Next year it will be 20 years since the European Community expanded into Eastern Europe. At that time, the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus were joined by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. the starting signal for building a rich music and festival scene.
The Sziget Festival, for example, on the Danube island “Óbuda” in Budapest is one of the largest live events on the continent (10th to 15th August 2023). But there is also a lot to discover further east and south-east outside of the EU. The ticket and beer prices are no longer as cheap as they were in the noughties or tens. But a May, June or July trip off the beaten track, combined with nature and city sightseeing, is always worth it.
Tallinn Music Week (TMW), Estonia
May 10-14, 2023
The “Convention Festival” (= specialist congress and newcomer meeting) that has existed since 2009 plays in the historic old town and the local hotspots between the historic old town, the former industrial hall “Kulturi Katel” and the alternative district “Telliskivi”. Live gigs in the midst of a lively tech, design and food scene. Last year, the organizing team relocated part of the TMW without further ado in an extremely explosive zone: in the Estonian border town of Narva, where the blue, white and red flag of the Russian Federation is already waving on the other side of the river. A sign of the small country for the freedom of (pop) culture.
8 Festival, Vilnius, Lithuania
June 16-18, 2023
A newer festival brand that rises in the former prison complex “Lukiskes”. The subtitle “my bloody festival” stands for a certain rebel attitude of the makers. The musical spectrum in the Lithuanian capital moves over three days between Anna Calvi, Kevin Morby, Sophia Kennedy, punk rock and local heroes. The baroque old town of Vilnius (“The Rome of the North”) with craft beer bars and cafes or the park zones on the riverbank invite you to relax and chill out.
Open’er Gdynia, Poland
June 28 to July 01, 2023
The largest Polish pop music festival was first held in the capital city of Warsaw in 2002 before moving to the port city of Gdynia on the Baltic Sea, not far from Gdansk (Danzig). A line-up with big (international) names; some are performing here for the first time in Poland. The venue is a former military airport that offers plenty of space for all sorts of fringe attractions. So far, performances by Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Arctic Monkeys and Kendrick Lamar have been confirmed for summer 2023.
Pohoda, Trencin, Slovakia
July 06 to 08, 2023
THE music festival in Slovakia for around 20,000 fans takes place at Trenčín airport, not far from the capital Bratislava; which can be reached from Vienna (also) by speedboat across the Danube. Since it was founded in 1997, the award-winning Pohoda team has managed to book big international acts like Nick Cave and Björk as well as newcomers. Pohoda stands for a wide stylistic mix and a sustainable concept, which also includes a family-friendly atmosphere as well as film screenings, theatre, workshops and panels
Here is the current Pohoda playlist
EXIT Novi Sad, Serbia
July 06 to 09, 2023
has arisen EXIT in the course of the Balkan War, as a sign of peace in the alternative scene in the city on the Danube. The setting is the imposing Petrovaradin Fortress from the time of the Habsburg Empire. For more than 20 years, EXIT has been attracting many international fans as well as the scene from the capital Belgrade to the sunny region of Vojvodina. Booked for this year so far: The Prodigy, Skrillex, Camelphat, Hot Since 82 and Indira Paganotto.