It’s that time of year again to dig out the Wellies, the raincoats and the tents. With the festival season now upon us, Maureen Coleman looks at what’s happening at home and why more music fans are heading to European events

Northern Ireland music fans are gearing up for a summer of outdoor concerts as the festival season gets under way.

In Europe, the festival frolics have already started, with Spain hosting its Primavera party in Barcelona last month. Other Spanish festivals which attract crowds from Northern Ireland include Sonar, which is held from June 18 to 20 and Benicassim, which runs from July 16-19, and is headlined this year by big hitters Oasis, Kings of Leon and The Killers.

Closer to home, Ireland’s largest festival, Oxegen, will draw thousands of revellers from north of the border to the three-day music event which runs at Punchestown Racecourse from July 10-12.

However the ongoing economic downturn, combined with the poor weather of recent years, has seen slower ticket sales this year. Oxegen has failed to sell out, despite a stellar-line-up boasting Snow Patrol, Blur, The Killers and Kings Of Leon, and sales for Electric Picnic, annually held at Stradbally in Co Laois in September, are reported to be slow.

As yet there has been no major outdoor show announcement for Belfast, which has hosted both the Belsonic and Tennents ViTal festivals in previous years.

In recent days there have been rumours of a large outdoor summer gig planned for Belfast, but at the time of going to press no show had been confirmed.

One event that will be going ahead is the independent festival Glasgowbury, which will take place in the heart of the Sperrins on Saturday, July 25. Now in its ninth year, Glasgowbury will feature some of the best local unsigned and signed acts, including Fighting With Wire, General Fiasco, The Jane Bradfords, A Plastic Rose, Mojofury, Ed Zealous, Cashier No 9 and The Beat Poets.

Belfast-based And So I Watch You From Afar will not only play Glasgowbury, but will also be one of the bands taking part in the Trans 09 festival, running at the Waterfront Hall throughout July.

The festival brings together international acts such as Massive Attack’s Daddy G and electro punk Ebony Bones, street theatre, workshops and the finest local talent, such as Lowly Knights and Panama Kings. There’s also photographic exhibitions, including behind-the-scenes pictures charting Snow Patrol’s success, taken by local lensman Bradley Quinn.

August 6-9 will see more entertainment at the Belfast Taste and Music Fest, featuring acts such as Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, Juliet Turner, James Huish, the Ricky Warwick Band, Peter Corry and Flash Harry.

Outside Belfast, hundreds of rock fans will be heading to Live At the Castle in Carrickfergus for a two-day event. On Friday, August 28, Jools Holland headlines, while on Saturday, August 29, Status Quo will be the main attraction.

And to kick it all off thousands of revellers are expected to descend upon the seaside town of Newcastle to welcome dance legends The Prodigy next Friday.

Best of the European Festivals

UK: Glastonbury, Somerset, June 25 - 28: Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Kasabian, Blur, The Specials.

Isle of Wight, June 12 - June 14: Neil Young, The Prodigy, Razorlight, Human League, The Pixies, Simple Minds.

IRELAND: Oxegen, Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare, July 10 - 12: Blur, Snow Patrol, Kings Of Leon, The Killers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Bloc Party, Elbow, White Lies.

Electric Picnic, Stradbally Hall, Co Laois, September 4 - 6: Orbital, Flaming Lips, Brian Wilson, MGMT, Basement Jaxx.

AUSTRIA: Salzburg Frequency Festival, August 20 - 22: The Prodigy, Bloc Party, Pendulum and Kasabian.

BELGIUM: Rock Wercheter, July 2 - 5: Coldplay, The Killers, Elbow.

CROATIA: Zagreb, TMobile INmusic, June 24 - 25: Yeahs, Yeah, Yeahs, Moby, Kraftwerk, Lily Allen.

DENMARK: Roskilde, July 2 - 5: Petshop Boys, Kanye West, Coldplay, Fleet Foxes, Nine Inch Nails.

HUNGARY: Budapest, Sziget, August 12 - 17: Snow Patrol, Maximo Park, Bloc Party, White Lies, Primal Scream.

NORWAY: Hove, June 22 - 25: Franz Ferdinand, White Lies.

POLAND: Gdynia, Open’er, July 2 - 5: Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks.

ROMANIA: Bucharest, July 4 - 6, July 11: The Killers, The Charlatans, Klaxons, Franz Ferdinand.

SERBIA: Exit Festival, July 9 - 12: Arctic Monkeys, Moby.

SPAIN: Benicassim, July 16 - 19: The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Oasis.

SWEDEN: Gothenburg, Way Out West, August 14 - 15: Arctic Monkeys, My Bloody Valentine.

Ulster band line-up

This year’s festival season sees a host of Northern Irish bands take their place among star-studded line-ups around the UK and Ireland.

The Snow Patrol juggernaut rolls on as they prepare to headline the Oxegen, T in the Park and V festivals.

Portadown rockers In Case Of Fire will celebrate last month’s debut album release with shows at Oxegen and T in the Park, but not before they play Glastonbury. Cashier No.9 and Japanese Popstars will join them in playing all three festivals.

General Fiasco, Bap Kennedy and, somewhat bizarrely, Omagh Community Youth Choir will also play Glastonbury.

Belfast man David Holmes plays Oxegen on the Friday evening. Duke Special, the Answer and Therapy? will also play on the opening day.

The Answer and Therapy? are also on the line-up for England’s Download festival and they’ll be joined there by Million Dollar Reload. Further afield another Belfast act, The Vals, will play at Germany’s Haldern Pop Festival in August.