Taking place at Groningen’s De Oosterport in The Netherlands, the third edition of the awards was bigger and better than ever with over 350,000 votes and 200 festivals taking part from 32 different countries. A record breaking edition!

Decided by a combination of public vote and industry juries, Festival Awards Europe is the only event solely dedicated to recognising the contributions and achievements of the event organisers and performing artists that generate billions of Euros for local economies and brighten up the summer for tens of millions of festival-goers each year.

And the winners are;

Best Major European Festival – Sziget Festival (Hungary)
Best Medium-Sized European Festival – Off Festival (Poland)
Best Small European Festival – Haldern Pop (Germany)
Best New European Festival – Extrema Outdoor (Belgium)
Best Indoor Festival – I Love Techno (Belgium)
Best European Festival Line-Up – Rock Werchter (Belgium)
YOUROPE Green ‘N’ Clean Festival Of The Year – Melt! (Germany)
Artist’s Favourite European Festival – Southside / Hurricane (Germany)
Best Newcomer association with Eurosonic Noorderslag – James Blake
Best Headliner – Coldplay
Festival Anthem of the Year -  Coldplay ‘Viva La Vida’
Virtual Festivals Europe presents Promoter Of The Year – FKP Scorpio (Germany)
YOUROPE Lifetime Achievement Award – Michael Eavis, Glastonbury (UK)

Said Fruzsina Szep from Sziget festival after receiving the Best Major Festival award and inviting everyone to join her in a drink of Palinka: “We were very much hoping to win this award and it really means a lot to us because 2012 will be the 20th edition of our festival.”

On receiving his lifetime achievement award Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said: “42 years ago I started something on my farm towards the end of the flower power era in the 60’s and we had less than a thousand people and now we have 150,000 people registered to buy a ticket for 2013.  Thank you very much to everyone and thanks to all the people who have been involved in our show and thanks to all the people who buy tickets every year. I hope there are a few more years to go yet, another 10 years maybe.”

James Drury, MD of Festival Awards Ltd, which organises the Awards said: “The further growth of the European festival awards and another record-breaking event highlights just how important festivals are to people across the continent. It’s testament to the hard work and passion of everyone involved with festivals that they continue to be so popular. With Glastonbury being the inspiration for so many festivals, I was especially delighted to welcome Michael Eavis to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been seminal in the success of the festival scene in the world.”

Christof Huber, General Secretary YOUROPE commented: “Michael Eavis is an icon in the European festival scene and in my view, Glastonbury is the mother of all European festivals. He is just the right person to get the Livetime Achievement Award at the Festival Awards Europe.

Top 5 Festivals in each category;

BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL
Hurricane Festival (Germany)
Roskilde Festival (Denmark)
Sziget (Hungary)
Tomorrowland (Belgium)
Wacken Open Air (Germany)
Winner: Sziget (Hungary)

BEST MEDIUM-SIZED FESTIVAL in association with Megaforce
Berlin Festival (Germany)
Melt! Festival (Germany)
Off Festival (Poland)
Pohoda Festival (Slovakia)
Rock for People (Czech Republic)
Winner: Off Festival (Poland)

BEST SMALL FESTIVAL
Appletree Garden (Germany)
Blues in Hell (Norway)
Extrema Outdoor (Belgium)
Haldern Pop (Germany)
Springtime Festival (Belgium)
Winner: Haldern Pop (Germany)

BEST NEW FESTIVAL
Extrema Outdoor (Belgium)
Festival Hongerige Wolf (Netherlands)
Luna Festa (Belgium)
The Green Village (Ireland)
Waves Vienna (Austria)
Winner: Extrema Outdoor (Belgium)

BEST INDOOR FESTIVAL
Blues in Hell (Norway)
I Love Techno (Belgium)
Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland)
Reeperbahn Festival (Germany)
Springfestival (Belgium)
Winner: I Love Techno (Belgium)

ANTHEM OF THE YEAR
Aloe Black – I Need a Dollar
Arcade Fire – Wake Up
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Foo Fighters – Rope
Foster The People – Pumped up Kicks
Winner: Coldplay – Viva La Vida

HEADLINER OF THE YEAR
Arctic Monkeys
Chemical Brothers
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Queens of the Stone Age
Winner: Coldplay

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR in association with Eurosonic Noorderslag
Anna Calvi
James Blake
Magnetic Man
Selah Sue
The Vaccines
Winner: James Blake

BEST EUROPEAN FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Heineken Opener Festival (Poland)
Hurricane / Southside (Germany)
Oya Festivalen (Norway)
Rock am Ring  (Germany)
Rock Werchter (Belgium)
Winner: Rock Werchter (Belgium)

YOUROPE GREEN ’N’ CLEAN AWARD
Melt! (Germany)
Oya Festivalen (Norway)
Shambala (UK)
SOS 4.8 (Spain)
Winner: Melt! (Germany)

ARTISTS’ FAVOURITE FESTIVAL
End of the Road Festival (UK)
Paléo Festival Nyon (Switzerland)
Southside / Hurricane (Germany)
Sziget Festival (Hungary)
T in the Park (Scotland)
Winner: Southside / Hurricane (Germany)

Each year the prize is dedicated to an individual whose personal vision and energy has propelled the entire festival industry forward in a dynamic, creative and positive way.

Michael is to be given the Lifetime Achievement Award because of his seminal role in the European festival industry. Glastonbury and its success have inspired thousands of festivals to be launched, and Michael’s own personal philosophy of philanthropy has been adopted by countless promoters.

Commenting on his award Michael said: “After 41 years, to win something of this magnitude is something to be incredibly proud of. To still be doing this after that amount of time is no mean feat,”

Michael will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Festival Awards Europe ceremony on Wednesday 11th January in Groningen, The Netherlands.

Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis

Michael launched Glastonbury festival in 1970, after being inspired by the very first such gatherings such as the Isle of Wight Festival. After 11 years the event finally made a profit and Michael looked for good causes to support in the UK and around the world. Nowadays he aims to raise £2 million per year to make the quality of life better than it is, at present, for millions of people.

Presented in association with YOUROPE and Eurosonic Noorderslag, the Festival Awards Europe are the only pan-European body solely dedicated to recognising the contributions and achievements of the event organisers and performing artists that generate billions of Euros for local economies and brighten up the summer for tens of millions of festival-goers each year.

Christof Huber, Yourope general secretary said, “Michael Eavis is an icon in the European festival scene and in my view, Glastonbury is the mother of all European festivals. He is just the right person to get the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Festival Awards Europe’.

Tickets are now on sale for the special awards ceremony, which will open Eurosonic Noorderslag on Wednesday 11th January 2012, with a gala ceremony held at De Oosterpoort in Groningen, The Netherlands.

Featuring a drinks reception, buffet dinner, live acts and an aftershow party, the awards is also a great opportunity for the industry to come together under one roof to celebrate the achievements of the past 12 months, make new connections, and catch-up with established ones.

For more information, click here

James Vincent McMorrow

James Vincent McMorrow released his debut record, Early in the Morning, in Ireland to widespread critical acclaim in February 2010 and has been described by Q magazine as having song which “sound both fresh and as if they’ve been in your head forever”. Shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2011, he is sure to be a major hit at festivals across Europe in 2012.

Belgian Selah Sue creates soul, funk and reggae melodies and

has duetted with Cee‐Lo Green for the song “Please”, which also appeared on on his own album, as well as supporting Prince in Belgium.

Shortlisted for the European Festival Awards, Selah Sue belongs to the new generation for whom music has no boundaries, such as Like Janelle Monae, M.I.A. or Aloe Blacc.

Tickets to the European Festival Awards are €99, or €75 for Eurosonic Noorderslag delegates – a saving of 25%!

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception, a delicious three-course dinner, the Awards show and afterparty.

Ticketholders will also receive an exclusive copy of the European Festival Market Report – the largest survey of European festival-goers ever undertaken.
It includes pan-European consumer opinions on:

• Ticket-buying habits
• Likes and dislikes at festivals
• Ideas for the future
• Market threats and opportunities
• …and more!

This report will be made available for purchase after the event, but this is the only way to get your copy first, and for free!

For more information and to buy tickets, click here

Results will be announced at the European Festival Awards show on 11 January in Groningen, The Netherlands – the opening event of Eurosonic Noorderslag.

Come to the show, or stay in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter to find out the results!

Festivals have to fill out this short form before 19 October. Public voting opens on 21 October, when we’ll provide organisers with the tools they need to help generate votes! We’ll also be mailing our database and reminding them to pick their favourite festivals.