Spain’s 2010 Summer Music Festivals

FESTI MAD Madrid:  April 23 – May 9
Celebrated every year since 1994 in Madrid, this event brings together a large line-up of groups that perform at different venues throughout the capital city.  While it is heavy with Spanish groups there are several international names on the bill. The festival offers various other events in addition to the great music line-up.  One of the great things about this festival is that you are able to select only the concerts you want and pay for each rather than buying an all-inclusive pass.

For more information click here.

SOS 4.8 Murcia: April 30th, May 1st
In its third year SOS kicks-off the summer music season with excellent groups. The musical acts coincide with the contemporary arts festival as well as a lecture series.  Set off the coast of Murcia you have the option of camping or staying in the area and getting some early season rays from the southern Mediterranean.  The festival is also the cheapest of all the music festivals so it gets the budget festival goers thumbs-up.

2010 Confirmed Artists:  Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, Crystal Castles, Delorean, Fatboy Slim, Nada Surf as well as many other DJs, Spanish acts and international names.

For more information click here.

Viña Rock Villarrobledo: April 30th – May 2nd
A very old festival that has been going on since 1996, Viña Rock is an event celebrating native sounds and thus the line-up is almost entirely composed of groups from Spain.  The festival offers a great opportunity to get a taste of many different types of Spanish music, offering something for everyone.

For more information click here.

Tremendo Pop Monzón (Huesca): May 6th, 7th & 8th
In its third year this festival is a three-day event held in a Spanish pueblo between Barcelona and Zaragoza.  While drawing mostly popular national acts, there is also a smattering of smaller European acts that round out the bill.  With free camping and a picturesque local this is one event not to be overlooked.

Cultura Urbana Madrid:  May 15th
Now in its sixth year this one day Hip-Hop festival and urban culture event combines music from international and Spanish artists with art and film.

2010 confirmed acts:  AfrikaBambaataa, Cres, Darmo, Dj Krush, Duddi Wallace, Frenkie, Ivan Nieto, Juan Solo, Keny Arana, Looptroop Rokers, Reakwon, Rapsusklei, Rayden, SFDK, Soja, Swan, Fyahbwoy and many more.

For more information click here.

Extranauta Festival Granada:  May 15th
This is a small one-day music event located in the always fun Andalusian city of Granada. The festival is now in its third year and focuses entirely on national music acts.

2010 confirmed acts:  Los Planetas, Love of Lesbian, Sidonie, Dorian, La Bien Querida, We Are Standard, Zahara, Supersubmarina, Ana Logica

Primevera Sound Barcelona: May 27th-29th
2010 marks the tenth edition of this outrageously popular festival and the line-up assures it will be its biggest event yet.  Set off of Barcelona’s coast at the Forum (no camping, metros close by, etc.), the festival packs in three days of music striking a balance between headliners and emerging acts.  In addition to Primavera Sound the masterminds behind the festival have also brought us Primavera Club, a smaller festival that takes place in both Madrid and Barcelona during December

2010 Confirmed Artists:  Broken Social Scene, Pavement, Pixies, Wilco, Spoon, Built to Spill, Florence + the Machine, Grizzly Bear, No Age, Yeasayer, Matt & Kim, Panda Bear, Atlas Sound, The Big Pink and the list goes on and on.

For more information click here.

Rock In Rio Madrid: June 4th,5th,6th, 11th, 14th
It’s been 25 years since the first edition of this music festival took place in Rio and featured the likes of Queen and AC/DC.  And although now it finds itself on another continent – split between Madrid and Lisbon – the festival still keeps its original spirit alive.

2010 Confirmed Artists:  John Mayer, Bon Jovi, Jane’s Addiction, Rihanna, Shakira, Amy Macdondad, Miley Cyrus, Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine, Metalica and more.

For more information click here. For tickets click here.

Sonar Barcelona/La Coruna: June 17th-19th
Sonar is an electronic arts festival that started in Barcelona and now offers both a Barcelona and a La Coruna edition, taking place over the same three days and rotating artists between the two cities.  The event divides itself into Sonar by Night and Sonar by day, the latter being a chance for professionals from the electronic arts and multimedia fields to gather and exchange ideas with their audience, while the former is the music festival.

Sonar Galicia (La Coruna) confirmed artists:  LCD Soundsystem, Air, Hot Chip, Laurent Garnier, Fuck Buttons, as well as many other acts.  While the Galicia line-up is somewhat smaller than the one in Barcelona, you still get all of the main headliners and the three day pass is as cheap as three day festivals come (50€).

Sonar (Barcelona) confirmed artists:  LCD Soundsystem, Air, Hot Chip, The Chemical Brothers, Roxy Music, Jónsi, Dizzee Rascal, Fuck Buttons, The Sugarhill Gang, Joy Orbison and A LOT more.

Galicia: For more information click here.  Barcelona: For more information click here.  For tickets click here.

Bilbao BBK Live Bilbao: July 8th-10th
A smaller three day music festival that has only been around since 2006, but at the same time has had a rather large following.  Located in northern Spain outside of Bilbao it focuses on rock (in all its forms) from seasoned veteran headliners to local acts.

2010 confirmed acts:  Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Rammstein, Slayer, Gogol Bordello, Alice in Chains, Slayer, Dropkick Murphys and more to come

For more information click here.

Sonisphere Festival Madrid (Getafe): July 9th & 10th
Part of a worldwide series of festivals, Sonisphere Madrid draws a large number of international acts leaning more to the heavier side of rock.  Sonisphere was launched in 2009 as part of a festival series touring throughout Europe. The Madrid version will be a two-day event held just outside the city.

2010 confirmed acts:  Rammstein, Heaven & Hell, Faith No More, Slayer, Alice in Chaines, Megadeth, Anthrax, Bullet for My Valentine, and  more

For more information click here.

Vigo Transforma Vigo:  July 9th & 10th

A newcomer to the Spanish music festival circuit, Vigo Transforma offers a solid two-day line-up of music in the beautiful Galician city of Vigo.

2010 Confirmed Artists:  The XX, Jeff Tweedy, Devendra Banhart, Fanfarlo, Mike Snow, Polack, Orbital and more.

For more information click here.

Bennicassim FIB 2010 Barcelona: July 15th-18th
In its 15th year, Bennicassim is one of Europe’s biggest music events. There’s a beach, camping, sun and you’ll meet people from all over the world.  Big-time headliners have been filling out the line-up for years and as such the summer music festival offers everything you could want.  Its rich history has lead to its current status, but it also offers more than just music. There’s also film festivals, fashion shows, art and theatre events.

2010 Confirmed Artists:  The Prodigy, Vampire Weekend, Kasabian, Dizzee Rascal, DJ Shadow, Echo & The Bunnymen, Foals, Hot Chip, Julian Casablancas, Cut Copy, Dirty Projectors and a slew of others.

For more information click here.  For tickets click here.

CRUÏLLA BARCELONA Barcelona: July 16th & 17th
A smaller music festival held in Barcelona that has just expanded its format to a two-day festival for the first time. The event features some big named groups.  Tickets are available now for an introductory rate of 60€ but only until May 15^th.

2010 confirmed acts:  Ben Harper, Macaco, Love of Lesbian, Xavier Rudd, The Wailers, Roger Mas and more coming soon.

For more information click here.

Low Cost Festival Benidorm – July
A new two day festival set to take place in Benidorm has a solid music line-up and at a reasonable price. Set in the well-known beach town there will be music, film screenings, specially priced restaurants, fashion events and more.

2010 confirmed acts: Editors, Memory Tapes, These New Puritans, Adam Green, Placebo, The Raveonettes, Arizona Baby, 1990s, The Right Ons, Jesse Evans, Lori Myers and many more.

For more information click here.

Heineken Jazzaldia San Sebastian:  July 21^st – 25^th

Another one of the great music festivals brought to you by the people from Heineken, this one offers up an impressive list of some of the most talented names in Jazz today.  There are also many other names on the list that aren’t strictly Jazz and many of the concerts are free.

2010 Confirmed Artists:  Shibusa Shirazu Orchestra, Patti Smith and Her Band, Mari Boine, Broken Brothers Brass Band, Willy Fernández Trío, Christian Scott, Ron Carter Golden Striker Trio, Arturo Sandoval Sextet, These New Puritans, The Morning Benders, Dynamic Trio, Dave Holland & Pepe Habichuela, Stanley Clarke Band feat. Hiromi, Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet,The Very Best, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, George Benson, The Claudia Quintet, Archie Shepp Quartet + Mina Agossi,The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Divine Comedy, Frédéric Borey Quartet, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Costello and The Sugarcanes and more.

For more information click here.

Azkena Rock Festival (ARF) Vitoria-Gasteiz: July 24th-26th
This three day music festival packs in legendary headliners with a lot of drawing power to support a cast of smaller acts.  This festival has been around for nine years and is located in the beautiful and historic city of Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain’s Basque country.  Overall it has a great price to quality ratio.

2010 confirmed acts:  Bob Dylan (need we go on), KISS, Chris Isaak, The Hold Steady, Airbourne, The Hives, The Black Lips, The Damned and more, plus more still to be confirmed.

For more information click here.

Arenal Sound Burriana: July 27th to August 1st
Arenal Sound is set to become another one of Spain´s great beach and music festivals this summer. The organizers have packed in six days and nights of all types of music and all-out parties.  Arenal Sound will take place in Burriana, a beach town near Valencia, and offers camping, sunshine, beautiful beaches and of course great music.  The festival will kick off with two themed parties, followed by three nights of music and it all ends with a closing big time bash on August 1st.

2010 confirmed artists:  The Cranberries, Simple Minds, Marlango, Armin Van Buuren, Vitalic, Bebe, Macaco, Miguel Bose, Wally Lopez, The Monomes and many more.

For more information and tickets click here.

Creamfield Andalucía 2010 El Ejido, Almería:  August 14th

This rotating international one-day electronic music festival takes place on the beaches of Southern Spain.  It boasts a mix of international DJs as well as household Spanish names

2010 Confirmed Artists:  David Guetta, Orbital, 2ManyDJs, John Digweed, Benny Benassi, Vitalic, Digitalism, Wally López, Drop the Lime and many more.

For more information click here.

By Coleman File