DUBAI: Make your summer travel plans with music in mind 

Glastonbury 

Where: Wiltshire, England 

When: June 25-29 

What: Glastonbury has a convincing claim to being the world’s most famous festival, and regularly attracts more than 200,000 people to the Somerset countryside to see a diverse lineup that — apart from music megastars — includes stand-up comedy, circus acts, theater performances and more. This year’s Pyramid Stage headliners are English pop-rock outfit The 1975, US veteran Neil Young, and US singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, while top of the bill on The Other Stage are UK hip-hop star Loyle Carner, the inspiration behind last year’s ‘Brat Summer’ Charli XCX, and seminal electronic-music act The Prodigy. Elsewhere, there really is something for all tastes.  

Other must-see acts: Raye, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rod Stewart, Biffy Clyro, Noah Kahan, The Big Moon, Wolf Alice, Doechii, Wet Leg 

 

 

 

 

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Tomorrowland 

Where: Boom, Belgium 

When: July 18-20 and 25-27 

What: A regular award-winner, Tomorrowland is one of the world’s best electronic dance music festivals. A reported 400,000 people attended last year’s event in De Schorre recreational park, which also accommodates the festival’s official campsite, DreamVille. This year’s Mainstage headliners include Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, and Swedish House Mafia, but there’s also plenty of less-mainstream acts performing over the festival’s two weekends on its 14 stages. 

Other must-see acts: Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Charlotte De Witte (pictured), Alok, ANNA, Amelie Lens, Eric Prydz 

 

 

 

 

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Lollapalooza 

Where: Chicago, US 

When: July 31–Aug. 3  

What: It may no longer be seen as quite the cultural thermometer it once was, but Lollapalooza is still an eclectic feast for music lovers — booking acts from genres including alt-rock, metal, punk, pop, hip-hop and EDM — and attracts around 400,000 people every year to its home in Chicago. This year’s headliners include Australian alt-dance group Rüfüs Du Sol; US rap star Tyler, The Creator; Olivia Rodrigo; and US singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter. 

Other must-see acts: A$AP Rocky, Twice, Luke Combs, Gracie Abrams, Cage The Elephant, Bleachers, Doechii, Martin Garrix 

All Together Now 

Where: Waterford, Ireland 

When: July 31-Aug. 3 

What: The great joy of Irish festival All Together Now is the hidden gems further down the lineup, as well as the ‘sideshows’ of art, spoken word, comedy, theater and wellness in a gorgeous setting. Since its inception, All Together Now has built a reputation for having a deep bench full of quality. So while the headliners — who this year include Fontaines D.C., Nelly Furtado, and London Grammar — aren’t on the megastar scale of the world’s major festivals, this festival is still well worth a visit. 

Other must-see acts: Wet Leg, Leftfield, Michael Kiwanuka, Infinity Song, Gurriers, Glasshouse 

Osheaga 

Where: Montreal, Canada 

When: Aug. 1-3 

What: Spread over six stages in Montreal’s beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, Osheaga focuses on up-and-coming acts as well as major names and incorporates a variety of genres. Other attractions apart from the music include volleypong, a Ferris wheel, and art exhibitions. This year’s headliners on the main Bell River Stage are US pop-rock giants The Killers; Tyler, The Creator; and Olivia Rodrigo.  

Other must-see acts: Doechii, Glass Animals, Lucy Dacus, The Chainsmokers, Gracie Abrams, Jamie xx, The Beaches, FINNEAS 

 

 

 

 

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Sziget Festival 

Where: Budapest, Hungary 

When: Aug. 6-11 

What: Sometimes called “Europe’s Burning Man,” both because of its size (around 1,000 performances each year) and its weird side attractions — including a very odd amusement park — Sziget takes place on the breathtaking Old Buda Island on the River Danube. Headliners on the main stage this year include Charli XCX (pictured), Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, US rapper A$AP Rocky, American rapper and singer Post Malone, and US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. 

Other must-see acts: FKA Twigs, The Last Dinner Party, Mother, Empire of the Sun, Justice, Amelie Lens, Caribou, Armin van Buuren 

Reading & Leeds 

Where: Reading and Leeds, England 

When: Aug. 21-24 

What: With the same lineup performing on different nights in two different venues a couple hundred miles apart, Reading & Leeds usually attracts a total of more than 200,000 people to shows that tend to focus on indie and alternative music as well as hip-hop. This year’s headliners are Irish rocker Hozier (pictured), Chappell Roan, English rock band Bring Me The Horizon, and US rapper Travis Scott.  

Other must-see acts: Limp Bizkit, Becky Hill, The Kooks, D-Block Europe, Amyl and the Sniffers, Rudim3ntal, Red Rum Club 

LONDON: Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a terror-related charge in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band’s support for Palestinians before its appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.

Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was released on unconditional bail after the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 20.

The single charge against Chara stems from a Nov. 21 concert in north London where he waved a Hezbollah flag in a manner that aroused “reasonable suspicion” he supported the Lebanese militant group, which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, the Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement last month.

Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court on Wednesday Chara wasn’t being prosecuted because of his support for the Palestinians or criticism of Israel.

“He’s well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else,’’ Bisgrove said. “The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr. O hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah.’’’

Kneecap has supported the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band has been the center of controversy in Britain since last year, when the previous government sought to block an arts grant for the band, citing its anti-British politics. That decision was overturned after the Labour Party won last year’s parliamentary election and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office.

The trio is scheduled to perform at Glastonbury on Saturday, alongside performers including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. The internationally watched music festival is a five-day event that attracts about 200,000 people to a farm outside the small town in western England every summer.

As they entered the courthouse, the three Kneecap members, who hail from Northern Ireland, gave the thumbs up sign to hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside, waving signs reading: “Free Mo Chara” and “Defend Kneecap.”

The group has repeatedly said it doesn’t support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence.
Before the hearing, the band posted billboards around London bearing the slogan “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara.” The message echoes the signs landlords placed in the windows of some London boarding houses in the 1950s, stating “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish.”

“British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed,” Kneecap said in a statement posted on social media. “We will fight them. We will win.”