THE OXEGEN MUSIC festival has been voted the best in Europe by Havas Sports and Entertainment.

The management and communications consulting firm says it carried out one of the largest studies ever of the running of music festivals and found that Oxegen beat out the like of Glastonbury and the V Festival to the top spot.

64 events were analysed in terms of line up, value for money and logistics among other things. While Oxegen was deemed to provide the best musical acts, it didn’t even appear in the top ten when it came to value for money. Weekend camping tickets for this year’s event come in at €224.50.  Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Foo Fighters, The National, Beyonce and The Strokes all feature on this year’s line up.

Three Polish festivals were top when it came to value for money; Przystanek Woodstock Festival, Off Festival and Open’er Festival, while Glastonbury was deemed to be the best when it came to organisation.

In coming to its conclusions, Havas collected data via online research and direct contact with festival organizers and/or previous attendees and identified 24 measurable criteria.

Oxegen, at Punchestown in Co. Kildare, came in for harsh criticism a few years back when the camping facilities came under the spotlight after allegations of violent behaviour and inadequate security. However, organisers say they have worked hard to improve facilities and have a Garda station on site each year to deal with any problems.

Festival director John Probyn told Clash Music:

A tremendous amount of work also goes on behind the scenes to ensure that every aspect of the festival meets the very highest standard.

Oxegen facts and figures

• More than 4,000 people are involved in setting up, running, and dismantling the festival at Punchestown Racecourse in Co. Kildare
• Celebs spotted in the VIP area over the past few years include Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Helena Christianson and Josh Hartnett
• 52 miles of fencing is used onsite, and a wall of steel is erected around the perimeter in advance of the festival
• The festival prides itself on aiming to be carbon neutral. It encourages fans to buy drinks in recyclable eco-cups, promotes the use of public transport and uses solar power were possible. Even still, Oxegen uses enough power to run a town the size of Kildare for a few days
• 15,000 meals are served to staff and artists over the duration of the weekend
• Organisers install miles of roadway on the racecourse every year, so no vehicles get stuck in the inevitable mud