Untold wins Best Major European Festival

The 7th edition of the European Festival Awards was held on January 13th, 2016 at the Eurosonic Noorderslag in Groningen, The Netherlands. Starting off in 2002, EFA have turned into the most prestigious recognition in the festival industry, covering 13 different categories, including “Best Major Festival in Europe”, “Best Medium-Sized European Festival”, “Best Small”, “Best New Festival ” and others.

This year’s edition saw over 800,000 votes cast by fans from 50 different European countries for their favorite festivals and artists and it ended in a historic turn of events. In the category “Best Major Festival in Europe” the winner was a debut in the festival scene – Untold Festival. The Romanian giant hosted its first edition in 2015, which directly took them to the very top list in Europe, welcoming 240 000 visitors from all over the world. Winning over long-established names such as Tomorrowland, Exit Festival & 2-times winner Sziget Festival, Untold Festival is quickly turning into one of the most influential events, hosted in Eastern Europe.

In the category of “Best Medium-Sized European Festival” the winner is Telekom Volt Festival and “Best Small” features Happiness Festival.  Lollapalooza Berlin grabbed the statuette for Best Newcomer, whilst last year’s winner for Best Major Festival – Sziget Festival, won the recognition for Best Line-up. Full list of winners and nominees can be found here.

Steve Jenner, Co-Founder & Director of European Festival Awards commented: “2015 has been a buoyant year for Europe’s festival market, evidenced by the raft of successful and diverse new events entering the market this year, ranging from the small and intimate Amsterdam Woods to the huge and epic Lollapalooza Berlin. This year’s voting shows that passion for festivals has never been greater and the shortlists portray an exceptionally colourful, creative and vibrant festival landscape that any European should be proud of.”

Watch the highlights of this year’s ceremony below: