Planet Love, Shane's Castle, Co Antrim
Bank holiday old-school rave with one of the most up-for-it local crowds in Europe. Featuring a rare set from Marshall "godfather of house" Jefferson and a full funfair.
When?August 28.
Who's playing? Marshall Jefferson, Lisa Lashes, Steve Lawler.
Tickets: £39.50 from planetlovemusic.com.
Getting there: Fly to nearby Belfast on BMI (flybmi.com) from £94 rtn. Alternatively, catch a ferry from Fleetwood to Larne - prices from £119 rtn, car plus driver (stenaline.co.uk).
The Electric Picnic, Stradbally Hall, Co Laois
Situated in the 600 acres of "rolling lawns" of Stradbally Hall, the Electric Picnic mixes the "boutique" scale of the Big Chill with the diverse line-up of Homelands. Stradbally Hall's crumbling country estate takes in a lake, a Georgian Mansion and plenty of oak and chestnut trees to chill under. The Electric Picnic sold out on its debut, last year, but this year's capacity has been stretched to 25,000. But book ahead.
When? September 3-4.
Who's playing? Kraftwerk, De La Soul, Nick Cave, plus the Lost Vagueness field.
Tickets: Weekender pass (including camping) €135. You can also rent beach huts (sleep two) for €400 and tipis from €290. Ticket only: €62.50 (one day) €105 (two days) from electricpicnic.ie.
Getting there: Just an hour from Dublin, the sleepy town of Stradbally can be easily reached by car or public transport. Irish Rail (irishrail.ie) runs hourly services from Dublin's Heuston Station to the nearby town of Portlaois. Bus operator JJ Kavanaghs (01 679 1549) will also be running a shuttle service. Catch it outside the Custom House and Georges Quay from 2pm on Friday: tickets are €35 and must be bought in advance (ticketmaster.ie).
Ryan Air (<a href="http://www.ryanair.com) and Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies to Dublin from various UK airports.
Sun and Bass Festival, Sardinia
Week-long drum and bass festival set around the Sardinian resort of San Teodoro - often celebrated for its long stretches of soft, sandy beaches and not far from Silvio Berlusconi's holiday pad. The festival will be held in the resort's beachfront bars and clubs, including five big club nights and a couple of all-night beach parties.
When? September 3-10.
Who's playing? More than 40 DJs and MCs, including the Ragga Twins and 1Xtra's Baily.
Tickets: €89 from sunandbass .net. Hotels in the resort are offering doubles for a fixed rate of £40 per night (see visitsanteodoro.com/dovedormire/hotel.asp): the ticket includes a number of discounts at local restaurants and bike hire. Camping is also available at the beachside La Cinta campsite (campingsanteodoro.com)
Getting there: Ryan Air flies from Stansted to Alghero, including tax, for £131.33 return. Weekly pass includes transit from airport.
Bestival, Isle of Wight
Radio One's and Sunday Best's Rob da Bank serves up second helpings of this small but perfectly formed late summer festival. This year, it features an eclectic programme of dance music and live bands, plus kooky festival architecture including an inflatable church and a "24-hour ambient sauna". Such open-minded "Balearic" programming and music is inspired by another island - Ibiza.
When? September 9-11.
Who's playing? Mylo, Royksopp, Super Furry Animals, Magic Numbers, Bez.
Tickets: Day tickets from £21.25 children/£46.45 adults; weekend tickets £49/£98.20 from bestival.net/site/home or call 0870 0667753.
Getting there: Drive or take the train then the ferry from Portsmouth (wightlink.co.uk/bestival) or Southampton (redfunnel.co.uk/bestival). Ferry and festival passes available.
Icelandic Airwaves, Iceland
Strictly speaking, this is not a late summer festival, but a city-bound festival which takes place in the coolest of Reykjavik's bars and clubs. If you fancy the odea of a festival but are allergic to muddy fields, this could be the one for you. What's more, good package deals also make this an affordable opportunity to sample one of the world's most expensive countries - and see a lot of cool bands to boot. Get there before it gets too cold.
When? October 19-23.
Who's playing? Babyshambles, The Zutons, Zoot Woman, plus a horde of Icelandic acts, including Gus Gus and Dr Discoshrimp.
Tickets: Package deals, including return flights, hotel accommodation, airport taxis and festival passes from £360pp from icelandairwaves.com.
Getting there: Alternatively, Iceland Express (icelandexpress.com) flies daily from Stansted to Keflavik from £120 rtn.
