Deep in the heart of central Europe lurks one of the world’s better rock festivals. For four days in August, the Frequency Festival takes over the small city of St. Polten, about an hour by train west of Vienna.

It’s not in the Alps, but in a “sort of” park in the southend of the city, with campsites strews along the river. Dust rises from the pebbles in front of several stages, where some of Europe’s best bands rock out crowds of Austrians hopped up on hops and hearty local cuisine. Watch out for blonde Euro uber-babes with tattoos and body paint, and brawny guys shooting you with water pistols.

It’s a lot of fun, done in full Austrian flavor, and the fans are super-friendly to English speakers from abroad. Frequency, in accordance with the scientific leanings of its name, also boasts one of the better sound systems anywhere in the world, meaning you don’t always need ear plugs handed out free at the information center.