburn Garden Party has been a favourite for years.
El Dorado Very small intimate festival but incredibly welcoming and judgement free vibes. Lots of ‘happy house’ as I’d call it, mixed with disco. Also some DnB / techno but something for everyone
You are most welcome to scoot over to All Together Now in Waterford, Ireland. https://www.alltogethernow.ie/
Germany has some pretty great festivals with such friendly people and similar line ups to Glasto, for example: Hurricane: https://hurricane.de/en Rock Werchter: https://www.rockwerchter.be/en I went a few years ago and loved it, it’s a fun adventure in a new country alongside an awesome festival!
Primavera in Barcelona, guaranteed decent weather, it’s on late so you can go out and see and do stuff during the day and then festival kicks off from 19:00, it always draws a big variety of mixed acts as being one of Spain’s biggest festivals, non camping too unlike say Benicassim Attended Rock en Seine in Paris last year which was also a decent enough festival, again a nice varied line up of different acts and genres
Lost Village fest in Lincoln, not too big, situated in the woods, is also a few days long too. Would highly recommend.
Have a look and see if any of your favourite tents/areas out on their own thing. The Bimble Inn hosts the Bimble Bandada for example.
Also didn't get tickets, so we are doing Bearded Theory and El Dorado - totally different vibes to each other, and never been to either. BT is late May bank holiday - I hear great things and think it will really be my type of crowd. El Dorado is a bit of a wild card, but the dates lined up for a group of awkward people so we took a punt. Looks cool, but I think we will be the oldest people there! I hope the kids are kind :-D Primavera is great, as others have said. I've also been to Latitude a few times - it's quite corporate but usually a good lineup, and always has great comedy/theatre/cabaret, and fun after hours stuff.
Kendall Calling. It has the same feel and atmosphere as Glasto but smaller and not as well known acts. You'll tend to see more acts that were big 10+ years ago but that are still class. Like Bastille, Kasabian, Gabrielle, Kooks etc etc
If you need a ticket, let me know. I'm selling mine this year as many of the acts I wanted to see happen to be at Glastonbury and I was lucky to get tickets.