Festivals where you can stay in Hotels

[bluenova]

Looking for some recommendations this year for non-camping festivals.

Have done Primavera, Mad Cool, Rock en Seine, Berlin and Pukklepop, but wondering if there are any other reasonable sized ones where you can stay in a hotel easily.

[billybigballs]

Sziget. Two or three miles from Budapest city centre on an island in the Danube.

Edited November 25, 2023 by billybigballs

[bluenova]

37 minutes ago, billybigballs said:

Sziget. Two or three miles from Budapest city centre on an island in the Danube.

I actually had a holiday on that island about thirty years ago 🙂

[Marty76]

Best kept secret has a hotel option on the campsite as well as bungalows and fancy tents. Great festival, already have our 8p bungalow booked for next year.

[Ferda]

Hotel is my preferred accommodation option too, so we are in the same boat.

I'am regularly going to Reading festival, Rock im Park, Rock for People and Sziget, all are held in town and easily accessible. I reckon InMusic works the same as it's in Zagreb but I haven't attended it. Cheers!

[bluenova]

1 hour ago, Marty76 said:

Best kept secret has a hotel option on the campsite as well as bungalows and fancy tents. Great festival, already have our 8p bungalow booked for next year.

I vaguely remember it being insanely priced. How much is your bungalow is you don't mind me asking?

I've just come back from Shiiine On at Butlins, so the prices in my head are artificially low right now 🙂

[Archi]

A bit different as festival because it starts late in the afternoon but Nos Alive is easy with hotel in Lisbon. Made it this Summer and hopefully next Summer too.

[Marty76]

58 minutes ago, bluenova said:

I vaguely remember it being insanely priced. How much is your bungalow is you don't mind me asking?

I've just come back from Shiiine On at Butlins, so the prices in my head are artificially low right now 🙂

We paid 1.800 euro for the bungalow, so 225 euro p.p.

Not cheap obviously, but the luxury of having two bathrooms, real beds and a fridge to keep the beer (and breakfast) cool is worth it.

..

[bluenova]

10 minutes ago, Marty76 said:

We paid 1.800 euro for the bungalow, so 225 euro p.p.

Not cheap obviously, but the luxury of having two bathrooms, real beds and a fridge to keep the beer (and breakfast) cool is worth it.

..

It's not too different to a hotel - guess it helps having 8 people. I'll keep an eye out for the line up next week.

[bluenova]

59 minutes ago, Archi said:

A bit different as festival because it starts late in the afternoon but Nos Alive is easy with hotel in Lisbon. Made it this Summer and hopefully next Summer too.

Primavera and Mad Cool are the same - I prefer late starts - more bands with proper light shows in the dark.

[49Lawson]

13 hours ago, bluenova said:

Looking for some recommendations this year for non-camping festivals.

Have done Primavera, Mad Cool, Rock en Seine, Berlin and Pukklepop, but wondering if there are any other reasonable sized ones where you can stay in a hotel easily.

Only other one I can offer that hasn’t been mentioned is Open’er in Poland. Festival is kind of in the middle of no where so they run buses from Gdynia town centre, which is also a really lovely place to explore through the day

[Kaboom Boxer]

13 hours ago, bluenova said:

Looking for some recommendations this year for non-camping festivals.

Have done Primavera, Mad Cool, Rock en Seine, Berlin and Pukklepop, but wondering if there are any other reasonable sized ones where you can stay in a hotel easily.

I’m considering Way Out West this year because of their line up and they are a no camping festival where you would stay at a hotel in Gothenburg (lovely city btw). 

I had friends who stayed in a hotel in Leuven for Rock Werchter last year and they said it was an absolute doddle getting in and out each day so that’s an option for you too. 

[graceunderpressure]

I done 4 festivals at NOS Alive Lisbon . stayed in Lisbon 2 times which a taxi or train would have you back in 20 mins . Last 2 times I stayed in Belem which you could walk to the venue in ten mins . Fantastic area and festival is really good . Lineup was poor last year so didn't go . See what way the lineup works out this time . Have a hotel booked with free cancellation 

Done Rock Werchter Belgium  last year and stayed In a hotel in Leuvan  . Hotels are more expensive than nos Alive but lineup better . Free Shuttle bus from festival to Leuvan takes 15 mins and runs on a loop so no waiting around 

Edited November 26, 2023 by graceunderpressure

[Drums Please Fab]

12 hours ago, bluenova said:

Primavera and Mad Cool are the same - I prefer late starts - more bands with proper light shows in the dark.

100% this.

[bluenova]

10 hours ago, brogdonly said:

have you been on glastonbury?

Glastonbury is the main reason I'd never camp at a festival again 🤣

[bluenova]

2 hours ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

I’m considering Way Out West this year because of their line up and they are a no camping festival where you would stay at a hotel in Gothenburg (lovely city btw). 

I had friends who stayed in a hotel in Leuven for Rock Werchter last year and they said it was an absolute doddle getting in and out each day so that’s an option for you too. 

I'd ruled out Leuven as the town looked so small, but would be very tempted by that.

Prices are definitely not cheap though - best twin I can find is £200+ a night already!

[Floyd_Ams]

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is "Live is Live" in Antwerp (aka...I'm stealing names from RW and pissing people off). It's very new (second year I think) and I haven't been there yet so I can't tell you if it's good or bad. But I'm considering to combine it with Midsummer Prog this year and go for just the Smashing Pumpkins day. 

[bluenova]

1 hour ago, Floyd_Ams said:

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is "Live is Live" in Antwerp (aka...I'm stealing names from RW and pissing people off). It's very new (second year I think) and I haven't been there yet so I can't tell you if it's good or bad. But I'm considering to combine it with Midsummer Prog this year and go for just the Smashing Pumpkins day. 

Yeah - I was looking at that yesterday.

Do we know how big they're planning it to be this year? Last year it was just 20 bands in total over 2 stages and 2 days, but I notice it's three days this year. Wondering if the days will be expanded too, as €225 feels like a price for more than 2 stages, especially as the bands don't look the more expensive headliners.

[SweetJesus]

Exit - cheap tickets, cheap & beautiful city Novi Sad, but awful lineup

INmusic - also cheap tickets, pretty good lineup, no clashes between main & second stage

[Marty76]

4 hours ago, Floyd_Ams said:

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is "Live is Live" in Antwerp (aka...I'm stealing names from RW and pissing people off). It's very new (second year I think) and I haven't been there yet so I can't tell you if it's good or bad. But I'm considering to combine it with Midsummer Prog this year and go for just the Smashing Pumpkins day. 

I did Live is live last year. Really liked it, old school festival - just six bands on main stage and a few small ones on a tiny stage. Easy to get there from Antwerp station, loads of hotels to choose from and great food options on the site. With only six bigger bands per day, you clearly need to pick the right day, but that Pumpkins day looks tempting.

[Deckard]

Bilbao BBK has free buses from the city up to the festival and back. Accommodation in Bilbao is a bit pricey tho!

[ParanoidTourist]

8 hours ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

I’m considering Way Out West this year because of their line up and they are a no camping festival where you would stay at a hotel in Gothenburg (lovely city btw). 

I had friends who stayed in a hotel in Leuven for Rock Werchter last year and they said it was an absolute doddle getting in and out each day so that’s an option for you too. 

I visited Way Out West this year and if you book hotel in advance the festival is actually within walking distance. We had about 20 minutes walk to the festival entrance this year. 

 

[Kaboom Boxer]

7 hours ago, bluenova said:

I'd ruled out Leuven as the town looked so small, but would be very tempted by that.

Prices are definitely not cheap though - best twin I can find is £200+ a night already!

Leuven is a decent size actually. 100k+ population, Belgium’s 8th largest city, huge cathedral, good restaurants. 

[bluenova]

51 minutes ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

Leuven is a decent size actually. 100k+ population, Belgium’s 8th largest city, huge cathedral, good restaurants. 

It sounds great to be honest 🙂

I think it was more that it's small enough for the accommodation to be wiped out by a nearby festival. Seven months out, what little there is left is really expensive, and appears to be well over double the price of the following week.

[Martin_89]

Øyafestivalen is also a great festival and cheaper now (since the NOK is kinda weak now). Shares a lot of acts with Flow and Way Out West, and is in a park in the middle of Oslo. So it's kinda a smaller version of Primavera (but with no late show, since it has to end at 23:00). But there is also night concerts at venues around the city, that costs around 20 Euros. They will announce nine acts this week that has never played the festival.  

If you want to know more about it, just ask.