The best summer festivals

June 30-July 3, Blissfields Festival, The Park, Winchester, Hampshire, with Frank Turner, Gold Panda, Tricky, I am Arrows (tickets from £42; www.blissfields.co.uk)

July 1-3, Hop Farm Festival, Tonbridge, Kent, with Prince, Eagles, Bryan Ferry (from £70; www.hop farmfestival.com)

July 1-3, Rock the Barn, Wingate Grange Farm, Co Durham, with The Reet Hot Chilli Peppers, Lunajet, Dreadzone, Druganaut (from £30; www.rockthebarn.me)

July 6-10, The Henley Festival, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, with Tom Jones, Alexandra Burke, Jools Holland (from £35; 01491 843404; www.henley-festival.co.uk)

July 8-10, Soni-sphere Festival, Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, with Metallica, All Time Low, Motörhead, Bill Bailey (from £80; http://uk.sonisphere festivals.com)

Recommended videos for you

July 9-10, Rhythms of the World Festival, Hitchin Priory, Hertfordshire, with Aghast!, Blonde Louis, C.C. Smugglers, Stackridge (from £7; www.rotw.org.uk)

July 14-17, Latitude Festival, Southwold, Suffolk, with Paloma Faith, Paolo Nutini, The National, Suede (from £70; www.latitudefestival.co.uk)

July 21-24, Secret Garden Party, Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire, with ASA, Bones and Darcy (from £125; www.secret gardenparty.com

July 23-24, Rock The Park, Horndean, Hampshire, with Crosstown, The Sanctions, Emerald, FreeReason (from £20; www.rock thepark2011.co.uk)

July 28-31, Camp Bestival, Lulworth Castle, Dorset, with Eliza Doolittle, Katy B, Blondie, Mark Ronson and the Business International (from £70; www.campbestival.net)

August 4-7, The Big Chill, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire, with Kanye West, Jessie J, Empire of the Sun, The Chemical Brothers (from £75; (www.bigchill.net)

August 5-6, Music at Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, Derbyshire, with Björn Again (Saturday) and The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular celebrating Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr (Sunday) (from £15; www.chatsworth.org)

August 20-21, V Festival, Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex and Weston Park, Shropshire, with Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Dizzee Rascal, Scouting for Girls, KT Tunstall (Hylands) and Pendulum, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, N-Dubz (Weston) (from £83.50; www.vfestival.com)

Best of the rest

The Greenest festivals are Croissant Neuf Summer Party (August 12-14, Monmouthshire; http://partyneuf.co.uk), two-time winner of Greenest Festival at the Festival Awards (www.festivalawards.com), the 2000 Trees Festival (July 14-16, Gloucestershire; www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk), powered by chip-fat biodiesel; and Green Man Festival (August 19-21, Monmouthshire, www.greenman.net). Also try Kendal Calling, with Blondie (July 29-31, Cumbria; www.kendalcalling.co.uk); Lounge on the Farm, with Ellie Goulding (July 8-10, Kent; www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk), Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (August 5-6, Invernessshire, www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk); and Standon Calling (August 12-14, Hertfordshire; www.standon-calling.com). Music and food mix at Harvest at Jimmy’s (September 9-12, Suffolk; www.harvestatjimmys.com).

* Subscribe to Country Life and save 40%