Some travel to see the world’s beautiful sceneries and famous sights, while some travel to visit far distant relatives, some for work and others to escape their daily routines. However, some journey thousands of miles, across borders and oceans for a once in a lifetime experience – for bright lights, smoke in the air, the uproarious music, echoes of thousands singing and dancing to one beat. An atmosphere filled with excitement, electricity and a feeling of euphoria and freedom. A fresh balance of chaos and peace and most of all, a magical experience and unforgettable memories.
For the music junkie, traveling near and far to see their favourite artists perform at music festivals all around the world has become a routine part of their lives. These once in a lifetime experiences do not often come cheap and festival-goers spend thousands on airfare, accommodation and entrance fees to indulge in some of the world's biggest music festivals. However, with a large payout, you would never have to think twice about traveling across the world to see your favourite DJ's and musicians performing live.
These are some of the biggest music festivals you could be jet setting off to, all year long:
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, USA
Coachella, which takes place in Indio, California, has become an increasingly popular music festival amongst music fanatics across the world. The festival started in 1991 and is not only a music and art festival but also a fashion movement. It has become an A-lister event over the past years, with some of the biggest celebrities and fashion influencers attending the festival each year. From Beyonce, Ariana Grande to DJ Snake and Childish Gambino, the line-up includes some of the world's biggest musicians across every genre of music. The festival, which usually takes place over the first two weeks of April, attracts just over 250 000 attendees.
Exit Festival has been named one of the best major festivals in the world. The multi-genre music festival takes place in Novi Sad, Vojvodina Serbia. Since its inception in 2000, the event has played host to some of the world’s biggest musicians and Dj's such as Carl Cox, The Chainsmokers and Ellie Goulding. With its world-class line-up, the festival ranks in 350 000 attendees every July for four days of uninterrupted entertainment. Moreover, the festival’s unique venue, an 18th-century fortress called "Peterovaradin" consists of a dance arena which can accommodate 25 000 people. If that wasn’t enough - the dance arena hosts electronic artists who play from dusk to dawn.
Named the best music festival in its debut year,2015, and ever since, masses of music lovers travel from near and far to Cluj Napoca, Romania, for the Untold music festival. With one of the most explosive and diverse line ups featuring artists such as; David Guetta, Robbie Williams, Busta Rhymes, and Armin Van Buuren, the festival brings in 355 000 attendees. This multi-genre music experience has become one of the most popular music festivals and takes place for four days in August.
There is one festival most spoken about around the world and that is Tomorrowland. The electronic dance music (EDM) festival, took the world by storm in 2005 and for the last fourteen years has become one of the most coveted music festivals worldwide. This is one of a kind music extravaganza takes place over two weekends in July in Boom, Antwerp, Belgium. An estimated 400 000 people flock to the small town of Boom to indulge in the music of world-renowned DJs such as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, and Steve Aoki to name a few. The festival is so popular that simultaneous satellite events have taken place around the world in countries like Lebanon, Spain, South Korea, Malta and even South Africa. Tomorrowland is surely a once in a lifetime experience as tickets for the festival are hard to come by and sell out within minutes of going on sale.
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, USA
The famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is the ultimate showcase of authentic New Orleans and Louisiana culture. The festival which began in the seventies has been attracting the masses for decades. About 450 000 patrons journey to the State of Louisiana for two weeks in May, to celebrate Louisiana’s rich and diverse heritage. The two weeks are comprised of a combination of music, food, and art which represent the cultural influences that have shaped New Orleans. The music line-up includes; Blues, R&B, bluegrass, Cajun, Zydeco, and many more other genres.
Since its debut in 1993, situated in Budapest Hungary, Sziget has twice claimed the crown of being the Best Major European festival. With more than 1000 performances on offer each year, Sziget is undeniably a standout amongst all other music festivals. The festival began as a student aimed festival but has now grown considerably into one of the world's most popular music festivals.The island of Obudi-szget on the River Danube plays host to the 565 000 festival-goers that flock to the island each year for an experience of a lifetime. For one week in August, music lovers can expect performances from musicians across every genre. Headliners often include artists like The Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, Martin Garrix and Florence and the Machine. The festival is one of the hottest tickets in the world as many people go as far as to crash the music event by swimming or paddling across the Danube
Rock in Rio is a musical spectacle with approximately 700 000 attendees each year and an A-list music line up. The likes of Drake, Bon Jovi, to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Black Eyed Peas grace the stages of the Barra Olympic Park venue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The festival was first introduced in 1985 and in the same year made waves as the iconic band, Queen headlined the music event. Given Queen's popularity around the world, the debut concert was telecast from Brazil and watched by nearly 200 million people in over 60 countries. Over the last thirty years, 2038 artists have graced the stages of Rock in Rio and a total of 9,5 million people have attended the festival, since its inception. This festival is certainly one to tick off your bucket list. Rock in Rio takes place for three days in September and October.
Woodstock (Pol'and'Rock), Poland
Pol'and'Rock formerly known as Woodstock is an annual rock festival which takes place for three days in Kostrzyn and Odra, Poland. The festival has been around since 1995 and is not like any other conventional music festival. This music festival is centred around love, friendship, and music and has featured a collective mud bath which is one of its most unique traditions. The line-up is made up of the world’s biggest rock bands as well as musicians who are known for their various activism roles around the world. Pol'and'Rock takes place in August and this year the annual 750 000 festival-goers can expect performances from artists such as Ziggy Marley, Skunk Anansie, Crystal Fighters and many more.
Montreal International Jazz Festival, Canada
Named the world's largest jazz festival in the Guinness World of Records, the Montreal International Jazz Festival (MIJF) is a must. With a showcase of paid and free performances over ten days and a total of 150 indoor performances, MIJF definitely lives up to its title. The festival, which takes place in Montreal usually in July, welcomes 2 million attendees each year. MIJF has been raking in the masses since 1980 and is certainly the place to be if you are a lover of jazz music.
One of Africa’s finest festivals, Mawazine, which was introduced to the world eighteen years ago takes place in Rabat, Morocco, every year. The festival is a coming together of both regional and international acts for one week, in June. In its early inception the event experienced some financial difficulties, however, it was later taken over by the King of Morocco. The event displays a variety of music genres, from traditional world music to the cultural music of Morocco. Mawazine was established as part of a cultural initiative to promote Rabat as a global city and today it attracts 2,5 million people who are all eager to indulge in the uniqueness of this event. This year’s lineup included performances from David Guetta, Future, J Balvin, Marshmello, Maluma, and Kamasi Washington.
Popularly known as Danube Island Festival, Donauinselfest is the biggest music festival on the planet! Hosted in Vienna, Austria, Donauinselfest brings in a crowd of 3 million music lovers each year. The reason for its massive turnout is because it’s a free festival. The event which began in 1984, runs for three days and features eleven stages, performances from many local and international artists. Furthermore, the festival is popular for showcasing Austria’s finest and upcoming talents in the events, Rock the Island Contest. This year’s line-up included Tocotronic, HUGEL, The Tiger Lillies, Wolfgang Ambros and many more.
So, if money was not an option, where in the world would you be?
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(sourced from https://www.farandwide.com)
