Top 10 Historic Festival Locations

Thomas Curtis-Horsfall
4 May 2022
First Published 4 May 2022

It takes a heady concoction of ingredients to create an exceptional festival experience. Expertly curated lineup? Yes. Exemplary cuisine? Absolutely. Exceptionally clean toilets? Why, of course.

One aspect that can lift a festival's reputation head and shoulders above the rest, however, is the history. The former glories. The prestige.

Absorbing the heritage of historic whereabouts is as prestigious as it comes, so when modern music festivals fuse with centuries-old landmarks, a generation-spanning and unparalleled experience is often the outcome.

To celebrate the revitalisation of these history-laden locations, we've highlighted 10 of our favourites:

Secret Project presents: Pula Music Week

Festival lineup: Peggy Gou, Black Coffee, Tale Of Us, Disclosure [DJ set], Charlotte de Witte, Solomun, Boris Brejcha

Brand new festival Pula Music Week brings an immersive and eclectic electronic roster of DJs and audiovisual artists to Pula, Croatia in 2022, intending to take up an annual residence in one of Europe's most ancient venues: Pula Arena.

This 3000-year old (yes, three thousand) amphitheatre is one of a handful of the world's Roman-era structures that remain intact, and has been immaculately preserved. Where it would once be holding 20,000 blood-thirsty spectators gathering for gladiatorial battles, the symbol of Croatia's history now serves as the crowning jewel for this contemporary festival.

When & where: 30th June - 6th July 2022; Pula, Croatia

Secret Project presents: Pula Music Week Guide / Book Tickets To Secret Project presents: Pula Music Week Here

Fort Festival

Festival lineup: TBA

A sensory triple-threat merging music, spectacular views across the Balearic sea, and architecture, Fort Festival is a three-day event taking place inside a hill-top fort overlooking Catalonia, with Medieval origins which date back to the 14th century.

Not content with holding the moniker of Spain's most idyllic boutique electronic music festival, Fort Festival invites pioneers to newer proponents of electronic music to fill the fortified town and its neighbouring beaches for an unforgettable end to the summer months.

When & where: 30th September - 2nd October 2022; Girona, Spain

Fort Festival 2022 Guide / Book Your Fort Festival 2022 Tickets Here

Kaleidoscope Festival

Festival lineup: Orbital, Happy Mondays, David Rodigan, DJ Yoda, Craig Charles

London's legendary Alexandra Palace or 'Ally Pally' has taken many guises in its long, illustrious lifespan, from being the BBC's first ever transmission centre to becoming one of the city's most historic and functioning entertainment venues.

In recent years, the Grade II listed building's verdant grounds have hosted Kaleidoscope Festival for a day in July, offering big names and even bigger views across London's glorious skyline.

When & where: 23rd July 2022; London, United Kingdom

Kaleidoscope Festival 2022 Guide / Book Your Kaleidoscope Festival 2022 Tickets Here

Worldwide Festival

Festival lineup: Yussef Dayes, Nala Sinephro, Greentea Peng, Gilles Peterson, SHERELLE

Constructed in the 18th-century, this defensive fort in the port of Sète was formerly known as Fort Saint-Pierre before being transformed into a theatre, having sustained heavy damage during the flight of the Germans in 1944.

Gilles Peterson-curated Worldwide Festival once again breathed new life into the regenerated Theatre De La Mer - a perfect location for an eclectic evening of global sounds, offering a spectacular panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea.

When & where: 5-10th July 2022; Sète, France

Worldwide Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List

Instytut Festival

Festival lineup: Amelie Lens, Rødhåd, SHDW & Obscure Shape, Marcel Fengler, Daria Kolosova

Holding the title for Europe's longest building, Modlin Garrison's residency has been fought over by the French, Germans, Russians, and Polish armies throughout its 200-year history.

Nowadays, famed Polish techno brand Instytut host their dedicated festival here (straightforwardly named Instytut Festival), incorporating electronic music with state-of-the-art visuals and sonic production inside the citadel within these imposing walls.

When & where: 17-19th June 2022; Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland

Instytut Festival 2022 Guide / Book Your Instytut Festival 2022 Tickets Here

Electric Castle

Festival lineup: twenty one pilots, Gorillaz, Deftones, Disclosure, Peggy Gou, Moderat

A relic of Romanian heritage with origins dating back as far as the 12th-century, Bánffy Castle conjures up imagery you'd relate with Transylvanian resident Vlad the Impaler more so than a contemporary music festival.

With the blessing of the Bánffy estate, however, Electric Castle has revitalised the mythical locale since 2013 with a marriage of conceptually innovative technology and eclectic lineups worthy of its rich history.

When & where: 13-17th July 2022; Bontida, Romania

Electric Castle 2022 Guide & Waiting List

Colours of Ostrava

Festival lineup: The Killers, Martin Garrix, twenty one pilots, Kings Of Convenience, LP, Phoebe Bridgers

Dolní Vítkovice; the remnants of a bygone era, when Ostrava was a central cog in Europe's industrial prosperity during the late 19th-century. Now abandoned and derelict, Colours of Ostrava has found a new home in amongst the rusted blast furnaces and coal mines.

More than merely a reminder of industrialism, the site was granted a place on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001.

When & where: 13-16 July 2022; Ostrava, Czech Republic

Colours of Ostrava 2022 Guide & Waiting List

Camp Bestival

Festival lineup: Rag'n'Bone Man, Kool & the Gang, Rudimental, Sister Sledge, Example

Rightfully regarded as the UK's most prestigious family-friendly festival (if not Europe's), Camp Bestival is situated in the heart of Lulworth Estate.

Once a refuge for the exiled French royal family throughout the French Revolution, Lulworth Castle itself was erected on the cusp of the 17th-century. Now repurposed as a museum, the castle is colourfully illuminated throughout Camp Bestival, mirroring the festival's beloved vibrancy.

When & where: 29-31st July 2022; East Lulworth, United Kingdom

Camp Bestival 2022 Guide & Waiting List

EXIT Festival

Festival lineup: Calvin Harris, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Iggy Azalea, James Arthur, Afrojack

Dating back to the 18th-century, Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad sits overlooking the Danube and has hosted EXIT Festival since its inception in 2001.

It's labyrinthine series of underground tunnels provide sumptuous acoustics for the multitude of performances that unfold throughout the duration of the festival, offering a unique study of the fortress' legacy from the inside-out.

When & where: 7-10th July 2022; Novi Sad, Serbia

EXIT Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List

Outlook Festival UK

Festival lineup: Ghetts, Skream, Ben UFO, Goldie

Trading one historic locale for another, Outlook frequents home soil for the first time in 2022 having resided at Croatia's Fort Tisno for ten years.

This year will see the inaugural edition on the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire, a 19th century castle built upon a previous structures that date back to the 12th century. A Grade II listed building these days, let's hope Outlook's heady mix of dubstep, drum and bass, jungle, garage, and grime doesn't shake the foundations too hard.

When & where: 30th June - 3rd July May 2022; Cheshire, United Kingdom

Outlook Festival UK 2022 Guide / Book Your Outlook Festival UK 2022 Tickets Here