Summer Festivals - Part 3
BY BURAK ŞAHİN (IR/IV)
burak_s@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
This is the last in my series of columns suggesting summer festivals to attend. If you found the previous week's choices in Scandinavian countries too cold and too expensive, I'd like to present three more festivals that are a little bit cheaper and located farther south. While some bands have started to announce that they'll come to Turkey this summer, it may be more advantageous in some cases to catch them at a foreign festival.
Here are this week's choices:
Pukkelpop
Country: Belgium
City: Hasselt
Dates: August 16-18, 2012
Ticket Price: 155 euros (includes camping)
Lineup: The Stone Roses, Bjork, Foo Fighters, Bloc Party, Lykke Li, The Black Keys, Magnetic Man, Wilco, Two Door Cinema Club, The Cribs, Hot Chip, Miike Snow, The Horrors, The Antlers, Feist, OFWGKTA and more.
Why?: I wanted to suggest another Belgian festival, Rock Werchter, but the tickets are already sold out. So you've missed the chance to listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers in Belgium. Unfortunately, because it would have been cheaper than going to their Istanbul concert, and you would also have had a chance to see Pearl Jam and many more bands. Anyway, Pukkelpop is also providing a massive lineup, in that it has so much diversity. The only problems might be bad weather in Belgium, which I've witnessed, and stage crashes. (Last year, five people died after a storm caused the stage to collapse.)
Website: http://www.pukkelpop.be
Benicassim
Country: Spain
City: Benicassim (near Valencia)
Dates: July 12-15, 2012
Ticket Price: 155 euros (includes camping)
Lineup: At the Drive-In, The Stone Roses, Florence + The Machine, New Order, Noel Gallagher´s High Flying Birds, David Guetta, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Maccabees, Crystal Castles, The Horrors, Katy B, Miles Kane, The Vaccines, Ed Sheeran, Chase & Status, Buzzcocks, Django Django and more.
Why?: If you're thinking about visiting Spain this summer, Benicassim is the ideal festival for you. While you'll be listening to bands until morning, you can also swim until the concerts start. The festival site is located next to the Mediterranean Sea, so this promises to be an entertaining Spanish holiday.
Website: http://fiberfib.com
Rock En Seine
Country: France
City: Domaine national de Saint-Cloud (just outside Paris)
Dates: August 24-26, 2012
Ticket Price: 110 euros (includes camping)
Lineup: The Black Keys, Placebo, Green Day, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Foster The People, Sigur Ros, Mark Lanegan, The Shins, Friends and more.
Why?: Rock En Seine is kind of a closed box for me. I hadn't heard that much about it before, but it grabs your attention with its tiny but massive lineup of bands. Green Day is one of the "best live bands" as far as I'm concerned, and so is Placebo. Moreover, Sigur Ros can make you totally lose yourself, while Foster The People can exhaust you. Rock En Seine is especially deserving of a visit this summer.
Website: http://www.rockenseine.com