Summer is here, and the season of music festivals is in full swing. While some of the most popular ones have long been sold out, there’s a whole world of absolutely free events where the most you’ll have to pay is the money you choose to toss into an artist’s hat.

Vienna, Austria: The Donauinselfest, or Danube Island Festival, is billed as the largest free open-air music festival in Europe. Already in its 42nd edition, the ever-popular event is set to unfold in its usual venue, an artificial island that doubles as a recreational park, June 20-22. Music is joined by cabaret, dance, theater and family-friendly activities such as crafting and graffiti workshops. Sporty types might wish to give yoga or beach volleyball a go. With some 200 acts performing across 16 stages, most visitors are apt to find much to their liking. This year’s line-up features Symba, No Angels, Kim Wilde, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Conchita Wurst and dozens of other artists. The island is easily reached by public transportation: both trams and the U-Bahn run late into the night to carry revellers back home. Camping overnight on the island is not allowed. Online: donauinselfest.at

Ipswich, England: Some 50 performers from the local area will have been chosen for inclusion in the line-up of Ipswich Music Day, set to take place at Christchurch Park on July 6. Now in its 35th year, Ipswich Music Day is described by its organizers as the largest free one-day music festival in the UK. The family-friendly event will feature six stages from which the sounds of folk, country, Americana, indie, samba, soul, funk, jazz, blues, hip-hop, rap, rock and more will ring out. Fairground rides, trucks selling street foods and a marketplace round out the day’s offerings. Online: tinyurl.com/3uu3jxpy

Nijmegen, Netherlands: The Valkhof Festival promises music-lovers a full week of live acts across seven stages in a historically significant urban park. Near the site of a ruined palace begun by Charlemagne back in the 8th century, tens of thousands of visitors will turn out to hear a vast variety of artists playing sounds from electronic to pop to disco. Some 150 acts all told are included on the agenda.

Set to unfold July 12-18, The Valkof Festival makes up part of an even larger event, the Vierdaagsefeesten, or Four Days Marches, a distance-walking event drawing both civilians and military members from around the world. Online: valkhoffestival.nl/english

Czaplinek-Broczyno, Poland: The Pol’and’Rock Festival, billed as the biggest non-commercial event of its kind in Europe, typically attracts half a million spectators or more over the course of its three-day run. Held on the site of a former airfield in northwest Poland, the festival prides itself on its Woodstock-like vibe and inclusivity to people from all walks of life. Both internationally known acts and up-and-coming artists play across five festival stages, spoiling audiences with a vast range of genres from rock to reggae, indie to hip-hop and other sounds far removed from the festival’s heavy-metal roots. The festival’s Emerging Bands Competition features 18 Polish bands battling for top honors. Also earning a place in the spotlight are influential figures in politics, journalism and literature, who present and debate some of society’s most pressing issues.

This year’s edition of the Pol’and’Rock Festival is set to unfold July 31-Aug. 1. Walls of Jericho, Saxon, Agnostic Front, Wolfmother, Paradise Lost, Fear Factor and Wednesday 13 are amongst the 25 artists slated to perform on the main stage. Online: en.polandrockfestival.pl

Nuremberg, Germany: The Bardentreffen, or Meeting of the Bards, is an inner-city world music festival with a lineup that impresses not so much with the fame of its performers but rather the diversity of its acts. From Aug. 1-3, the UNESCO-listed downtown area of Franconia’s unofficial capital will once again be peppered with open-air stages hosting musicians from every conceivable genre. These some 70 acts on eight stages are joined by hundreds of carefully chosen street musicians performing in courtyards, along the riverbanks, or other tucked-away places. In a typical year, more than 200,000 visitors descend upon Nuremberg to take in the festival’s unique vibes. Organizers note that the 2025 edition of the festival will feature a greater number of female acts than seen in previous years. Families with children can make their way to the Insel Schütt, where a program especially for children is laid on. Online: bardentreffen.nuernberg.de/en

Bamberg, Germany: Some of the biggest names in jazz and blues come out to play in this Franconian city known for its outstanding beer breweries and cultural landmarks. The Blues & Jazz Festival Bamberg, set for Aug. 1-10, is comprised of some 60 live concerts, most of which will take place at Maxplatz; other concerts are slated to take place at the Boehmerwiese Aug. 1-3 only. Several acts hailing from the USA are included in the lineup. Online: sparda-festival.de