Where to travel in June: 50 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 66 cities in June: Nuit Blanche (Paris), Festa della Repubblica Parade (Rome), Primavera Sound (Barcelona), YOSAKOI…

Top 10

Nuit Blanche — All-night art installations and performances in museums, churches and streets, all free. The Métro runs late.
Fête de la Musique — Free concerts on every corner on the longest night of the year; bands play outside cafés while the crowd stands with beers. Forget taxis that night.

Festa della Repubblica Parade — A military parade and the air force display team trailing red, white and green smoke over the Colosseum. The Piazza Venezia area is closed in the morning.
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — Rome's patron saints' day and a city holiday. The papal mass is free but needs booking ahead, and many shops close.

Primavera Sound — Three days at the seaside park, running past dawn. Hotels peak this week, so book early.
Sónar — Three days of electronic music from the third Thursday of June. Day and night sessions are ticketed separately.
Revetlla de Sant Joan — Fireworks and bonfires all night, coca pastry and cava. The beach stays full till dawn, and the next day is a holiday.

YOSAKOI Soran Festival — Hundreds of teams dance through the streets clacking naruko clappers. The good seats at the Odori main stage are ticketed.
Hokkaido Shrine Festival — Portable shrines parade through town and Nakajima Park fills with food stalls. For locals this is the start of summer.

Festas de Lisboa & Santo António — Sardine smoke and paper streamers in every lane, neighbourhood parades on Avenida da Liberdade on the night of the 12th. Book rooms months ahead; the Belém monastery and tower close on the 13th.
Rock in Rio Lisboa — Even years only, late May into June. Two weekends of big stages; the red metro line gets rammed.

NOS Primavera Sound — Three days in early June in the park by the sea. Hotels fill up first for that weekend.
Festa de São João — The whole city bops each other on the head with plastic hammers and grills sardines. Fireworks over the river at midnight, then a walk to the sea for sunrise. Book that night's hotel months ahead.

Greenfield Festival — Switzerland's biggest rock and metal festival. Rooms in town are pricey and loud that weekend.
International Trucker & Country Festival — Hundreds of polished trucks and country music. Roads around the airfield jam, so take the train to the mountains.

Tollwood Summer Festival — Late June into July, the south end of the park fills with world food stalls, craft tents and an evening concert tent. The market is free; only the shows are ticketed.
Christopher Street Day — Two weeks of Pride in June, ending with a parade through the old town. Trams through the centre stop that day.

Distortion street festival — Wednesday to Sunday in the first week of June, one neighbourhood at a time turns into a street party. Daytime streets are free; night clubs and the final island party are ticketed.
Sankt Hans bonfires — Midsummer bonfires with a witch effigy on top and everyone singing. The sun sets after ten, so the fires go up late.
Harbour baths open — The harbour is clean enough to swim in. Free, with lifeguards. Just bring a towel and swimwear.

Chicago Blues Festival — Three days in early June, free. Spread a blanket on the lawn for the evening headliners and wander the small stages by day.
Chicago Pride Parade — The parade runs down Halsted Street on the last Sunday of June, with a street fest the weekend before. It's near Wrigley Field and the whole neighbourhood shuts down that day.

Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec