Top Brit acts rock Pinkpop

By Maddy Savage
Newsbeat reporter at Pinkpop Festival

More and more Brits say they are ditching UK festivals and heading to Europe. Fans have told Newsbeat they are fed up with the rain, and reckon events across the channel are better value for money. We travelled with a coach of music lovers to the Pinkpop Festival in Holland.

Day two - 2pm

Two trains, two taxi journeys and four hours travelling and I am finally at Pinkpop in Landgraaf, near Maastricht.

Day one diary

It's half the size of Glastonbury, with enormous pink doll logos everywhere ("pop" means "doll" in Dutch) and stalls selling local ice cream and beer, or chips with mayonnaise on them.

Everyone is super-friendly and speaks amazing English.

Editors' Tom says European events are more civilised

I manage to grab a quick chat with Editors in their dressing room.

Tom from the band says: "People are a bit more reserved in this part of the world. We like playing here because you don't get lager chucked at you! It's a lot more laidback at festivals in Europe."

He says he can see why the fans like it here too: "British festival tickets are getting more expensive, and they are probably too expensive now.

"But then the cost of everything is going up. It's £40 to go and watch one Coldplay gig in England or the football."

Russell says he can't wait to eat a waffle and watch The Verve later. Preferably at the same time.

KT Tunstall says playing a European festival is like being on holiday

Next door, KT Tunstall is doing some last-minute interviews before she heads on stage. She's also into sampling the local produce.

Last time she came to Holland she tried peanut soup.

But she was initially confused and shocked at what she was being offered because of the way the Dutch pronounce the word peanut.

It sounds a lot like a word for a bloke's private bits!

She says: "Coming to a European festival, you just feel so much more like you're on your hols. You're in a different country and you get a different culture."

4pm

Phil and Jonny, the friendlier passengers from the bus, meet up with me to share their best bits of the festival so far.

Festival-goers Phil and Jonny with Newsbeat's Maddy Savage

They're huge Air Traffic fans and say the band got an amazing reception when they kicked off today's performances.

They are biased though, because Phil knows one of the band!

The cheap beer prices are also going down well, and they're very impressed with KT Tunstall's drummer.

11pm

The day ends with some amazing performances from The Verve and Foo Fighters.

The Dutch girls are completely crazy for Dave Grohl - many are dressed in shocking pink because of the festival's name.

They are jumping up and down swinging their blonde ponytails around with incredible energy!

The band play for an extra half hour and squeeze in all their main hits. Times Like These gets an extra-special reception.

Day three diary