The best 20 European festivals to visit during Glastonbury’s 2026 fallow year

Glastonbury Festival is taking a break in 2026, which means music lovers all over the UK will be searching for new festivals to fill that Glasto-shaped hole in their summer plans.

Every five years, Glastonbury takes a well-deserved pause to let Worthy Farm recover and keep things running smoothly for the future. It’s great for the land and the festival, but it leaves thousands of us wondering where to get our next big live-music fix.

To help you find your next festival adventure, we’ve put together the Summer Festival Index. We’ve ranked some of Europe’s biggest festivals by ticket price, travel costs, weather, headline acts, Spotify popularity, and social media buzz.

So, where should you go while Glastonbury takes a break? Here are the top festivals across Europe to check out in 2026.

The top 20 Glastonbury alternatives in Europe

These festivals have the best mix of affordable tickets, great weather, popular artists, and unbeatable atmosphere, according to our Glastonbury Alternatives Index.

Primavera Sound – Barcelona, Spain
Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary
Electric Love – Salzburg, Austria
Phil Good Festival – Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Tomorrowland – Boom, Belgium
InMusic Festival – Zagreb, Croatia
Frequency Festival – St. Pölten, Austria
Lovestream Festival – Bratislava, Slovakia
Way Out West – Gothenburg, Sweden
Openair Frauenfeld – Frauenfeld, Switzerland
Bilbao BBK Live – Bilbao, Spain
Rock en Seine – Paris, France
Parookaville – Weeze, Germany
Southside Festival – Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany
Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
Mad Cool Festival – Madrid, Spain
Roskilde Festival – Roskilde, Denmark
Ruisrock – Turku, Finland
Rock Werchter – Leuven, Belgium
Bospop – Weert, Netherlands

Spain leads the rankings with Primavera Sound

One thing that really stands out? Spanish festivals are leading the way, with several making it into the top spots.

Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Mad Cool in Madrid, and Bilbao BBK Live all offer warm summer weather, less rain, and world-famous lineups. If you want sunshine with your music, these Spanish festivals are hard to beat.

Budapest’s Sziget festival takes second place

Next up is Sziget Festival in Budapest, taking second place. It’s not just one of Europe’s biggest music festivals; it’s also one of the most iconic.

The festival takes over Obuda Island, drawing huge headliners and festival-goers from all over the world. It scored highly in our index for its impressive line-up, sunny weather and lively city setting.

Austria’s Electric Love Festival rounds out the top three

Rounding out our top three is the Electric Love Festival in Salzburg, Austria.

With the scenic setting of the Austrian Alps, Electric Love has become one of Europe’s top electronic music festivals. Even though it scored a little lower for rainfall, its popular line-ups and great value tickets helped it earn a spot as one of the best Glastonbury Alternatives.

Overall, Europe’s festival scene is booming

With Glastonbury on pause in 2026, all eyes are on Europe’s buzzing festival scene.

From the massive electronic beats of Tomorrowland in Belgium to the all-genre fun of Sziget in Budapest, Europe has festivals that can easily rival the UK’s best.

Plus, lots of these festivals have great value tickets and give you the perfect excuse for a summer city break.