5 Music Festivals under 5000 people
I am reluctant to think that there will be no music festivals this Summer. and although we can forget about any major festival, this year more than ever we should look at the festivals considered the small ones (less than 5000 attendees). I have selected five of them with very different proposals and that at least today, it seems to me that they most likely will take place!
Horst (Belgium)
After some editions taking place in the beautiful Kasteel van Horst, Horst festival takes place since its 2019 edition in a former military site just outside Brussels run by Belgium's Ministry of Defense from 1946 through 2008. Today this amazing post industrial landscape dominated by two massive cooling towers has been taken over by nature, giving it an impressive feel.
Horst festival has cutting-edge electronic music, different unique stages, Belgian beer and a lot of mesmerizing art and architecture projects to enjoy an exclusive artistic proposal for 3 days.
Horst is scheduled to take place between September 11 and 13, 2020. Discover more by visiting the official website of Horst festival.
Kala (Albania)
Kala takes place in Dhërmi, a stunning beach location on the Albanian Riviera. A festival to enjoy during the day at the paradisiacal beaches of the area and explore the unspoiled surroundings, and to party during the night at the seaside venues with DJs and live acts that will keep you dancing under the stars until the early hours. Kala festival is a different proposal that promises a wide range of quality music, blissful beach days, an intimate atmosphere and the best crowd of music lovers and welcoming locals in a country yet to be discovered.
Kala has been re scheduled this year to take place between September 9 and 16, 2020. Discover more by visiting the official website of Kala festival.
Pete the Monkey (France)
Aside from hosting music and arts, Pete The Monkey's main goal is to raise funds for a monkey sanctuary in El Chapar (Bolivia). Surprised? I would be too but you should know that the festival takes its name inspired by a dish-washing chimp turned into a viral YouTube sensation.
Located in the Normandy coast, the festival turns every year the sleepy fishing village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer into a carnival of sound and color. With music at its core Pete The Monkey includes a lineup with emerging artists and DJs from around the world, alongside established acts and a plethora of other activities designed to connect with like-minded people (from art classes, theatre and dance, to literary talks and even karaoke with food trucks from London and Paris being a core component).
Initially scheduled to take place between July 10 and 12, 2020 this year Pete The Monkey will take place in September. Discover more by visiting the official website of Pete The Monkey festival.
Pferdefest (Germany)
Based in the Mosel valley (West of Germany), land of exquisite wines and idyllic landscapes, the New York Times included it among the main tourist destinations in the world in 2016 and National Geographic ranked it as one of the 17 most romantic places in the world. This particular festival started in 2007, when a group of friends, forced to emigrate to other cities to study and work, made themselves the promise of each summer organizing a party for them and their friends, and the friends of these friends and thus preserving the friendship. Twelve editions later, that small gathering of friends has gradually matured, and despite retaining the initial charm and continuing to be a small-sized festival, today it has become a weekend event whose name begins to sound beyond the valley itself. Pferdefest is pure fun, good vibes and amazing wine.
Pferdefest was initially scheduled to take place between August 7 and 9, 2020 but this year it will probably be postponed to September. Discover more by visiting the official website of Pferdefest festival.
Kolorádó (Hungary)
Kolorádó Fesztivál is a music festival taking place in the Buda Hills on the outskirts of Budapest. This alternative festival features sound from electronic, afrobeat, folk, and rock genres and focuses on art and the community feel. Kolorádó has a free love atmosphere caring more about the music and the experience than the flashiness of other festivals and everyone is welcome to party in the nature of Hungary.
Kolorádó has been re scheduled this year to take place between August 8 and 12, 2020. Discover more by visiting the official website of Kolorádó festival.
There were other very attractive festival proposals such as Evento Sarmiento (Spain), Waking Life (Portugal), Terraforma (Italy), Sacred Ground (Germany) or Meadows in the Mountains (Bulgaria) that I would have liked to include in this list but unfortunately they were forced to cancel their 2020 editions. Nevertheless keep their names for next year!
Cover photograph: Horst festival captured by Kasia Zacharko
