SUMMER is finally here. As the number of pink-tinged bodies tripping lazily round the green spaces of London's boroughs rapidly increases after one weekend of sunshine, it highlights the fact that, for the next couple of months, tanning will be high on the priority list. It also serves to remind everyone that festival season is upon us.

No doubt the summer months will be dominated by England's World Cup campaign and endless speculation and debate about their success (or otherwise). However, for people who don't want to be cooped-up in front of a television day after day, live outdoor music is the perfect tonic.

And despite the massive absence of Glastonbury this year, there is a plethora of festivals for punters to choose from, with many people even willing to travel abroad to get their festival fix, with events like Benicassim and Sonar in Spain becoming regular jaunts for the music-loving British public.

Each of the summer festivals host interesting and diverse line-ups, from pop to punk, hip-hop to house, with all music tastes catered for attracting hundreds of thousands of revellers ready to party throughout the long summer day's night.

The music marathon officially kicks-off this weekend at the Isle of White festival, which in the past saw the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan gracing the stage.

This weekend, however, the main acts will be slightly more modern in taste, with rave dance masters The Prodigy, grunge-rockers the Foo Fighters and perennial favourites Coldplay headlining each of the three days.

Back on home soil, the five-day O2 Wireless festival in Hyde Park starting on June 21 will bring together the best in underground music, with Massive Attack, The Flaming Lips and DJ Shadow the pick of the bunch.

And the run culminates with the most eagerly anticipated of all the summer events with the Leeds and Reading festivals taking place on August 25, 26 and 27.

Renowned for hosting the most successful artists playing at the moment, as well as showcasing a ton of new dance and hip-hop acts, the Leeds and Reading festivals almost fill the void left by Glastonbury's notable absence.

Spankrock, Wolfmother, the Arctic Monkeys and Coldcut are just a taste of the kind of acts entertaining the thousands of fans dedicated to having a good time.

With so many other festivals dotted around all over the country the choice is simply amazing. The one uniting factor is that, even if the weather fails, music-lovers won't let anything dampen their spirits.