I don’t know about you, but for me summer means one thing (well, one among several other equally important things) – music festivals. I’m not sure if this is a sign of my immaturity, or nostalgia for the days when I was young and free and didn’t mind (heck, actually enjoyed!) having mud fights at open-air rock concerts.
Sweden is a famously musical country (the recent Malena Eurovision fiasco notwithstanding) and it seems that every little town has its very own summer music festival. Sometimes several. I strongly suspect that Sweden has the most summer music events per person than any other country in Europe.
And it’s not just rock we’re talking about here. There’s a festival for just about any taste, no matter how offbeat, from ukulele (yes, there is such a thing as Ukulelefestivalen in Göteborg, May 29-30) to reggae.
So, how to find a music event that’s right for you? Easy! There’s Festivalinfo.se.
They very helpfully list concerts and festivals, and not only in Sweden, but in other parts of Europe, too (from that site I learned that Jean Michel Jarre is still alive and touring, wow!).
And one of the largest music events in Sweden (though some may debate this claim) is of course the very heavily advertised Rix FM Festival. And get this – it’s free! Which in Sweden is rare indeed.
This year’s Rix FM lineup is, as always, predictably light, dancey and fluffy: Alcazar, Melody Club, BWO and others. So, Swedish Eurobeat at its finest.
For the more discriminating tastes, there is of course Hultsfred (July 8-11) but this one doesn’t come cheap: 790SEK for a day ticket, or 1490SEK for a four day pass.
So, it’s going to be a hot (we can always hope, right?) and very musical (that we know for sure) summer.
