Creative types, travellers and backpackers seem to love their music – so what better way to combine your love for music, travel and partying than a music festival? The summer was made for festivals so why not plan your trip now and book a ticket to a top music festival? This is my guide to some of the best music festivals the globe has to offer!
MUSIC FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD
U.S.A
COACHELLA
April 13-15 2012 The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a 3-day annual music festival held in Indio, California. The festival first took place in 1999. Since that point the event has grown in both size and acclaim currently reigning as the king of US music festivals. If a style could be identified it would be rock with an alternative edge. However, the dance tents also present cutting edge dance music artists. BONNARRO June 7-10 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a 4 day event held 60 miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It began in 2002 and has quickly grown to be one of the country's premier festivals. Traditionally the focus has been jam bands with a fair sprinkling of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock and pop. In recent years the lineup has branched out a bit and now also includes hip hop and R&B artists as key elements of the festival. LOLLAPALOOZA
August 3-5 2012 Lollapalooza began as a touring festival, much like Warped Tour. Organized in 1991 by Perry Farrell, lead singer for Jane's Addiction, the first Lollapalooza leaned to alternative music but deliberately included a wide range of musical styles. The festival tour folded in 1997, but returned in 2003 with moderate success. It rose again in 2005 as a 2 day event on the Chicago lakefront. The festival was successful enough to expand to 3 days in 2006 and signed a 5-year contract with Chicago beginning in 2007. Lollapalooza will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2011. |
EuropeROSKILDE, DENMARK
July 5-8 2012 The Roskilde festival in Denmark is one of the biggest European music festivals. Two students and a promoter founded the event in 1971 before it was taken over by the Roskilde Foundation. It’s now run as a non-profit event with the aim of developing music and culture in the area. Visitors flock to the festival from all across Europe, providing tourists with a reason to visit the expensive Scandinavian country. The festival is usually a great mix of music, 24 hour parties, organic food and experimental art and design. Everyone arrives early so you could potentially have up to eight days of fun. OPEN'ER, POLAND July 4-7Poland’s big event is held in Gdynia, which is city located on the country’s north coast. The festival takes place in early July with an eclectic range of artists on offer – expect everything from electronic and pop music to rock and reggae. The event is held in a huge airfield filled with seven stages. It also features a ‘festival town’ where you can buy merchandise, watch films, see theatre performances, eat or even play some sport (if you have the energy). Catering to everyone’s musical tastes, previous artists have included Cypress Hill, Coldplay, Fatboy Slim, Kasabian and Pearl Jam. This is an excellent opportunity to visit Poland where you can experience the Eastern European culture and even head out to more party zones (like Warsaw, Krakow or Latvia) for an extended break. PINKPOP, NETHERLANDS June 26-28 2012 This Dutch festival takes place in Landgraaf and is thought to be one of the oldest annual festivals in the world, having started in 1970. The event is held Pentecost weekend, hence its name (in Dutch it’s called Pinkster). It’s a three day event that attracts 60,000 visitors every year. Over the years some big names attend the event including Franz Ferdinand, Placebo, Snow Patrol, The Killers and The Script. Alanis Morissette has also played three times whilst Counting Crows have appeared four times. 2011 saw headliners Coldplay, Elbow and Manic Street Preachers take to the stage. |
South AmericaPRIMAVERA SOUND, BARCELONA
May 30-June 3 MayFor over a decade now Primavera Sound has been offering consistently successful musical events. This Barcelona music promoter has, since its modest beginnings, developed a strong commitment to music so that spectators of different generations can enjoy live music to the full. This is clearly reflected in the quality and innovation of its line-ups that exude coherence, eclecticism and the love of risk-taking. PEPSI MUSIC FESTIVAL, BUENOS AIRES
September 19-28 2012 “More than 100 bands are going….let´s all go.” This is Pepsi´s slogan for the Pepsi Music festival, and there´s no reason why everyoneshouldn´t go. The Festival is the largest of the big multi-day concerts held in Buenos Aires, with 100 hundred bands playing during five different days. There is a huge variety of both national and international bands, and you´ll hear tons of different music styles – rock, Argentine rock, indie, punk, reggae and electronic. The idea, is that there is something for everyone. CREAMFIELDS, BUENOS AIRES November 12 2012 Creamfields is a music and dance festival that began in the UK in 1998 and has since spread internationally. Buenos Aires began hosting a version of Creamfields in November of 2001 and drew 18,000 spectators. Since then, the dance festival has grown in popularity, breaking attendance records in its most recent event which drew 50,000. The 2011 event has a line up including David Guetta, John Digweed, Afrojack, Above & Beyond, Pete Tong, and many more. |
CanadaCAVENDISH BEACH FESTIVAL
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AustraliaPARKLIFE
Locations: Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne Time of Year: October With the omnipresent sniffer dogs and waves of obnoxiously googed-out 18-year-olds, entering this festival is an experience unto itself. Parklife has cemented itself as a go-to dance genre festival -- neatly blending monoliths like Justice and M.I.A. with DJs du jour and local acts. When paired with its raging post-festival party, After Life, Parklife is a solid assault on the senses. Well, as much as you want it to be. THE BIG DAY OUT
Locations: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland Time of Year: Late January-February Since launching with the dream lineup of Nirvana, the Violent Femmes and You Am I, the Big Day Out has (for better or worse) been considered our premiere music bash. The headline has seen the likes of Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and most recently, Neil Young. Being Australia’s most “mainstream” and accessible music festival, you’ll get all sorts here: under-agers drunk off fluoro, topless patriots, the Surry Hills elite…it’s best to embrace the eclectic hordes and make your own fun. The organisers know what they’re doing – the BDO is a reliably good time. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS Location: Belongil Fields, just outside Byron Bay Time of Year: Late July Byron’s wintertime bash gets national attention for good reason. Often drawing one of the highest quality international lineups of the year, the Splendour weekend drags revellers from all corners of the country. Naturally, the backdrop of Byron Bay gifts the festival with an aura of granola-crunching and open-air yoga sessions -- but it’s easy enough to gloss over it, if that’s not your thing. Boots are a necessity, with the huge site pretty susceptible to Glastonbury-esque mud. Mind you, there’s no need to slum it in campsites: booking accommodation early in Byron or Ballina will make for an unusually comfortable festival weekend. Highly recommended. |
AsiaBEIJING POP FESTIVAL
The Beijing Pop Festival is one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in Asia. The festival kicked off at the Chaoyang Park on September 8, 2007. The music fest with a series of domestic and international big names has attracted tens of thousands of crazy fans. SUMMER SONIC FESTIVAL
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up contains many Japanese rock musicians from both major and indie record companies, and also international acts. JISAN VALLEY ROCK FESTIVA, SOUTH KOREA Jisan Valley Rock Festival (also known as JVRF) is an annual 3 day music festival that is held at Jisan Valley Ski Resort, in Icheon, South Korea on the last weekend of July. It is organized by Yellow9 Entertainment in close coordination with Fuji Rock Festival, sharing many artists. In 2009 on the festival's maiden year, there were some controversies regarding the festival's split from neighboring Pentaport Rock Festival. However JVRF has been successful and has grown into one of South Korea's biggest music festivals . |