With festival booking season reaching fever pitch, we thought we’d point out 10 of the lesser known dance festivals to give you all a few more options!
UK
Virgo 25-28 May
This intimate shindig takes place at Dunsford, Exeter, in the grounds of an 800-year-old mansion by a magical lake (night and day), cobblestone courtyard and countryside. Now in its fourth year, organisers have told us: ‘Expect the SAME, but BETTER, and MORE OF IT’. Caps lock aside, past years have seen Hunee, Tama Sumo and Dan Shake grace the decks, earning the ethereal festival an excellent reputation – not least for its easy, stress-free vibe.
virgofestival.eventcube.io / £75-£105 (+£10.50 handling fee)
Field Maneuvres 31 August-2 September
Finish your summer with a blast at this old-school-rave-up-in-a-field, a term often thrown about but rarely followed through on as convincingly as this. Held over three nights in a field with just 700 people, the event isn’t too big, and the location is only released to ticket holders at the last minute. It’s just one hour from London, and there’s plenty of parking amenities and camping space, so don’t worry about getting there. With killer past headliners like Midland and Ben UFO, you’re in for a ride and a half.
fieldmaneuvers.com / £109 (+£10.90 handling fee)
Houghton Festival 9-12 August
Now in its second year, the well-received Houghton art and music festival in Norfolk made headlines across the dance music community with its uber-credible line up of disco, house, techno, drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep. The 24-hour music license is rumoured to have been revoked this year, but we’re sure curator and legendary Fabric resident Craig Richards will somehow fit in another 12-hour b2b with Ricardo Villalobos.
houghtonfestival.co.uk / £160 last year
Art’s House: A Lovely London Festival 11 August
Everyone loves one-day city festivals, if they’re done right. The mysterious underground icon of UK dance music, Artwork, has announced plans to hold his own little knee-jerker at London’s Three Mills Island this August. The space was used for Percolate’s first ever Open Air party last summer, which was met with rave reviews. With just one stage and a very very special guest who is yet to be announced, this is an absolute bargain of a day out in the sun with the finest tunes London has to offer.
http://artshousefestival.co.uk £20 (+ £2.40 handling fee)
Lost Village 23-27 August
If you’re looking for a fully immersive experience where you really step into a completely different world, then look no further. With installations aplenty and decor everywhere you look, Lost Village is now in its fifth year – and with good reason. This year’s line ups just been announced, with Four Tet (Live), Everything Everything and the return of Friendly Fires amongst the big names. Expect the weird and wonderful at one of the most visionary festivals around.
lostvillagefestival.com £150 (+ £10.50 booking fee)
Abroad
Love International Tisno, Croatia
The ideal festival isn’t complete without guaranteed sun and a sandy beach, and Love International delivers in both departments. But there’s more to draw you in than just the nice weather, as you’ll be hard pushed to find a better line-up anywhere else this summer with world-renowned selectors such as Ben UFO, Four Tet, Floating Points and Craig Richards all set to perform. Coming into its third year, Love Intl is quickly becoming the hottest new Croatian festival around.
loveinternationalfestival.com £135 (+£10.10 booking fee)
Dekmantel Selectors, Tisno, Croatia 23-27 August
Amsterdam’s Dekmantel Festival has built one hell of a reputation in a mere five years. We reckon it won’t be long before they stop the hype train in its tracks and finish the festival altogether to avoid it going stale. Still, a better option already exists, in the form of their low-key sister festival, now in its third year. With a lot less techno and way more disco, this Croatian beach affair is only 1,000 capacity and has four stages and boat parties full of great DJs you may not have heard of, although there’s sure to be some Hunees and MCDEs thrown in.
dekmantelselectors.com / €130 
Oasis, Marrakech, Morroco 14-16th September
This three-day event hosts an extensive selection of the best house and techno artists (last year it featured Jackmaster, Jeremy Underground and Marcel Dettman), as well as ‘culture’ and ‘relaxation’ (featuring exclusive headliners foot-massages and shisha tents). The whole shindig takes place at a former palace cum private resort with a hotel and spa, so don’t worry about camping in the Sahara desert!
www.theoasisfest.com / €160
Into The Valley, Estonia TBA
Set inside a disused limestone quarry, Into The Valley provides a spectacular backdrop for what is one of Europe’s most unique festivals. Stunning visuals combined with some of the underground scene’s hottest exports make for a particularly impressive experience. 2017’s event experienced a few teething issues and it’s still uncertain whether the festival will reemerge in 2018; however, people will be flocking over if the party does indeed continue.
facebook.com/intothevalleyfestival TBA
Meadows In The Mountains, Bulgaria – 7th-9th June
Talk of a weekend set on a Bulgarian mountainside may initially raise a few eyebrows, but closer inspection reveals a real gem on the festival map. The journey length from the airport to the site weeds out any tag-alongs – you can expect a crowd of seasoned partiers. It showcases a line-up that appears almost alien to most, but offers a surefire way to discovering some of the freshest new talent and enjoying the music on face value rather than who’s playing.
meadowsinthemountains.com £130
Cover Photo Credit: Meadows in the Mountains
