Preview: Benicassim festival

Forget partying with the post-AS level results crowd at Leeds or trawling through the routine Glastonbury mud, make your festival experience this year Benicassim. The annual Spanish summer event – sandwiched quite perfectly on the coast between Valencia and Barcelona – promises to be one to remember.

The line-up this year has a lot to live up to following 2011, but the 60+ acts named will not disappoint. The standout headliner must surely be folk legend Bob Dylan. Perhaps the greatest lyricist of our time, Dylan alone makes the journey to Spain seem the only logical choice. But sufferers of homesickness fear not, for Manchester is set to invade Benicassim with the appearances of The Stone Roses, Buzzcocks, New Order and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Beyond that, there truly is a wide variety of music both new and old on offer, ranging from De La Soul to Florence of the Machine and from Dizzee Rascal to Bombay Bicycle Club. And Ed Sheeran, I s’pose.

The festival begins on Thursday 12th July and ends on Sunday 15th and ticket prices are around £155. For full line-up details check out www.fiberfib.com.