I recently went to warped tour which has put me into this ‘music frenzy’. Since I am starting my trip around the world soon, I might just make it my mission to see as many of these great festivals as possible.

So I present to you…

Top Music Festivals in the world (in my opinion) not to be missed.

1. Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts
Worthy Farm, near Glastonbury, England.

Once you enter the hard to get to festival grounds, you might be overwhelmed with a sense of Burning man. A tent filled city out in the middle of nowhere, a free run sociaty, and tons of people all out to enjoy theirselfs without the confines of city life.

However, unlike Burning Man, this event concentraits mainly on music. On 900 acres of land there are more than enough stages and areas, even a kids zone for the families. This 4 day event has a way of attracting performers like Regina Spektor, 3 Daft Monkeys, Black Eyed Peas, and more bands that span a list longer than the Bible itself.

2. Sziget
Budapest, Hungary

This 7 day, 6 night, music festival is one not to be missed. Alot of bands you know and a lot of bands you have never heard of are bound to play here, considering it brags of having over 1,000 preformers. These bands have included such preformers as Snow Patrol, JET, The Offspring, Radiohead, and a ton of other popular bands and artists.

There are two main types of tickets avilable, camping ones and day tickets, catering both to those wanting to stay and those not wanting to dive in that deep. There is also a similir event, co-created by the same people, over in Romania. Its known as Félsziget Fesztivál and now the largest one in that area.

3. Coachella
Indio, California

If you head over to California during the last weekend of April, you better make sure you catch the large event known as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. People fly from all over the world to catch the famous lineups that play here. I have a friend that flew all the way from New Zealand just for this event.

Lasing three days out in the desert you can bet your ass its going to be hot. Its not unusual for the tempetures to rise above 100°F. Luckily there are camping options available and “shower trucks”, semi trucks filled with showers to help keep you cooled. Another camping feature? The campground has a general store, lounges, and karaoke bars.

4. Exit
Novi Sad, Serbia

Interested in rocking out in an eighteenth century fortress? Well then State of Exit is for you. Located over in Serbia this politcially rooted event tries to bring entertainment to the youth of Serbia while keeping them informed in their politics. Nifty idea, huh? I personally would come just for the music, but its nice to know the kids in Serbia are getting involved, right?

Anyway, this four day event hosts a ton of great artists. Seems like Lilly Allen was also here in 2009. I think that is her billionith festival. Other bands included Sex Pistols, N.E.R.D, and about a dozen other main bands I have never heard of.

5. Fuji Rock
Naeba, Japan

Featuring more than 200 bands and with more than 100,000 people attending, this Japanese festical is one not to be missed. And the mission statement of this music fest? To be “the cleanest festival in the world”. Thats quite a change from the usual dirty, trash ridden, gross porta poties that most music festivals of the world tend to support.

The stages are far apart, allowing nice scenic walks that twist up and down hills, as you make your way from one band to another. Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, and other popular US bands often frequent this three day event.

6. Roskilde
Roskilde, Denmark

Looking for one of the 5 largest festivals in Europe? Roskilde happens to be just one of those. And like many great festivals, this one was also created by a few kids just looking for a good time. This festival has been around since the 1970’s and is now run by the Roskilde fondation as a non-profit event helping out music, the arts, and culture.

It used to just attract Scandinavians, but now has started attracting more international fans. And don’t think there will only be one type of music, this festival is home to all kinds of music on its 6 stages.

7. Iceland Airwaves
Reykjavík, Iceland

Where to begin? Iceland Airways is that party that you wish you could have thrown in highschool. A intimate weekend filled with chilled and laid back people, all night parties, and unexpected surprises. One of the best events out there, originally held in an airplane hangar at the local airport.

The main focus of this festival is on new music, new talent, and anything that might catch people’s eyes. A lot of bands have started out here and moved on to bigger and better things. So if you are especially interested in new bands before they make it big, this is the event for you.

8. Rock al Parque
Bogotá, Colombia

South America knows how to party, regardless of what you may thing. Proof of this comes in the form of Rock al Parque, Rock at the Park. You may not know the bands (or understant the lyrics) and you may feel totally lost at the largest rock festival in spanish in the world, but trust me, its worth going.

Its been around since 1995, giving it all those years to get it right. The festival is known for having different themse each year and even events aimed just at kids and families. They do the work to ensure there is something for everyone at this one-of-a-kind celebration.

I realize this list is very much incomplete. And I might have even missed some great ones that you are convinced should be on this list. So, why don’t you let me know which ones you think deserve to be on my list of music festivals to see?

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 7:08 pm and is filed under All, Featured, Latest Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.