For a true music lover, going to a festival is simply the best. Whether you’re seeing your favorite bands perform live, discovering new great artists, or spending time meeting other rabid fans, nothing else compares to the experience. Here are eight of the biggest and best music festivals in the world – you don’t want to miss these when they roll around!
1. Rock Werchter Festival, in Belgium
Every year in June or July, Belgium holds an incredible four-day festival. Even though it’s got “rock” in the title, it offers a wide range of musical genres, including modern dance and hip hop. Some of the biggest names in the world have played here, including Muse, The Cure, and Cypress Hill.
2. Glastonbury Festival, in the United Kingdom
Frequent heavy rains have never stopped this legendary festival from going on. The first occurrence was the day after Jimi Hendrix’s death, and it’s been going strong ever since that day in 1970. Tickets for this one sell out fast, so if you want to go, you’ll need to purchase early.
3. South By Southwest, in the United States
This Texas music festival is held inside, which is good, because Texas can get hot, even in the spring. This festival offers up-and-coming artists. If you like being on the cutting edge of the music scene, this is a must.
4. Primavera Sound, in Spain
Music festivals are always accused of being at least borderling snobbish. Primavera Sound, refreshingly, is not at all. Both big names and obscure artists are invited here. It’s four days of 24-hour-a-day music, so there’s always something to see.
5. Coachella, in the United States
It started as a few pop concerts in 1999 has exploded into one of the fastest-growing music festivals in the world. Coachella runs two separate weekends, booking the same band both weekends, so you should be able to fit at least one into your schedule.
6. Pinkpop, in the Netherlands
This festival has been going for over 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Up to 60,000 people show up each spring to see artists like Wolfmother, Pink, Florence and the Machine, and Rammstein.
7. Roskilde Festival, in Denmark
Sometimes referred to as the Scandinavian version of Woodstock, Roskilde is held in a harbor town and features live artist installations as well as a top-notch lineup of artists. 2013’s lineup includes Rihanna, Sigur Ros, and Animal Collective.
8. Lollapalooza, in the United States
This is one of the top festivals in the world, a three-day festival with a love for indie music. Though Chicago is still the primary location for this festival, there had been talk of starting up versions in other countries. These rumors finally saw the light of day with festivals in Chile and Brazil in 2012.
If you happen to be attending any of the above exciting music events, make sure you send your friends a postcard so that they can also feel the vibe!
