This summer will see West Sweden's vibrant city, Gothenburg, once again play host to one of Europe's best music festivals - Way Out West, from 11-13 August, 2011. The environmentally-friendly festival, in its fifth year and held at Slottsskogen city park in the heart of Gothenburg, will showcase the crème de la crème of national and international music.
The exciting line-up for 2011 so far includes Pulp, Robyn, Fleet Foxes, Thåström, Explosions In The Sky, Janelle Monae, Wiz Khalifa, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Jayhawks, Twin Shadow, The Avett Brothers and Warpaint.
Way Out West's unique city-based location taps into Gothenburg's buzzing music scene, with exclusive 'Stay Out West' performances also taking place at the city's clubs and cultural venues during the festival.
Global superstars such as Kayne West, Franz Ferdinand, Neil Young, Lily Allen and Arctic Monkeys have taken to the Way Out West stage in previous years, ensuring it has always been a sell-out success, with this year's event set to be more popular than ever.
Festival-goers will be able to soak up the Swedish summer sun in the most wonderful open space. Gothenburg's favourite park, Slottskogen, is made up of large areas of grassland, small hills, a forest and enclosed pastures with Nordic animals such as elk. The festival prides itself on being environmentally-certified, and is organised to respect the park's environment as well as visitors' safety.
There will be a selection of organic food available at the festival, including fresh seafood, a local speciality, with the menu created by one of the city's star restaurateurs, Mats Nordström.
Way Out West is perfectly located in the centre of Gothenburg and within walking distance of two of the city's best-loved districts - the culturally diverse Linné and historic Haga - as well as a vast array of hotels and hostels.
Gothenburg is viewed on the international music scene as a place to watch for its emerging musical talent. The city boasts a number of smaller gig venues alongside big arenas, as well as recording studios and events geared up for budding new artists.
Other leading Gothenburg-based music festivals include the pre-party for Way Out West - Woody West Limited Edition - a smaller one-day festival, held on 21 June in the central park, Trädgårdsföreningen (Garden Society). There's also Where the Action Is, held in Slottsskogen park, on 28 June, 2011. This year's event will see 30,000 music fans enjoy performances by the likes of Coldplay, Glasvegas, Brandon Flowers and Bright Eyes.
And Gothenburg is a mecca for heavy metal fans this summer, with Metaltown on 17-18 June and West Coast Riot on 16 June, along with two big concerts at Ullevi Stadium - Iron Maiden on 1 July and Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax on 3 July.
Finally, the week after Way Out West, visitors can also enjoy the annual Gothenburg Culture Festival, from 16-21 August. It's a free event, featuring concerts by some of Sweden's most talented artists.
Festival-goers may wish to extend their breaks to take in all that Gothenburg has to offer, with its compact centre of elegant squares, gardens and canals, as well as a buzzing café culture, Michelin-starred restaurants and cutting-edge museums. Gothenburg is also gateway to West Sweden's island-scattered Bohuslan coast, Dalsland's forests and lakes and the countryside and castles of Vastergotland.