Sun, sea, sand and sounds…

Forget 2 days in a muddy tent – Roz Wilson on how to turn your festival trip into a proper holiday.

British festivals are great - there’s no denying that we have one of the best developed festival scenes in the world. Whether it’s the sheer scale and legendary history of Glastonbury, the great grown-up’s playground that is Bestival, stilettos in the mud at Creamfields or glo-sticks and gurning at Global Gathering – there’s something to suit everyone. However, there’s no denying there is a definite level of endurance required for most UK festivals. It takes certain strength of character to still have a good time when your tent has been swept away by a mud landslide and your socks feel like they were knitted from seaweed. There is something quintessentially British about the grin-and-bear-it attitude of smiling in the face of adversity even though you’ve spent 2 days hopping around in one welly and have started to resemble a drowned rat.

However, we are slowly waking up to the fact that there is another way. An idyllic backdrop of beaches, mountains, or even a cave, is only a cheap flight away. Moreover, you can turn a 3 day festival into a full week’s holiday, and spend some time checking out the local area before hand, or flat on your back recovering on the beach afterwards. Some of the most high profile international festivals, such as Sonar, Benicassim and Exit are already on the summer circuit for thousands of UK clubbers. If you want to take a path less trodden, however, there are plenty of other options. Endclub.com has selected some of the most exciting international festivals for 2008, and picked up some insider tips from the promoters on what else you should check out while you’re there.

springfestival, Graz, Austria
21st – 25th May
http://springfestival.at

Set up in 2001, springfestival has grown to become the biggest electronic music event in Austria, and one of the most important in central Europe, attracting 20,000 revellers last year. Rather than caging you into a field with an electric fence, springfestival takes place across some of the city’s most stunning venues, including an open-air stage in the heart of the city, and – bizarrely yet brilliantly - a cave! The music policy covers everything electronic, with an emphasis on visual performance as well as DJs and live acts. This year, for the first time, The End is hosting the main arena on the Saturday night, with DJ Marky, Gilles Peterson, Mr C and Bushwacka! headlining. Other artists and labels on the bill include The Streets, Roisin Murphy, Roni Size/Reprazent, Chromeo, Fabio, Josh Wink, Warp, Chew the Fat! and Ninja Tune. There’s plenty to please the eyes as well as the ears, with a performance by video artist Mox in the city’s Museum for Contemporary Art, plus the ultimate music geek porn in the shape of a synthesizer exhibition and workshop.

While you’re there…

Head straight from the festival to one of the cheap and delicious farmer’s markets – they open at 5.30am, and during the festival dazed looking clubbers rub shoulders with grannies selling home made local specialities. While you’re there, don’t forget to stock up on the local speciality, pumpkin seed oil – very good for your virility, apparently!

Pick up some tunes at Inandout Records – the biggest record shop in Austria, crammed with both new and second hand delights. A major cause of DJs missing their flights back home!

Get the full ‘Sound of Music’ experience at Steirereck restaurant - an hour’s drive or train ride from Graz, heading up into the mountains. It’s based on a farm, so you may see your dinner wandering past the restaurant window, this is about as fresh as it gets. Try some local Schnapps sitting at a huge bar made of solid rock, and relish being served by waiters in Lederhosen. Yes, really! On Sundays they do a Restlessen (leftovers) night, where you can get three surprise courses for less than 10 Euros.

The Garden Festival, Zadar, Croatia
4th – 6th July
http://www.thegardenfestival.eu/

Hmmm…we’re almost reluctant to tell you about this one. A bit like when Pete Tong starts playing that brilliant tune you discovered a year ago, there’s a little part of human nature that feels a bit miffed when everyone else discovers ‘your’ little secret. But we’re rubbish at keeping secrets, so we’ll tell you – but just don’t tell anyone else, right? Set up 2 years ago by Nick and Eddie, two old friends from Birmingham, this is a little gem of a festival set in the sleepy seaside village of Petrcane, near Zadar. Now in its third year, this festival has a much more low-key, laid back vibe than Serbia’s Exit. The line up for this year includes Crazy P, The Bays, Mr Scruff, Todd Terje, and Bonobo – exactly the kind of music you want to hear when you’ve got the sun in your face and the sand between your toes. Instead of struggling through a sea of beer cans, having lost your friends and your mind, you can dance under the stars, swim in the Adriatic, hop on one of the daily boat parties, and soak up the vibe of a genuinely friendly and still relatively undiscovered little festival.

While you’re there…

Check out the sea organ in Zadar. One of only two in the world, it’s built into Zadar’s harbour wall, with 35 concrete organ pipes that play a never ending concert of watery music as the waves lap against the harbour wall.

Hungry? No greasy festival fare here. Eddie from the festival recommends Kornat, Fosa and Unicorn as three of the best restaurants in Zadar – try the delicious, fresh seafood. Café culture is an important part of life over here, so sit back and watch the world go by for an hour or two.

Fancy watching something a bit more energetic? Sport-mad Croatians claim that basketball was invented in Zadar. Check out the electric atmosphere at a local game, plus there’s an impressive new basketball stadium opening in Zadar this year.

Lake of Stars, Malawi, Africa
10th – 12th October
http://www.lakeofstars.co.uk

This is about as far away from your average British festival as you could possibly get – both in terms of mental and physical distance. Set up in 2004 by Chibuku promoter Will Jameson, after he was inspired by a trip to Malawi on his gap year, this is a charity event that raises funds for UNICEF and pumps money into the local economy. The festival unites Malawian and Western cultures with a line-up that pits artists such as Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Bugz in the Attic’s Mikey General alongside the biggest names in Malawian music such as Tikhu Vibrations and Wambali. This year’s line up includes Seth Lakeman, Scratch Perverts and Mary Anne Hobbs, with plenty more to be announced - keep an eye on their website for updates. An adventure as well as a music festival, everyone who has been waxes lyrical about the stunning location on the shore of Africa’s third largest lake, and the friendliest crowd of locals and travellers you’ll ever encounter.

While you’re there…

Fill up at the Chicken and Banana Restaurant in Old Town, Lilongwe. Call up at least 4 hours beforehand and tell them how many of you are coming to eat - they kill the chickens fresh, and you get one each – barbecued with spices and chilli.

Visit the Chibuku Brewery, where the fiery local brew that inspired the name of the Liverpool club night is made.

Get some relaxation at the Kasasa Club. Tourists don't know about it, as it's really only used by the nearby sugar plantation. The club's got tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pool, a great bar and a full sized snooker table.

Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain
19th – 31st May
http://www.primaverasound.com

Sonar may be the most high profile festival in Barcelona, but it’s by no means the only one worth a visit. Primavera Sound takes place in May in the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, right by the sea. The line up for 2008 is absolutely huge – to give you an idea of the range of acts on offer, it includes Portishead, Digital Mystikz, Simian Mobile Disco, Vampire Weekend, Public Enemy, Tiefschwarz, Robert Hood, 808 State, Lightspeed Champion and heaps more. Running parallel to the main festival are a series of events around the city, including free gigs in some of Barcelona’s parks and Metro stations.

While you’re there…

Grab some tapas at the finest tapas bar in town, Bar Ramón. They have excellent food at cheap prices, plus a classic rock soundtrack taking in everything from The Smiths to Led Zeppelin.

Check out the tiny cocktail bar Boadas – one of the smallest bars in the city, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the strength of its cocktails!

The Apollo is a magical venue for checking out live gigs and DJ sets, as it used to be an old theatre. It’s home to Nitsa – one of the first club nights in Spain to start pushing electronic music many years ago.

DJ Marky and Rainer Truby play at the springfestival Launch Party on Friday 28th March at DJ Marky & Friends here at The End.

Published: 24/03/2008