The world is full of amazing music festivals, from Glastonbury to Tomorrowland, Coachella to Primavera Sound, and UMF to Afro Nation. Whether you're into EDM, rock, hip-hop, pop or metal, there's something for everyone. Here's a guide to some of the best music festivals around the world. Dekmantel is a hotbed of forward-thinking electronic music and has become the go-to festival for those looking to experience new trends.
It moves away from headline-grabbing names and tricks and instead encourages and rewards risk-taking. As a result, it's become a favorite for many DJs to play. Let It Roll is the mother ship of drum and bass music. It takes place at a former military airbase on the outskirts of Prague and features nine spectacular stages at 170 bpm.
Afro Nation offers star-studded lineups ranging from dancehall, bashment, Afrobeats and R&B to beautiful beaches for a weekend of pure warmth. Bilbao BBK Live is held in the enchanting forests and lush vegetation of Mount Cobetas (Kobetamendi). It merges the intimacy of the green environment with posters that feature the musical talent of various genres that define the generation. Sonar is synonymous with experimental and pioneering electronic music.
Barcelona remains its flagship event, turning the coastal city into a center of creativity every June. Burning Man is an off-grid bacchanal art installation similar to a Mad Max movie. It's now become a Dionysian ritual for Silicon Valley's rich looking to get rid of stress. Despite this, it still has an inimitable postmodern spirit, cyberpunk and drug addict vibe.
Governors Ball is New York City's only major music festival and is now more easily accessible on Randall Island, nestled on the East River between the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan. Although it's smaller than American festivals like Coachella and Lolla, its reservations often outweigh them. Mutek is held in a modern art museum in Montreal and is too intellectual to call it a festival. It features supreme suppliers of microhouse, ambient, drones and other state-of-the-art electronics from Europe making their North American debut.
Bonnaroo presents a diverse lineup of more than 150 musicians and other performance artists every year with more than 10 stages and entertainment that lasts all night. Mysteryland is the main electronic music festival in the Netherlands. It takes place among glittering ponds, rivers and forest hills of the Floriade grounds near Amsterdam with more than 300 artists performing on 17 stages covering all genres within the electronic music spectrum. The Hopscotch Music Festival takes place in Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park with its 300 acres of public green space.
It presents a varied programme of events every year with 8 stages and more than 125 performances over two weekends. The ACL Festival fuses the world of rock, hip hop and electronic music with the somewhat insular American world giving it a unique touch. SXSW turns Austin into a musical playground with shows spread all over the city featuring new, developing and established exhibiting artists from more than 60 countries looking to improve their careers by reaching new audiences. Primavera has been held in Barcelona since 2001 and has been constantly offering successful musical events.
It combines an eclectic poster with first-class art, food, wine and much more. Outside Lands continues to shine as a totally original festival in San Francisco combining innovative experiences like Grass Lands with mind-expanding talks in D A V E.