10 + 1 Summer Music Festivals Worth Traveling For

There’s no time like summertime to get your friends together for a trip of a lifetime. And what better way to celebrate life than with music? If you’re lucky you live near a city with a lot of cool events happening all summer long. But if you don’t, you might have to travel in order to see your favorite artists do their thing. Here’s a list of festivals around the world that are totally worth the ticket out.

1.

Bonnaroo | Manchester, Tennessee: June 11-14, 2015

America’s most “hardcore” festival takes you out to the middle of nowhere for four days. Spend the night hopping from one show to the next wearing as little clothing as possible in the humid Tennessee summer heat. The lineup is diverse and crowd pleasing, with big shots like Kanye West, The Flaming Lips, Kendrick Lamar, The Arctic Monkeys, and Billy Joel making appearances. You’ll definitely get plenty of chances to dance and go wild at this one.

2.

Glastonbury Festival | Pilton, Somerset, England : June 24-28, 2015

If you’re going to travel for any show this summer, make it Glastonbury. Not only is the lineup amazing, but it’s huge! We’re talking 50+ venues with not just music but dance, cabaret, comedy, and theater, people. This one is for seasoned festival goers only. It may only be four days long, but with so much going on any newbie would just get lost. It’s definitely a good idea to create an itinerary before heading out, just to make sure you’re seeing everything you want to see. After all, with artists like Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Rudimental, Azaelia Banks, Carbou, Hot Chip, Death Cab For Cutie, and so, so many others takes a lot of detailed prep and planning.

3.

Lollapalooza | Chicago, Illinois: July 31-August 2, 2015

This one is major. Not only is this America’s biggest pop music party, but it takes place in one of the country’s most popular cities. Lollapalooza is an all inclusive kind of festival, with a farmer’s market and a wonderful list of local eateries making an appearance on the scene. If you’re looking for a truly star studded kind of party, this is it. Make sure not to miss awesome artists like Paul McCartney, A$ap rocky, The Weeknd, FKA Twigs, Charli XCX, for a one of a kind pop dream.

4.

Tomorrowland | Boom, Belgium: July 24-26, 2015

Forget Burning Man! Tomorrowland is one awesome EDM party you don’t want to miss out on. The town of Boom is somewhere between Antwerp and Brussels, with easy to navigate transportation by train, bus, or car. Electronic music junkies travel from all around the world come together for an amazing genre with big names like David Guetta and Aviici as well as newbies on the scene like That’s Who and Gaiser by not just dancing, but waiving flags, making friends at the campsite, swimming, and doing other fun group activities.

5.

Fuji Rock Festival | Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa-cho, Niigata, Mt. Fuji, Japan : July 24-26, 2015

Big names from multiple continents will be making heads bop this summer at Japan’s hottest music festival of the summer. Anybody willing to go out to Japan for the show will have the luxury of rocking out to The Foo Fighters, Deadmou5, Muse, Ohashi Trio, Hoshino Gen, and others at a one of a kind venue. It’s a resort, it’s a festival, and more of all it’s a good time in Japan.

 

6.

Sziget Festival | Budapest, Hungary: August 10-17

This week long music festival literally takes place on an island. Not only is Sziget island a cool urban island, it’s a cool urban island in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities! Fans have been traveling to this week long event for years and you should too! Just imagine how many awesome bands you can see within a span of 7 days. Infected Mushroom, Robbie Williams, SBTRKT, Awolnation, Jamie Woon, and many more pop sensations are bringing their A-game to Budapest.

 

7.

Frequency | St. Polten, Austria: August 20-22, 2015

This one’s for the fans of music that makes you want to sing along and groove your body all at once. Major Lazer, Kendrick Lamar, Ellie Goulding, and The Chemical Brothers are all making an appearance at this late summer event in Austria. The lineup is all fun and the campsites are scenic enough for a serious collection of selfies worth bragging about.

8.

Warped Tour | North America: June – October, 2015

Vans and Journeys come together this year to bring rock, metal, and punk fans a festival to remember. Every day from 11am to 9pm artists like MC Lars, Simple Plan, Attila, Crossfaith, Juliet Simms, and many more are planned to make the trip around the USA bringing a headbanging good time with them everywhere they go. Warped Tour is a great place to discover new bands and comedians, too! With more than 10 stages playing at once, you can literally walk from one sound to another, constantly discovering new sounds as you go.

9.

Newport Folk Festival | Newport, Rhode Island: July 24-26, 2015

If the sound of the banjo and a three part harmony makes you swoon, you’re going to be very pleased with the lineup at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. Be prepared to let your head start swaying to awesome groups like First Aid Kit, Sufjan Stevens, Hozier, Jose Gonzalez, Elephant Revival, and oh, so many more. Newport is an American classic and an absolute must for all true hipsters. Not only does the Rhode Island folk festival pack an awesome lineup, but a serious role in the history of American folk music. The classics like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash made big steps in their career here, as did the Pixies.

10.

Outside Lands | San Francisco, California: August 7-9, 2015

This is probably the best way to experience San Francisco. Outside Lands takes place at Golden Gate Park, where music lovers have plenty of room to wander and party. The venue features amenities like lockers, shops, restaurants, beer pits, and wineries to go along with the 5 stages. This year classic San Franciscan favorites like Mumford & Sons, Tame Impala, Sam Smith, Elton John, and Chet Faker are making appearances at the one festival all people of the Bay Area will be at. It’s a great place to make connections and live the true California experience.

Bonus: We’d especially recommend

Pohoda festival | Trencin, Slovakia: July 9-11, 2015

We are so proud on our tiny country and all Slovak passionate music professionals, that are working on many great events. We can’t miss out Pohoda festival – a pure essence of international music & art celebration.

„Absolutely contemporary, urban program and festival activities – from music, theatre, readings and book launchings to art gallery, together with the profile of a typical Pohoda festival goer – this place temporarily becomes the best City in Slovakia. Love, goodwill, beauty and peace always dominate at Pohoda in Trenčín.“ Arch magazine

„A true lesson of festival culture… People can feel organizers care. It is not about the money, it is about having truly good time.“ FM4.orf.at

Pohoda is a festival where alternative, indie, electronica, world music & punk meet classical; alongside literature, dance, visual art, film and theatre. Don’t miss this, you won’t regret!

 

Photo credits:
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