The world's best music festivals
Contents
- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Indio, California, USA)
- Primavera Sound (Barcelona, Spain)
- Ultra Music Festival (Miami, Florida, USA)
- Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (Glastonbury, England)
- Montreux Jazz Festival (Montreux, Switzerland)
- Mysteryland (Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands)
- Summerfest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
- Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary)
- Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
- Montreal International Jazz Festival (Montreal, Canada)
- Electric Zoo (New York, USA)
- Rock am Ring и Rock im Park (Nürburg and Nuremberg, Germany)
- Governors Ball Music Festival (New York, USA)
- Rock in Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Lollapalooza (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
- Donauinselfest (Vienna, Austria)
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
- Tomorrowland (Boom, Belgium)
- NOS Alive (Oeiras, Portugal)
- BoomTown Fair (Winchester, England)
- Bonnaroo Music Festival (Manchester, Tennessee, USA)
- Way Out West (Gothenburg, Sweden)
- Creamfields North (Daresbury, England)
- Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
- Pinkpop Festival (Landgraaf, Netherlands)
- Mawazine (Rabat, Morocco)
- Burning Man (Black Rock, Nevada, USA)
- Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
- Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas, USA)
- Fuji Rock Festival (Naeba, Japan)
- Outside Lands Music Festival (San Francisco, California, USA)
- Open’er Festival (Gdynia, Poland)
- South by Southwest (Austin, Texas, USA)
Since the last century, music festivals have become part of the music and pastime culture worldwide. It's a cool way to spend time with friends to the soundtrack of your favorite artists. Many event organizers even provide a camp on their grounds, so you don't have to dive out of the unique atmosphere. Everyone can choose a festival to their liking — with rock, jazz, pop, hip-hop, ethnic, country, blues, or dance electronic music. So we offer you a guide to the largest and most notable music festivals in the world to enjoy.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Indio, California, USA)
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day event held in Indio in the U.S. state of California. A part of the Colorado Desert, the Coachella Valley, is located here, after which it is named. It is one of the most popular music festivals in the world. At the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, celebrities can be seen not only on stage but also in the crowd among the audience. In addition to the musical acts, there is an exhibition of contemporary art — installations and sculptures, many of which are interactive. Visitors to Coachella most often wear clothes with ethnic indigenous elements and unusual combinations of colors and materials, which is also a hallmark of the event. It’s definitely one of the brightest USA music festivals that looks like one massive party.
Primavera Sound (Barcelona, Spain)
The Primavera Sound Festival is held every year at the end of May and beginning of June in Barcelona and lasts three days. Since 2005, Forum Park has been the concert venue for it. In 2022, half a million people visited it, making it one of the biggest top music festivals. Smaller Primavera Sound events are held in Madrid, Porto, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires. A wide range of musical genres are represented here. Its participants included Pixies, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Sonic Youth, Portishead, Pet Shop Boys, Franz Ferdinand, The Cure, Blur, Wu-Tang Clan, Tame Impala, Dua Lipa, Lorde, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
Ultra Music Festival (Miami, Florida, USA)
Ultra Music Festival is one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world, held in March in Miami. It was founded in 1999 and is named after the Depeche Mode Ultra album. Ultra Music Festival headliners have included Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Benny Benassi, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, The Crystal Method, Justice, The Prodigy, The Black Eyed Peas, Groove Armada, Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, and Skrillex. Ultra Worldwide Festivals have been organized all over the world since 2008. Participating countries include Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, Chile, South Africa, Indonesia, Spain, Singapore, Croatia, Japan, Peru, and many others.
Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (Glastonbury, England)
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is a five-day festival in the village of Pilton, in the English county of Somerset. It is the largest rock festival in the United Kingdom, over 50 years old. In addition to musical performances, there are dance, theater, and circus performances. It's hard to list the legendary performers who have torn this stage. They include David Bowie, The Smiths, Joe Cocker, The Cure, Sinead O'Connor, Lenny Kravitz, Johnny Cash, Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Beastie Boys, The Offspring, Stereophonics, Moby, Muse, Beyonce. This list is endless. Fun fact — in 2017, actor Bradley Cooper took the stage at the Glastonbury Contemporary Music Festival as part of the filming of A Star Is Born. In 2019, unexpectedly, attendees bought all the tickets in less than 36 minutes.
Montreux Jazz Festival (Montreux, Switzerland)
Mysteryland (Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands)
Mysteryland is the leading electronic dance music festival in the Netherlands. It traces its history back to 1993. During this time, its location has changed several times. In 2011, another Mysteryland took place in Chile, and in 2014 — in the USA. Since 2002, the traditional venue has been the Floriade in the Dutch municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The greatest DJs and electronic musicians give sets here.
Summerfest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Summerfest is one of the largest multi-genre music festivals in the world, attracting about 700-800 thousand people annually. It starts on the last Wednesday in June and lasts 11 days. Its history began in 1968. It is one of the oldest music festivals in the United States. Over the decades, it has featured Bob Dylan, The Jackson 5, Frank Sinatra, Prince, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Maroon 5, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, Imagine Dragons, Nine Inch Nails, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Linkin Park, Ed Sheeran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Weeknd.
Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary)
Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, is held in the United States, namely in Las Vegas. It is one of the most famous music festivals where performers of dance and electronic music, rap and trance, dubstep and house, techno, and drum and bass perform. Impressive visual effects complement all this. In different years, Steve Aoki, Benny Benassi, Tiësto, Marshmello, Diplo, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers, and Armin van Buuren have performed on stage.
Montreal International Jazz Festival (Montreal, Canada)
Electric Zoo (New York, USA)
The Electric Zoo Festival is held annually on the weekend before Labor Day in early September. The venue is Randalls Island in New York City. The event features the best in electronic music. The first Electric Zoo was held in 2009 and headlined by Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, and Deadmau5. Tiësto, Skrillex, and The Chemical Brothers performed there in the following years.
Rock am Ring и Rock im Park (Nürburg and Nuremberg, Germany)
Governors Ball Music Festival (New York, USA)
The multi-genre Governors Ball Music Festival has been held in New York City on Randalls Island since 2011. It's one of America's festivals for live music — rock, electronics, hip-hop, indie, pop, folk, and other kinds. Over the years, artists who have performed here have included Beck, Kid Cudi, Outcast, Jack White, The Strokes, Eminem, Travis Scott, Florence + the Machine, Tyler the Creator, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone.
Rock in Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
The Rock in Rio festival is originally held in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2004, its geography began to expand to Lisbon, Madrid, and Las Vegas. The first event was held in 1985. Its headliners included the legendary Queen, AC/DC, Yes, Rod Stewart, and George Benson, with an audience of 1.38 million people. It is one of the best music festivals in the world. Since the pandemic in 2022, Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N' Roses, Green Day, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa have closed the program.
Lollapalooza (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
Donauinselfest (Vienna, Austria)
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
Tomorrowland (Boom, Belgium)
NOS Alive (Oeiras, Portugal)
BoomTown Fair (Winchester, England)
BoomTown Fair is one of the best music festivals held in South Downs National Park near Winchester in the English county of Hampshire. It was first held in 2009. Each event is a chapter of an overall storyline. The site is divided into neighborhoods and blocks with streets where hundreds of actors play the residents. It takes about a month and a half to build the sets for the festival. The ideas of social equality and protection of nature run through BoomTown Fair. Gogol Bordello, The Specials, M.I.A., Gorillaz, Die Antwoord, Limp Bizkit, Chase & Status, Groove Armada, and Wu-Tang Clan have all performed here at different times.
Bonnaroo Music Festival (Manchester, Tennessee, USA)
The Bonnaroo Music Festival lasts four days in Manchester in the United States. It has been held since 2002 and starts every year on the second Thursday in June. Numerous stages feature bands of all genres — from rock and hip-hop to country and reggae. Rolling Stone and The New York Times magazines have included Bonnaroo in their lists of top summer music festivals. It has featured U2, Pearl Jam, Billy Joel, Mumford and Sons, Elton John, Eminem, Jack White, Lionel Richie, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, The Police, Radiohead, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Way Out West (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Creamfields North (Daresbury, England)
Creamfields North has been a festival for more than 25 years. You can visit it in the village of Daresbury in the English county of Cheshire. It is one of the largest events of its kind. Initially, the event was a one-day festival. Over time, it has become one of the major electronic dance music festivals with camping, lasting four days. More than 300 artists perform there every year. They include Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, The Chemical Brothers, Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Fatboy Slim, Armin van Buuren, The Prodigy, Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Chase & Status.
Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
Roskilde Festival is held near the Danish town of Roskilde. It is among the largest music festivals in the Scandinavian countries. It was created in 1971 as an event for hippie music lovers from the north of Europe and obviously inspired by Woodstock. It originally featured bands and artists playing rock, folk, jazz, and pop. In the 1990s, electronic music was added to the program. Both local performers and world-renowned musicians can be seen here. Its headliners have included Status Quo, Santana, U2, Ramones, The Cure, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Sting, Toto, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Iron Maiden, Iggy Pop, Nirvana, Megadeth, Aerosmith, Oasis, The Strokes, Travis Scott, and Bruno Mars.
Pinkpop Festival (Landgraaf, Netherlands)
Mawazine (Rabat, Morocco)
The Mawazine Festival is held in the Moroccan city of Rabat and gathers artists from all over the world on its stage. It was first held in 2001 under the patronage of the personal secretary of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. In 2013, more than 2.5 million people visited it, making it one of the largest music festivals in the world. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Charles Aznavour, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Scorpions, Usher, Placebo, The Chainsmokers, Maroon 5, Stromae, The Weeknd, Robert Plant, Elton John, B.B. King have performed at Mawazine.
Burning Man (Black Rock, Nevada, USA)
Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
Pitchfork Music Festival is one of the American festivals dedicated to rock music and beyond. It is held annually in July in Union Park in Chicago. In addition to rock, hip-hop, electronica, and even jazz are represented here. In different years, Bon Iver, Thom Yorke's project The Smile, The National, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Phoebe Bridgers, Tame Impala, and Kendrick Lamar have performed on the stages of Pitchfork Music Festival. The festival also features art exhibits, poster sales, and a vinyl record fair from local radio station CHIRP Radio.
Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas, USA)
Austin City Limits is a major music festival held in October at Zilker Metropolitan Park in Austin since 2002. Previously, Austin City Limits used to be a one-weekend event. However, the organizers prolonged it to two weekends in 2012. During this period, eight stages are set up, featuring rock, indie, country, folk, electronic, and hip-hop performers. Interestingly, the inspiration for the event was a television program of the same name that has been airing since 1976. Among the headliners were Amy Winehouse, The White Stripes, Muse, The Strokes, Florence and the Machine, the Weeknd, Radiohead, Mumford & Sons, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gorillaz, Billie Eilish, Arctic Monkeys, and Miley Cyrus. The festival grounds include a food court featuring local restaurants and art sales.
Fuji Rock Festival (Naeba, Japan)
Fuji Rock Festival is Japan's largest open-air music festival, held on the last Friday and weekend of July. It was founded in 1997 and was originally held at the foot of Mount Fuji, from which the event got its name. Two years later, it was moved to its current location at the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture. Seven main and several secondary stages are set up on its territory, where Japanese and foreign artists perform. An unusual event feature is that the transitions between the different festival zones can be long and pass through forests and streams. The world's longest gondola cable car takes visitors to the Fuji Rock Festival site. A major pre-party is held on Thursday night before the opening. Fuji Rock Festival's acts include many familiar names — Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Prodigy, Blur, Oasis, Eminem, Muse, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Beck, Kasabian, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, and The Strokes.
Outside Lands Music Festival (San Francisco, California, USA)
Outside Lands Music Festival is held in August in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It was founded relatively recently - in 2008. Its first headliners were Radiohead. In other years, they were joined by Pearl Jam, Tenacious D, Kings of Leon, Muse, Arcade Fire, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Elton John, Radiohead, Lionel Richie, Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, Post Malone. Outside Lands Music Festival features the Taste of The Bay Area food court, where you can sample delicious local food based, among other things, on plant-based and gluten-free ingredients.
Open’er Festival (Gdynia, Poland)
Open'er Festival is one of the biggest music festivals in Poland, which takes place at the end of June - beginning of July on the territory of Kosakowo Airport in Gdynia. The event was founded in 2002 and was held for the first time in Warsaw. English electronic duo The Chemical Brothers was invited as the main guest. The festival has been held at the current location since 2006. Among the artists who performed there were P!nk, Massive Attack, Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Placebo, Pharrell Williams, Björk, Beastie Boys, Muse, Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, Coldplay, Prince, Blur, The Black Keys, Depeche Mode, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons, and Lil Nas X. The festival includes theater performances, art exhibits, and unexpectedly, discussions with political and social figures.
South by Southwest (Austin, Texas, USA)
South by Southwest is a music festival held in Austin, Texas, in mid-March. On its stage, you can see not only established performers but also newcomers. On average, about two thousand artists perform here in 10 days. Young musicians get a good boost for career development, increase their fan base, communicate with journalists, and have the opportunity to meet representatives of labels with whom they can later sign a contract. At various stages of their careers, Dolly Parton, Shawn Mendes, Beck, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar, The National, The White Stripes, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Skrillex, The Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, Coldplay, 50 Cent, Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, Motörhead, Florence and the Machine, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry, Ice Cube, and Jimmy Eat World performed here.
