When you need to just get out of the city and embark on a whirlwind of a vacay, why not make it a musical affair? We’re planning our next getaway in sync with these musical festivals. Plenty of tunes, dancing, vibing with a new crew, with a side of culture and art, it’s winning in every aspect, and full of unexpected possibilities. Here’s our pick of the bunch this year.
8 International Music Festivals to Plan For This Summer
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Fuji Rock Festival
Set in the Naeba Ski Resort, the beautiful location is reason enough to visit. Add to this, a host of talent from all over the world and you’ve got the perfect vacation. The line-up? It’s got us super stoked. To name a few, there’s Beck, Red Hot Chilli Peppers {let’s go old school}, Disclosure and SIGUR RÓS. And we hear the food is absolutely divine.
When: July 22 – July 24, 2016
Where: Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa-cho, Niigata Pref, Japan
Find out more here and discover this year’s complete lineup, here.
SONAR
An eclectic mix of music and new media art, they’re known to be on trend and constantly bringing talent with promise to the fore, be it in the field of music or be it in audiovisual production. Focusing primarily on dance and electronic music {especially of avant-garde nature}, some of the names to look forward to this year are Fatboy Slim and Flume along with emerging talent.
When: June 16- June 18, 2016
Where: Barcelona, Spain
Roskilde Festival
Run and organised by the Roskilde Festival Charity Society, the brains behind this festival believe the world can be changed via art and music. Each year, they look at hosting a cultural space that benefits children and young people. All earnings are donated to charity. Catch a whole world of new talent at this festival, visit their art and graffiti spaces, indulge in food experiences and catch acts such as Wiz Khalifa, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Foals and The Last Shadow Puppets.
When: June 25- July 2
Where: Roskilde, Denmark
The Governor’s Ball Music Festival
Besides the fact that you get to cross off a visit to The Big Apple from your bucket list, The Governor’s Ball Music Festival’s panty-dropping line-up is enough to get you to start booking tickets. We’re talking The Strokes, Years & Years, Kanye West, Death Cab for Cutie, Chet Faker- and those are just the big names. The three-day festival is iconic and if there’s only one trip you can make this year, it should be this one.
When: June 3- June 6, 2016
Where: Randall’s Island Park, New York City, USA
Sziget Festival
The festival area is huge and will be seeing names like Sia, John Newman, Bastille and The Lumineers, if we’re just giving the bigger names. Nestled in a beautiful, rich city, the festival is a platform for art, theatre and street plays. A place where you can truly feel free {as they say}, it isn’t difficult to get to, and people are friendly, so bookmark this as, perhaps, a place you could go to alone.
When: August 10 – August 17
Where: Budapest, Hungary
Primavera Sound
A festival that’s been around for over a decade, Primavera Sound is one of those festivals that gets everything right, for both festival-goers and musicians- the location, the vibe, the people and most importantly, the music. Every year sees an excellent mix of musicians from all over the world. This year is no exception, with names such as Tame Impala, Radiohead, A.R. Kane, DJ Koze and so many more.
When: June 1- June 5, 2016
Where: Barcelona, Spain
Ultra Korea
Anyone who’s even a tad inclined towards electronic music knows of the Ultra festival. It’s an absolute frenzy, from music to ideologies- all coming together to have a whole lot of fun. Making the trip to the States is ideal, but Korea’s got its leg coming up, with names like Avicii, Afrojack and Martin Garrix on the roster.
When: June 10 – June 12
Where: Seoul, Korea
Secret Garden Party
This is one of those events that strays off the beaten path- it isn’t your usual standing on the grass, being jostled around for a cup of beer while you try to catch a few strains of the music. Enter Secret Garden Party and you enter another universe- serious about their music, serious about the party and serious about bonding with people. In the most fun way, of course. You can catch Milky Chance, The Temper Trap, Shura, Submotion Orchestra and more here!
When: July 21- July 24, 2016
Where: Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, London {70 miles from central London}
Find out more here and book tickets here.
Is there something else that’s on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments!