Music music festivals have their origins in the hippy era, but today the best festivals in the world go way beyond the mud, acid and rock music clichés of traditional UK and European festivals. From Tomorrowland’s day-glo EDM paradise to the annual gathering at Burning Man, the international festival scene has some unforgettable experiences to offer. So whether you want rolling fields, sun-kissed beaches or even a festival where the sun never sets, here are 50 music festivals to visit before you die.
Four days of fun, sun and music on the Isle of Wight, Bestival has a stellar reputation for awesome, eclectic line-ups. Also, as you’d expect from a festival that’s drawn comparison to Glasto, there’s plenty of oddball, anarchic stuff happening away from the main stage – everything from a fire-spewing steel spider to an inflatable church. Dorset-based, award-winning sister festival Camp Bestival (July 30-August 2) ain’t too shabby either. Heavy on kid-friendly activities (face painting, bouncy castles, go-karts, Dick and Dom – seriously, it has everything), it’s the perfect place to introduce your little ones to the festival merry-go-round.
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Field Day
Field Day
London, UK
Festival heaven for: Bearded hip kids
Field Day is a godsend for Londoners: a festival that doesn’t require a long trek outside the capital with a ropey old tent and a cumbersome 12 pack of Stella. Instead over two days in Victoria Park, you can drink delicious craft beer, wolf down delicious street food, party to dawn and still get the night bus home. Convenience is one thing but of course the main draw is the music: always a smart, eclectic mix of noisy indie, electronica and cutting edge artists. Unmissable stuff.
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Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Somerset, UK
Festival heaven for: Ageing hippies, middle managers who work in the public sector, old-school socialists
Every year, the Big Daddy of UK festivals commandeers a chunk of Somerset for music, mischief, hippies, healing and a whole lot of cider. It’s difficult to convey quite how vast Glasto is, with whole worlds of activity taking place outside the arena as well as an awe-inspiring musical line-up ranging from pop to reggae to rock to dubstep to metal to folk to techno. Everywhere you turn there’s vitality to be found – especially if you stumble into some of the more anarchic cabaret tents and stages dotting the woods and fields far from the Pyramid-stage hordes. And in terms of sheer scale, Glastonbury remains untouchable as a pilgrimage for hedonists of all stripes, where all the ley lines of British pop culture converge. Usually, by day four, into an immense, blasted muddy heap on the floor.
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Green Man
Green Man
Brecon Beacons, UK
Festival heaven for: Lefties and broadsheet culture vultures
The Brecon Beacons, specifically the bucolic parkland of the Black Mountains, is the setting for Green Man, one of the UK’s finest festivals. The location is perfect for such an eco-friendly and inclusive event, where every year so much goes on it’s hard to know where to start: film, comedy, family friendly areas such as Einstein’s Garden, great food and drink.