Crack Magazine’s Festival Guide 2025

With over 50 programmes and events taking place over ten days in January, the London Short Film Festival spotlights the best of this year’s independent cinema, emerging filmmakers and new short films, alongside a curated events schedule focused on both the history of film and the industry today. Discussions will be anchored by this year’s theme, ‘Spaces’, exploring dedicated third spaces for creativity and culture – and what we lose when they close.

Three days of good music in Mexico is a compelling prospect at any time of the year, but in February? Boutique festival Carnaval de Bahidorá is an underrated no-brainer for those looking to escape the last days of Winter. Held at Las Estacas park in Morelos, just a two-hour drive from Mexico City, the site sits right by the bright turquoise Yautepec River in a secluded location surrounded by nature. It all sounds blissful, but the line-up makes clear this is a festival that parties hard – think heavyweights like Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Pangaea, Joy Orbison and Jeff Mills, alongside the likes of Logic1000, ISAbella, SoFTT and Octo Octa b2b Eris Drew.

AVA London’s three-day programme pairs all the gloss of an industry conference with great taste and a true understanding of how to put on a good party. Catch live shows and sets from Erika de Casier and Mechatok at Hackney’s EartH on Thursday, Ryoji Ikeda, Marcel Dettmann and EMA on Friday at HERE, and LSDXOXO on Saturday at The Cause. The daytime schedule also features live a conversation with FKA twigs, a mixing masterclass with Tom Elmhirst and much more.

Every spring since 2011, a carefully considered yet creatively bananas line-up has convened in this seaside city for a weekend of cultural expansion – and that tradition continues in 2025. Among the cutting-edge highlights at this year’s Rewire are Arooj Aftab; Colin Stetson and Self, with their singular approaches to emotional catharsis; spectral post-rockers Moin; ambient jazz explorers Nala Sinephro and SML; drone queen Kali Malone with Stephen O’Malley; and a club-friendly thread that includes Two Shell, De Schurmann and DJ Plead b2b with Roxymore. We could go on…

Not just named after Trish Keenan’s retro-futurists, this Brussels event also channels that group’s spirit of experimentation. Its eighth edition brims with intrigue, as guest curators Anna von Hausswolff, Backxwash and Colin Stetson cast a brooding influence over a bill that features Tim Hecker, industrial art-punks Dame Area, Cairo producer El Kontessa, bubbling producer De Schuurman and avant-rockers Kassie Krut. International Anthem will also celebrate 11 years with shows from Ben LaMar Gay, SML and Jeremiah Chiu. What more do you need?

Sónar Lisboa is once again setting the tone for festival season this spring with an adventurous, expansive programme that brings together forward-thinking electronic music from across the globe. Split across the more laid-back Sónar by Day (Saturday 12 April and Sunday 13), and the immersive Sónar by Night (Friday 11 and Saturday 12), shows will be held at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes (Parque Eduardo VII), with two additional open-air stages for the daytime. Highlights include Jeff Mills, Underworld, Josh Caffé, Modeselektor, ISAbella and Héctor Oaks, as well as stage takeovers from Dengo Club and Lisbon’s Enchufada, and a Principe x TraTraTrax link-up featuring Bitter Babe, DJ Lomalinda, DJ Firmeza b2b Nick León and more.

Music and arts festival Horst is back this year with an expansive programme spanning architecture, installations, performances and more, with a focus on the themes of community, identity, ecology, and the democratisation of the dancefloor. Its summer exhibition is a highlight, as its extensive line-up of musical guests, from TraTraTrax’s Verraco to drum ‘n’ bass shapeshifter gyrofield, and link-ups between Hannah Holland & Josh Caffé, Helena Hauff & DJ Stingray 313, and CCL & Object. Expect to be moved by innovative stage design, immersive sound, and thought-provoking art.

Bringing the underground into sharper focus, FIGURA presents Seeing in Dreams – a night of radical soundscapes, experimental electronics, and dark club-ready frequencies. Berlin’s PAN will take over  HERE at Outernet on the Friday with a line-up featuring Amnesia Scanner, Crystallmess, Heith, Ecco2K and more, while the Accidental Meetings roster will take the party nextdoor to The Lower Third. Saturday’s programme is similarly stacked, featuring Still House Plants, TAAHLIAH, and James Massiah’s album launch party.

Having become a standout on any Londoner’s festival calendar, this year Peckham’s GALA celebrates its milestone 10th anniversary. Honouring its roots and growing community with a stacked line-up featuring Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, Batu, Anz, HUNEE & Antal, HiTech and Pearson Sound, as well as a full weekend Floating Points stage takeover, an open-til-close set from Theo Parrish and much, much more, as ever, it’s not one to miss this summer.

Italy’s Bloc Fest is giving us three dates in two truly beautiful locations this summer, stopping first in Naples for an event hosted by cultural hub La Santissima in May, and then in UNESCO World Heritage area Cilento in June. With artists including Vegyn, DJ Python and John Talabot set to play in Cilento and Deena Abdelwahed, Nour, the Palestine Sound Archive and more on the bill for Naples, really, it only makes sense to add both to our calendars and spend a few weeks in Italy in-between.

Turning 70 this year, Athens Epidaurus Festival is hosting a birthday bash for the ages. At the end of May, the summer season will kick off with an opening concert helmed by Arca and Evita Manji, with DJ support from local Porschelane, followed by an afterparty co-presented by NR Magazine and Plural Artist Management. Other highlights include Subset Festival, which will be returning from 4-8 June in co-production with the Athens Conservatoire with a stacked line-up of artists including Ryoji Ikeda, Carmen Villain and a new commission from Christina Vantzou and her collaborators, while an inaugural partnership with Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center will see Berlin-based spatial sound studio MONOM present a range of archive works at the SNFCC Dome. Bringing together the best local music talent with boundary-pushing artists from all over the globe, AEF’s 2025 programme is its most expansive yet, spanning over three months in total of music, theatre and dance across iconic venues.

The annual pilgrimage for electronic music fans that excels itself every year. En route to its reconfigured industrial home in Lyon this year are techno and synth pioneers Jeff Mills and Suzanne Ciani, and a wide-roaming roster of genre-defilers that includes Artificial Intelligence OG Speedy J, Helena Hauff, Alice Glass, FÖLLAKZOID, CCL, KI/KI and so many more. All of that noise will be accompanied by four days of free-to-attend workshops and talks exploring a range of techno-political issues. Mark Fisher would almost certainly approve.

The third edition of this Parisian indie rock and pop weekender sees it expanding its reach to take over the concert halls and indie shops of the Bastille district – including the iconic Supersonic club where it all started. With a programme brimming with emerging talent from all over the world – including London’s Honeyglaze, Bristol’s Adult Leisure, Oslo’s Pom Poko, Istanbul’s Scattered Ashes and Montréal’s Sorry Girls – and a bunch of free events to encourage venue-hopping, you might discover more than you bargained for.

Amsterdam’s FIBER festival returns with a heady mix of experimental A/V, electronic sounds, and immersive performances. Unfolding over four days in nine locations across the city, the line-up intrigues anyone who is digitally and sonically curious –  think DJ sets from Slikback, Ojoo and Pinch, as well as a selection of live shows from 2k88, Hysteria Love Temple and Jenny Hval. Focusing on warping the relationship between technology, nature, human, and machine through its theme of wildness, FIBER is shaping up to be a mind-bending four day trip through speculative futures, thought-provoking workshops, and deep listening club nights. 

From the organisers of All Points East comes this artist-curated humdinger that turns each day of its two-weekend run into an encapsulation of its headliners’ worlds. Massive Attack bring their acclaimed, battery-powered live show, with support from Air, Tirzah, and Yasiin Bey and the Alchemist. Charli xcx reanimates Brat Summer with a supporting cast of collaborators and kindred spirits. Jamie xx leads a day stacked with ambitious, club-adjacent acts. And Outbreak brings its DIY punk throwdown to the south. We’re spoilt for choice.

In which Sónar hands the curatorial reins to a legion of guest artists, labels and promoters for this annual spin-off series at Barcelona’s open-air museum, Poble Espanyol. Bringing a maximalist mindset to the Med this year are Australia’s Grammy-winning electronic trio Rüfüs Du Sol, Swiss audio-visual masters Adriatique, UK house and techno label Solid Grooves, and Adam Port and &ME from Berlin’s beloved club collective Keinemusik. As usual, EDM hedonists Elrow will close out proceedings with one of their mind-mangling spectaculars.

Doing what they’ve done best for 30 years, Meltdown returns to London for another edition of its artist-curated festival. Little Simz takes the reins for 2025, curating a line-up spanning grime, jazz, hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and soul. Shaping up nicely, Simz invites Mike Skinner’s The Streets to the party as well as Ghetts, Jon Batiste, Yukimi, Sasha Keable and more. The final day will see a one-off performance from Simz herself alongside Southbank Centre resident orchestra Chineke! Orchestra. We look forward to seeing what else she has in store.

Fifteen years old this year, Manchester’s Parklife festival has existed for almost as long as many of its most enthusiastic attendees have been alive. In that time, it has earned itself a reputation as a festival-goers’ rite of passage thanks to line-ups that hit as big as any summer blockbuster out there. This year’s bucket-list of acts includes hip-hop tough guy 50 Cent, the Bratty one, pop-queen-in-waiting Lola Young and a list of big, beaty dance acts longer than the line for the Metrolink home.

Returning to Lisbon’s Parque de Bela Vista, MEO Kalorama is back for its fourth year with a line-up that’s looking like its biggest yet. Spanning from avant-pop and leftfield electronics to cult classics, highlights include headliners FKA Twigs, Jorja Smith and Pet Shop Boys, as well as Sevdaliza, Model/Actriz and Boy Harsher. To supplement all this, the electronic-focused Panorama Lisboa stage returns with a generous offering featuring Helena Hauff, Kelly Lee Owens and more.

Held every year in Northern Finland’s Ruka during summer solstice – a weekend where the sun doesn’t set at all – Solstice Festival feels like an extended daydream. As ever, this year’s programme centres art and nature, exploring the theme of Landscape: The imprint of nature and humanity through a series of art installations, workshops, hiking trails, and other outdoor activities. Musically, highlights include upsammy, Darwin, Pariah, Jane Fitz, Priori, Laurel Halo, CCL b2b Simo Cell and many more. Dance, swim, hike, or meditate your way into the summer solstice – just make sure to enjoy the view.

The crew behind Wild Wood Festival do exactly what they promise to do: put on a good party. Nestled into the Cambridgshire woodland with less than 2000 guests in attendance, this independent festival has a truly intimate feel, powered by a close-knit community that keep the energy high year-on-year. But don’t confuse its smaller size for a compromise on the line-up – this year’s programme features the likes of Midland and Lukas Wigflex, and will take place across four stages (some of which are built from the forest floor itself). With secret venues and surprises planned for the weekend, this is one to turn off your phone for, dance under the trees, and embrace the unexpected.

If you hadn’t already noticed, Britpop is back! Back! BACK!! Oasis. Pulp. Gene. Rialto. They’ve all returned to work – and the list keeps growing. Following this trend, Bristol Sounds’ annual takeover of Canons Marsh Amphitheatre is encouraging us to dust down our retro trackie tops for a 30th-anniversary celebration of Supergrass’ Britpop high-watermark, I Should Coco. Following their curtain-raising set of chipper-yet-uncanny bangers are gigs by Texas, an all-dayer featuring Sleeper, Cast and Stereo MCs, and Britpop revivalists Kaiser Chiefs.

After ten years of fun, this five-day party in the idyllic seaside town of Punat is bowing out in style. Across four stages and myriad boat parties, you’ll find a spot-on mix of leftfield live acts and DJs. Repping the former are post-dubsteppers turned gauzy post-rockers Mount Kimbie, Shygirl collaborator Sega Bodega and the Velvet Underground-influenced Okay Kaya, while Rosa Pistola, Hunee, Suze Ijó and Rush Hour founder Antal are among those deploying a wide range of BPM. What a way to say goodbye.

Monheim Triennale’s current cohort of 16 experimental artists conclude their three-year journey with the event. It all started in 2023 with The Sound art exhibition and continued with last year’s The Prequel – a workshop edition that saw the likes of avant-guitar whiz Oren Ambarchi, smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul, ambient- jazz artist Ganavya, Palestinian rapper Muqata’a and Terre Thaemlitz working out the solo and collaborative performances they will deliver at this year’s edition, The Festival. Expect an array of convention- breaking live formats, spanning improvised and composed music.

From a series of immersive art installations and sound performances to a reimagining of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man as a ballet set to live music by John Grant, this year’s MIF promises to expand your horizons. Or, as the festival puts it, to help you Dream Differently. Richard Russell will bring his Everything Is Recorded project to the stage for an in-the-round meditation on impermanence and grief, while Sounds From the Other City celebrate 20 years with a takeover featuring Wu Lyf, Lex Amor and Afrodeutsche b2b JD Twitch.

Returning to the spectacular concrete brutalism of Turin’s Parco Dora, KappaFutur is back for its 12th edition with another techno-heavy dance programme under the Italian summer sun. Heavy hitters like Donato Dozzy, Lena Wilikens, Speedy J, Surgeon, DVS1 and Mathew Jonson dominate the line-up, alongside CCL, Floating Points, and b2b sets from DJ Stingray 313 & Helena Hauff, Francesca Del Garda & Ben UFO, and Eris Drew & Octo Octa – all guaranteed formulas for turntable wizardry. 

Once a mates-only affair, this three-day knees-up just a stone’s throw from Bristol has been welcoming the rest of us since 2023 – and for that, we should all be thankful. There aren’t many events that nail the friendly, local vibe with such aplomb, or with so many big-hitter DJs and performers onboard. Among those instigating dancefloor bedlam this year are the balaclava-clad Camoufly, with his frenetic mix of Latin rave, hyperpop and trap; UKG, funky and jungle manipulator, Yemz; and bass slingers Buunshin and Lily Huu. Good vibes are guaranteed.  

With a decade of party-throwing under their belt, Barcelona’s SOUNDIT crew are expanding their operation. This debut festival, in a leafy park a short metro ride from the city centre, promises impeccable sound design and a line-up worth circling in red pen before you arrive because it’s absolutely stacked. Live highlights include headsy techno maker Polygonia, Medellín’s perreo-bass wiz Verraco and maverick electronic voyager Shackleton, while Jeff Mills, Goldie b2b Special Request, DjRUM b2b Upsammy, Avalon Amerson and CCL bend time and space from behind the decks. 

From a tiny folk gig in a town hall has grown this five-day arts spectacle on the banks of Lake Geneva. It’s had a rep for blockbuster bookings since the 1990s and this year’s line-up has plenty of eyebrow-raisers too: Will Smith! Sex Pistols! David Guetta! Headline-grabbers aside, it’s a dizzyingly diverse affair taking in Queens of the Stone Age, ghetto-tech marauders HiTech, dancehall queen Bamby, Lambrini Girls, and an area dedicated to the sounds of the Maghreb – tuareg, raï, gnawa, chaabi and amazigh. The food looks banging, too. 

The Polifonic crew are spoiling us. Not only have they added an additional stage to accommodate this year’s doozy of a line-up, but they’ve also tacked on an extra night of dusk-till-dawn raving. Paying a visit to this stunning, sun-dappled location on the Med, where the sea glints invitingly in the near distance, are house and techno pioneers including Laurent Garnier, Honey Dijon and Jimi Tenor, plus modern-day club explorers Batu, Chaos in the CBD, Mogwaa, Moxie, Octo Octa and Shanti Celeste.

Neopop once again plugs the sleepy port city of Viana do Castelo, in Portugal’s far north, directly into the rave continuum. The 18th edition of this techno-specific weekender is themed ‘Interplanetary Dance Music’, and its cosmic potential will be unleashed by a long list of DJs running the gamut from Sustain-Release founder Aurora Halal, Charlotte de Witte and Jeff Mills to ZenGxrl’s Batida-infused slammers, Richie Hawtin and a techno special from none other than Goldie. DubLab’s brain-mashing visuals will ensure a far-out experience.

More daytime antics courtesy of the Barca party people, who turned their sunny afternoon gatherings into a fully fledged festival back in 2023. Riding into the sunset with them this year is a heady crew of DJs including Switzerland’s double-Adrian globetrotters Adriatique, Berlin techno champs FJAAK, the ever-dependable DJ Tennis, Anetha, Jungle, Sofia Kourtesis, Suze Ijó and trance daddy Marlon Hoffstadt. Making us sway with their sun-dappled live offerings are Maribou State, cosmic-folk polymath Helado Negro and Monolink. Pack your glitziest sunnies.

Nothing in life is certain – apart from soggy bank holidays and Flow delivering a killer lineup spanning every genre imaginable. This year, it plays host to boundary-trashing juggernauts Charli xcx and FKA twigs, and a none-too-shabby supporting bill including Little Simz, Autechre and Fontaines D.C. But Flow isn’t just about headliners; there’s a stage for homegrown and international experimentalists (Ganavya, Passepartout Duo), another focusing on global rhythms (Hermeto Pascoal, Jeff Mills, Oby Onyioha) and a cor-inducing dance stage featuring Batu, CC:Disco, Verraco and TSHA. Proper.

Another four-day marathon of exploratory soul, hip-hop, electronica, jazz and outernational sounds in deepest Dorset from Gilles Peterson and co. As usual, the line-up is packed with both pioneers – UK funk band Incognito, Brazilian avant-jazzer Hermeto Pascoal, highlife legends Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou and a strand celebrating 40 years of the Bristol Sound – and present-day trailblazers, including Chicago’s razor-sharp rapper Noname, cosmic synth explorer Nala Sinephro and conjurors of percussive magic, Nídia & Valentina. And we haven’t even mentioned the DJ line-up… 

Don’t call it a comeback. After saying goodbye last summer, Field Maneuvers has done a U-turn and decided to stick around for a while longer. Which is good news indeed for fans of underground dance music. Championing the sounds and artists that matter, this intimate weekender in a field somewhere in Norfolk is letting Midland, Kode9, aya, ISAbella, Parris, Angel D’Lite, Raf Reza and many more loose on the best sound systems you’ll hear outdoors this summer. There’s also a pub with a dartboard.

Chase and Status get this quartet of all-dayers off to a screamer, with a Return II Dance takeover that skews bass-heavy, jungle and dancehall. They’re joined by Nia Archives, Overmono and a grab-bag of b2b fire, including Sherelle with Clipz, and chart-breaching man-of-the-moment Sully with Coco Bryce, Dwarde and Tim Reaper. Elsewhere, Raye tops a bill featuring Doechii and Jade; Barry Can’t Swim brings the grins with Confidence Man and Shygirl; and The Maccabees return in style, with angular support from Dry Cleaning, The Cribs and more.