A guide to some of the biggest and best music festivals in Europe, from Roskilde in Denmark to Sziget in Hungary, Germany's Rock am Ring and PinkPop in Belgium.

With the highest concentration of outdoor concerts and music festivals in the world, it sometimes seems that the entire population of Europe takes to living in fields with beers in hands throughout the summer months. This guide looks at just a few of the biggest and best rock, metal and pop music festivals the continent has to offer.

Roskilde Festival: Line-up and Details

What: One of the three biggest music festivals in Europe (the others being Glastonbury in the UK and Sziget in Hungary), Roskilde is notable for the fact that every act gets to play a full set of around an hour or longer.

When: 3rd-6th July

Where: Near Roskilde, Denmark

Headliners: Radiohead

Best of the rest: Slayer, The Streets, Enter Shikari, Chemical Brothers, At The Gates, Clutch, My Bloody Valentine, Neil Young, Judas Priest, Dillinger Escape Plan, Duffy, Kings Of Leon

Sziget Festival: Line-up and Details

What: Sited on an island in the Danube, Sziget is a huge (attendance has peaked at close to 400,000) week-long festival with a line-up spanning rock, metal, jazz, pop and more.

When: 12th-18th August

Where: Obudai Island, Budapest, Hungary

Headliners: Iron Maiden, R.E.M., Sex Pistols

Best of the rest: Kaiser Chiefs, Roisin Murphy, Die Arzte, Lauren Harris

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park: Line-up and Details

What: A dual-site festival with a revolving line-up format similar to that of the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK, boasting the odd shot of indie within a decidedly rock and metal-centred weekend.

When: 6th-8th June

Where: Nurburgring Racetrack, Nurburg, Germany and Frankenstadion, Nurnburg, Germany

Headliners: Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, Die Toten Hosen

Best of the rest: Queens Of The Stone Age, HIM, Manic Street Preachers, Dimmu Borgir, The Verve, The Offspring, Nightwish, In Flames, Jonathan Davis, The Prodigy, Motorhead, Incubus, Bullet For My Valentine, 36 Crazyfists, Against Me!, Babyshambles, Bedouin Soundclash, The Fratellis, Futureheads, Opeth, Coheed & Cambria

Pinkpop Festival: Line-up and Details

What: One of the earliest festivals of the season, PinkPop takes it name from the Pentecost weekend it's traditionally held on (although for the first time in its history the event will not be taking place on Pentecost weekend this year) and features an eclectic mix of rock, metal and alternative music.

When: 30 May - 1st June

Where: Landgraaf Megaland Park, Landgraaf, Netherlands

Headliners: Metallica, Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine

Best of the rest: Flogging Molly, Incubus, Porcupine Tree, Jonathan Davis, KT Tunstall, Groove Armada, Alanis Morissette, Editors, The Hives, Alter Bridge, Chris Cornell, Bad Religion, The Eagles Of Death Metal, Kate Nash, Cavalera Conspiracy

Click here for the essential festival survival guide.