From Coachella to Tomorrowland, music festivals are taking over the world. But here’s how to choose among them.
Music Festivals are a rage — from Beyonce to Kendrick Lamar to Rolling Stone, everybody is on to them, and so are the music lovers. And the festival way of life is a new way of life. They might have had started out with Woodstock and Burning Man, but the festival experience has gone through an incredible transformation. From luxury camping to EDM nights, to adventure hubs, music festivals are where you need to be right now. Because it is so much more than just live music - the fests have transformed into a lifestyle with people from all over the globe participating into them, and have changed the face of modern music. Not to mention how phenomenally they have helped budding indie artists to come into focus.
So here are the hottest music festivals which you need to be checking out ASAP.
As far as music festivals go, Tomorrowland is the most inclusive one - simply because it's all about EDM. And everybody wants to dance to electro, no matter what genre of music they like.. The EDM extravaganza hosts its main edition in the Belgian town of Boom. The festival which had names like Steve Aoki, KSHMR, lining up for its 2017 edition, has thousands of people from all around the world flying in to indulge in the Tomorrowland experience. It's not just a music festival - it is a complete adventure. From stellar live acts to lush greenery, to amusement parks, to laser shows, Tomorrowland has the best of everything.
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Tomorrowland has evolved to be the most trans-cultural event ever, owing to the fact that it has people flying from all parts of the world, and the festival has become all about the exchange, and also about representation since DJs and artists from around the globe perform at Tomorrowland.
The Coachella Music Festival held at California’s Coachella Valley is the festival for the most famous millennials of this generation. From supermodels like Kendall Jenner to Gigi Hadid, to Hollywood names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom - everybody wants to be at Coachella. The music festival boasts of an incredible rustic-yet-swanky ambiance and promises the best live acts.
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From polo grounds to golf resorts, to luxury tenting, Coachella has everything - and in a way a music-loving camper’s dream destination. The two-weekend festival has everything your 9 to 5 life does not - nature walks, pool parties at the best locales, camping under the stars, and the most exciting flea markets. And Coachella 2018 just added Eminem, Beyonce and The Weeknd to its line-up.
You can call it the Coachella of Europe - although it is almost twenty years older than Coachella. The festival was started in the ‘70s and has evolved with time to become every millennial hipster’s haven. The five-day festival celebrates performing arts and is held near Pilton in Somerset. But Glastonbury has so much more than music - it has theatre, cabaret, circus, stand-up comedy acts and what not.
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It is also the largest greenfield festival in the world, attended by almost 180,000 people every year. From David Bowie to Amy Winehouse, the biggest names have performed in Glastonbury and it is the place to be.
Glastonbury has also helped shape up the European millennial culture and their taste for music. It is one of the best music festival for teenagers and is child-friendly. The festival has been a platform for several up and coming artistes, and has launched a distinct way of fashion. Names like Victoria Beckham, Margot Robbie, Emma Watson, too have been a part of this growing trend, and are of course Glastonbury regulars.
One of the steadiest names in the list of global festivals would definitely be New York’s Governer’s Ball. The multi-genre music festival has only been here since 2011 but is on its way to becoming one of NYC’s leading attractions. From Guns N Roses to Lorde to Beck the Governer’s Ball, also known as Gov Ball, only has the best of performers.
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Famous for its live sets and food joints - the festival has the best of NYC eateries and food trucks setting up a stall at its venue and obviously attracts a huge number of tourists.
Perhaps the ultimate Asian musical extravaganza, the Fuji Rock Festival - and it’s famous among mountain climbers. You can go if you’re not a trekker, but it is a lot more fun if you are. Basically, the music festival held at Naeba Ski Resort, in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, is a great outdoor adventure camp festival which has hosted live music by names like Foo Fighters, Mumford, and Sons etc.
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The first edition of Fuji Rock was held at the base of Mount Fuji in 1997 and is largest festival in Japan and the biggest alternative and pop music festival in Asia. The festival is also amazingly child-friendly and has the best street food joints, where you find the best of fast Asian cuisine.
The independent arts and music festival is set to usher in its 15th year in 2018 and is only gaining more cred as a cultural hotspot. Hosted annually in Wales, the festival is a major adventure hub, with plenty of opportunities. Surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, the Green Man festival takes place every year in August, which is the best time to indulge in the nature adventure.
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From barbecues to farmer’s market, to poetry nights, theatre, nature tours, Green Man is officially the greenest you can go, while enjoying excellent live music. They also have their own beer and cider festival, and of course an impressive folk line-up. From St Vincent to Kate Tempest to PJ Harvey, Green Man has hosted the best of indie names. “Green Man's Brecon Beacons location is one of most beautiful natural regions in Britain and we want to create a festival that not only respects its location but has a synergy with it,” said festival director Fiona Stewart.
The summer music festival held in Serbia every year has been proclaimed as the ‘Best European Music Festival’ - and with good reason. It started as a fierce student movement seventeen years ago and is now the biggest and most inclusive festival in Europe, with a capacity of more than 1.5 million people. The music festival is a multi-genre one and is very expansive. It has several stages, a separate 3D arena, separate stages for dance music, fusion and heavy metal.
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In 2017, Exit Festival celebrated two decades of social activism by hosting workshops, humanitarian campaigns and exhibitions. This year, EXIT Festival set a new record number with its number of visitors. More than 215,000 people from sixty countries were a part of the extravaganza.
The three-day music fest is only thirteen years old but has hosted names like Grace Jones, Kanye West, Morrissey, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Kendrick Lamar, and more. The Los Angeles music fest was started by music promoter Sean Carlson because he was sick of large, big-budget music festivals, and aimed for something that could connect more people. By the way, FYF stands for ‘Fuck You Fest.’
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It obviously started out small but now has a pretty substantial fan base, and is now held at the swanky Exposition Park. The FYF Festival is the main city festival and obviously a favourite with Hollywood. Besides music, the festival also hosts art installations, craft exhibitions, and flea markets.
One of the biggest reasons to visit Brazil, the music festival first started in 1985, and have only gotten bigger every year. From Shakira to Metallica, every big name in music has been a part of this fest. The festival is one of the biggest performing arts festival in the world.
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Rock in Rio 2018 is set to have Bruno Mars, Demi Lovato, Muse and several other names. The festival sees almost 2 million attendees every year, and also has separate stages for main event and EDM sets.
If you haven’t heard of Rajasthan’s Magnetic Fields Music Festival, then you need to. The festival is hosted at Alsisar Mahal, a 17th-century palace-turned-hotel, used to be the residence of the Thakur of Alsisar. From Jayda G, Special Request, The Leeds, Stalvart John, this festival sees the best indie line-up and is slowly garnering global cred.
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A cultural playground for the young music festival with luxurious accommodations. From bonfires, dance nights to stargazing, to indulge in the rich history of Rajasthan, and of course live music, Magnetic Fields is mesmerizing. Their Facebook page calls the festival a “three-day bubble that captivates and spellbound everyone involved, leaving a little sparkle in their eye.”