It is barely new year and Louis’ attendance has been confirmed in ten different summer festivals. If you fancy a summer touring throughout Europe with Louis and are lucky enough to be able to afford it, this is the perfect article for you to explore the location, the price, where you can buy a ticket and for how much, other artists you may find there and so on.
Pinkpop Festival (Landgraaf, The Netherlands):
Landgraaf is a municipality in Limburg province, and the town this annual festival is held on is called Schaesberg. It is tradition to celebrate said festival on the Pentecost weekend, a Christian holiday which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin Mary and the Apostles of Jesus Christ and, despite what it may seem, this rock festival per se is very much not religious and quite well-known, being the third-oldest open-air festival in the world. The festival is visited by around 60,000 people every year and, alongside Louis, some of the artists playing there this year are as famous as the band Mäneskin, Sam Smith, Hozier, Ed Sheeran and Avril Lavigne.
Now to the important part: it is held from the 21st of June to the 23rd, Louis plays on the 22nd and a regular, one-day ticket is around 145 euros. Were you to opt for camping, there is a wide range of options, from a so-called “Bioko” to a “Dreammotel” and a “Bell Deluxe” among many other accommodations.
Ruisrock Festival (Turku, Finland):
The Ruisrock Festival is held on Ruissalo Island (which can be reached from the city of Tuku and is barely inhabited) from the 5th to the 7th of July. Tickets oscillate between 240 and 475 euros depending on your stay and if you opt for the VIP option and some of the artists playing there are Romy, one of the vocalists of The xx and the composer of Dua Lipa’s Grammy-winning single “Electricity,” Ursus Factory, a rock band often considered the best band live in the country, and Yaeger, well-known in Finland for her rave pop music.
Although there aren’t any accommodation options for the time being (according to their website, they will be available in the near future), it should be noted that you can take a taxi, the local bus and the festival bus from the city of Turku, and water buses are included in the VIP tickets.
Arenal Sound Festival (Castellón, Valencia, Spain):
If you have ever visited the region of Valencia, it is unlikely that you even stepped a foot into Castellón. British and Germans’ favourite, Benidorm, is two hours away by car from the small town of Burriana, where this annual festival takes place. The festival will be held between the 30th of July and the 4th of August and, besides Louis, you will find artists like Aitana—the first Spanish female artist to play in the Bernabéu Stadium, the same Madrid venue Taylor Swift is coming to next year, and who you may know for her song with Katy Perry “Resilient”—Lola Índigo, Yandel, Nil Moliner and La Pegatina. If you are on a tight budget and like to party all night long and pop and urban music in Spanish, this festival is for you. Tickets are very affordable, around 65 euros (140 for the VIP option), they cover the entirety of the festival and there will be accommodation options, resting areas and special buses.
According to their website, selling will close down on the 10th of December 2023 or until the end of stock, so there is a possibility, by the time you read this article, there aren’t any available. In that case, I would encourage you to try to buy them from other festival goers who cancel their plans at the last minute. I’m sure it would not be your first rodeo buying resale concert tickets.
Santander Music 2024 (Cantabria, Spain):
Are Spanish fans Louis Tomlinson’s favourite? In all seriousness, we have been blessed with a second festival attendance for next August 2024 in the capital city of Cantabria, a beautiful destination for a small holiday for those who might prefer sightseeing and the beach over rural areas. This festival will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of August, Louis plays on the 3rd and there is merely a one-day difference between his show in Arenal Sound Festival and a big distance, so let’s hope he doesn’t take the tour bus.
Unfortunately, the cheapest tickets (59 euros) are sold out, but the 69 euros tickets will surely last longer, they cover both days and, if you have children between the ages of 5 and 8 you want to bring with you, it’s only 29 euros for them.
Other artists you may find are Malmö 040, Dani Fernandez, arguably the most successful Auryn member nowadays, and La La Love You, the band responsible for the hit El fin del mundo, which I recommend you to learn if you do not want to feel left out while everyone else is singing it at the top of their lungs.
Main Square Festival (Arras, France):
Next 4th of July, Louis will play in the Main Square Festival, which lasts four days (4th-7th of July) and will welcome other internationally famous artists like Sam Smith, Avril Lavigne, the band Nothing But Thieves and Against The Current. As for the prince, you can buy a one-day ticket for 69 euros, a 3 days pass (this one doesn’t include Louis’ date, don’t do that) for 175 euros or a 4 days pass for 215 euros. According to their website, you can also buy VIP tickets for around 125 euros for one day and 500 for the whole festival, and these offer, besides the access to all the shows, one parking space, one dedicated entrance, access to the VIP area, one free drink of your choice per day and access to the aftershow.
If you are a person who requires accommodations, there is the following email for you to contact them would you need it: pmr@mainsquarefestival.fr
Given the urban location of the festival, the website offers the following link for you to book a hotel room: All accommodation – Arras Pays d’Artois Tourisme (arraspaysdartois.com)
Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary):
This festival goes from the 7th to the 12th of August and Louis performs on the 10th. According to their website, it is held on an island called The Island of Freedom and you can reach it from Budapest city by taking the public transport. There is a wide range of options to camp on site, from the basic camping which covers three days, to a siesta camping in case you need to have a nap in the middle of the day, the ‘Ville Comfort’ and the ‘Ville Boutique.’
It looks like Louis is not the only one who will have a busy summer: Sam Smith is also playing in this festival (it is yet unclear if they plan to spend any time home at all he-he, not that I’m complaining), as is Aurora, who I would not want to miss.
Prices, unfortunately, are not at all affordable, since early tickets have already been sold: from 229 euros for those of us under 21 to 289 for a regular, full pass. It seems there are no one-day ticket options available.
Festival Cabaret Vert (Charleville-Mézières, France):
Louis’ second and for now last date in France will be held on the 18th of August, the last day of this four-days festival, in one of the biggest parks of the country. It is the perfect spot for Europeans to come visit, since it is located between Belgium and Luxembourg, and happens to be one of the most relevant cultural events of the north of France. Furthermore, they promote sustainable transport options such as the bike, the train or the bus and, this year, they will host international artists such as Nova Twins and Mass Hysteria.
Tickets go from 65 euros for one day to 119 for two, 169 for three and 219 for the whole festival. And if you are planning to carry your kids with you, I’ve got good news for you: children under twelve get a free pass!
Victorious Festival (Portsmouth, United Kingdom):
Louis returns home at the end of the summer for this three-day festival in the south of England, in Southsea, inside the coastal city of Portsmouth. He will play on the 23rd, the same day as Snow Patrol, Fatboy Slim and The Snuts, and there is The Lathums playing on the next day in case you miss them already and Wet Leg on the 25th. How crazy is it that many of us have seen both of them live, huh?
The festival is held in The Common and Castle Field, and in order to get there, you can take the train or the bus. There is also on-site parking. There are, of course, accommodations on site and events for families (kids’ tickets are 8 pounds per day), you can buy a weekend camping ticket along with your weekend ticket or stay in the city if you prefer. In any case, I recommend you to get your ticket as soon as possible if you are interested, since the “Early Bird Tier 2” tickets are still available, and you can get them for 65 pounds per day.
Zürich Openair (Zürich, Switzerland):
This festival may not be for everybody, since it is held in one of the most expensive countries of the world, but it is definitely worth it if you can afford it. Louis plays on the 24th and there is also Sam Smith playing (if you are a fan of both, this is your summer girl!). It is divided into two weekends and will be held on the 23rd, the 24th, the 30th and the 31st of August, both Sam and Louis are playing on the first weekend and there is James Arthur and Aurora on the second.
Tickets are 232 euros (219 CHF in the local currency) for each weekend and there is no information on accommodation options available.
Superbloom Festival (Munich, Germany):
After a small break, Louis will be back on the 8th of September to end this next summer on the right foot by playing in the Superbloom Festival (7th-8th September). The Chainsmokers and Nothing But Thieves will be there, and so will be… Yep! You guessed it! Sam Smith! (No surprise there, I mean, how can you not love them?). Two days tickets can be purchased for 209 and 269 euros depending on whether you choose the comfort mode, and 16 and 17-year-olds can get them for 119. If you are money-tight, since we know Louis plays on the 8th, I recommend you to buy the Surprise Bag Sunday for 105 euros.
Even though staying overnight is not an option, the festival is partnered with some hotels in the city, and they sell hotel & ticket combos.
Rumour has it there are more festivals to be announced—in fact, the Spanish radio Los40 confirmed there is a third date in Spain coming soon. This is fantastic news and a big step in Louis’ solo career, since there are few opportunities for an artist which will give you that level of exposure—not even the radio which, let’s be honest, nobody even listens to any more. For now, we have ten festivals to go to, no less, and the joy of seeing first hand how the general public discovers Louis through these events. In the meantime, we shall wait until the 24th of January and that Instagram live from Indonesia where many of us will unknowingly meet.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays for those who celebrate them.
