The 11 best new festivals launching in summer 2022

It's been a long time coming, but 2022 will finally be the year we get back our full-length, jam-packed festival season. Throughout the pandemic, many of us have been holding out for a long summer filled to the brim with motives and it's just around the corner! Alongside the return of our many favourites, there are brand-new festivals popping up across the world all ready to launch this summer.

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Get your bucket hats, your most outrageous outfits and camping gear at the ready as 2022 is the year of the festival — and here is the ultimate guide to the fresh editions approaching this year.

Newcastle, UK (April 30)

This festival season is nearly upon us with Lost Minds Festival kicking the festivities off by bringing the “strongest forces of dance music together”. Stretching across three stages of Leazes Park, Newcastle Lost Minds by Dance Generation Events will include a total of 50 acts, a VIP secret garden and an after-party. The line-up is filled with “the big-room superstars and titans of trance, to the harder style warriors and the old skool pioneers”.

Line-up: Nicky Romero, Ben Nicky, Brennan Heart, Scot Project and Rebelion.

Get tickets here.

Lucerne, Switzerland (May 20 - 22)

With over 30 DJs playing across two stages for 10,000 people, Verve is coming onto the scene with a bang. Verve will be presenting massive laser displays with high level sound systems and an overall futuristic vibe, to celebrate avant-garde electronic music. This Swiss festival is to be found in the city of Lucerne’s Allement/Messe 1 arena. Sleep is for the weak with Verve as acts will be playing at both stages for 24 hours.

Line-up: Ben Klock, Innellea, Lilly Palmer, Joris Voorn and Oliver Huntemann.

Get tickets here.

East Sussex, UK (May 20 – 23)

After well-loved nightclub The Cause closed its doors "sooner rather than later" following an increase in residential developments in the Tottenham Hale area, we were afraid we’d never hear from them again. However, this year, The Cause is back and in the form of a beach festival. Seaside Beano will be at Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park in Rye with all the best bits of a seaside holiday including pool parties, an arcade, go-karting, drag queen shows and many more activities. Adonis will also be hosting a three-day takeover with founder Shay Malt, Dr. Rubinstein, Paramida, Sedef Adasi, Roi Perez, Or:la and others.

Line-up: Helena Hauff, Objekt, Pangaea, Chippy Nonstop, Overmono, Ben Sims and Goldie.

Get tickets here.

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Kent, UK (May 28)

If you aren’t up for a full weekend bender, Dream Valley could be exactly what you need. This day festival is featuring over 100 acts on seven different stages. Alongside the vast range of acts, attendees can also catch a film in the festival's outdoor cinema, head to the roller rink or even check out the wellbeing workshops, outdoor supper clubs, a ‘Dining Under The Sky’ experience and more.

Line-up: Basement Jaxx, Marco Carola, Roger Sanchez, East End Dubs, George Mensah and Sammy Porter.

Get tickets here.

London, UK (May 28 - 29)

The UK's first LGBTQ+ electronic music and camping festival, Flesh, will have its debut this year. Underrepresented acts will make up the entirety of the line-up; women, trans+, and non-binary artists from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, as well as other underrepresented groups such as LGBTQ and working-class artists, make up the great bulk of the array of performers. Flesh will be held at Springfield Farm, St Albans, only 25 minutes from central London. "Many people talk about equality in electronic music but Flesh is taking real-life action to make it happen."

Line-up: Ellen Allien, VTSS, LSDXOXO, Rebekah, Chippy Nonstop, Jaguar, Syreeta, Hyperaktivist, and Juliana Huxtable

Get tickets here.

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Berlin, Germany (May 28 - 29)

This techno festival set within the stunning grounds of a 17th century former limestone mining furnace named Museumspark Rüdersdorf. Loom Festival is on a mission to increase combine music community, and a feeling of exclusivity to create a unique atmosphere.

Line up: Alex Stein, Anna Reusch, Julian Jeweil, Nastia, Thomas Schumacher and Wehbba.

Get tickets here.

Chelmsford, UK (June 3 - 4)

We’ve all heard of Creamfields but this brand-new version taking place in Chelmsford coincides with the 25-year anniversary celebrations of the launch of the flagship festival. Hosted inside the 15,000-capacity Steel Yard superstructure the festival is being described as a “game changer for the UK festival landscape.”

Line-up: Amelia Lens, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong and Bicep Live.

Get tickets here.

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Perth, Scotland (August 19 - 21)

Party in an historic Scottish castle with Otherlands this year. This festival has promised revellers that they'd be able to experience music in the "heart of mother nature". Based at Scone Palace in Perthshire it has also been the venue for other events such as Rewind Scotland and Solas Festival. Spread over six stages, the festival said that it will combine "cutting edge music, forward thinking art, boutique glamping and bespoke talks from industry leaders" all in the idyllic countryside.

Line-up: Folamour, Honey Dijon, Jamie xx, SHERELLE, TSHA, Yung Singh, DJ Seinfeld and live sets from Bicep and Elkka.

Get tickets here.

Munich, Germany (September 3 - 4)

Transforming Munich’s Olympic Park for one weekend, SUPERBLOOM will be blossoming with top acts. The stellar line-up will perform across several stages merging international artists from different music genres together. Alongside the music, SUPERBLOOM will be providing a total of 11 sensory experiences areas from art to fashion, science to sustainability, dance and acrobatics and much more. This isn’t one to miss.

Line-up: Calvin Harris, Willow, Megan Thee Stallion, David Guetta, and Skepta.

Get tickets here.

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Forest of Dean, UK (September 2 - 4)

DJ duo Optimo (Espacio) and music magazine Ransom Note will be launching their own festival Watching Trees this year. Set in the rolling hills of the Forest of Dean, this festival will have 500 attendees and two stages to celebrate Optimo’s 25-year anniversary. "We seek to replicate the original energy and fun of the early Optimo parties," the duo said. " The feeling of the first time we danced outdoors in woodlands and open fields and enjoyed the freedom of getting to know the person next to us."

Line-up: TBA

Get tickets here.

Bristol, UK (September 10)

To celebrate the label’s seventh birthday, Shall Not Fade has announced its very-own festival hitting Bristol’s city centre with 25 of their artists on the roster. The line-up is yet to be announced, as is the secret location for the debut festival. Expanding to include a plethora of genres from house to techno, UKG, jungle, breaks, and more, Shall Not Fade festival is also set to boast a 50/50 gender split.

Line-up: TBA

Get tickets here.

Becky Buckle Is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter