The best festivals in the world for 2020
There are enough festivals around the world to keep us happy all year long, from literary highs to euphoric trance. So, pack your wings and stilts, take your clothes off and paint your bum blue, try unidentifiable street food and circus skills, crowd-surf to the front and launch yourself into space from a giant catapult. And lose it, just for a few days. Will this be the year you finally make it to Burning Man and turn into a silver fish? Here we round up the best festivals in the world for 2020.
Here are the best festivals in the UK:
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The best festivals in the world in January
CARTAGENA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, COLOMBIA
4–12 January 2020
Forty concerts in a stunning colonial walled city that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site – as classical music festivals go, it’s hard to beat Cartagena. Over nine days, the city’s squares, churches and barrios open up to the public for performances, with musicians jetting in from all over the world. Each year also has a theme (2019’s took a starry perspective with ‘Celestial Harmony’; in 2020 it focused on the transition of the Classical era’s elegant aesthetics into the stormy early Romantic period with ‘The Beautfiul and the Sublime’), complemented by talks, virtual-reality exhibitions and installations.
Genre: music (classical)
Insider tip: Catch a concert at the dock’s loading bay if you can, where nearby ships are strung with lights.
Website:cartagenamusicfestival.comCTM FESTIVAL, BERLIN, GERMANY
24 January –2 February 2020
An adventurous international festival for electronic, digital and experimental musicians, full of club nights, concerts, screenings and exhibitions, which takes over wintry Berlin for ten days and nights. The programme stretches all over the city, taking over venues as diverse as the exclusive Berghain nightclub, the Hebbel am Ufer theatre and former squatters’ hotspot the Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien gallery. Recent line-ups have included Sunn O))), Holly Herndon, James Holden and Jenny Hval.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: CTM runs concurrently with the Transmediale festival, exploring and post-digital art and culture, so clear that diary.
Website:ctm-festival.deHAY CARTAGENA, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA
30 January–2 February 2020
Wales’s pioneering literature festival now has outposts in Mexico, Croatia, Peru and Spain, but this Hay weekend in sunny Colombia wins for the weather (it hits the high 20s here in January). Line-ups have included global stars like Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, South American writers Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Laura Restrepo alongside lots of heady music, visual arts and activism.
Genre: literature
Insider tip: A special festival for over-16s, Hay Festival for Young People, runs concurrently.
Website: hayfestival.com/cartagenaFind out where to go on holiday in January
The best festivals in the world in February
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE CARNIVAL, TENERIFE
19 February–1 March 2020
Behold the second biggest carnival in the world after Rio (a law was passed in 2007 for environment noise levels to be ignored during the fortnight). Enjoy unbelievable costumes set to a theme (examples from the past decade include: horror films, the deep sea and Bollywood; this year’s motif is ‘The Coquette 1950s’), the performances of Spanish ‘murga’ street satirists and the closing ceremonial ritual, the ‘Burning of the Sardine’, in which thousands dress as mourners and carry a huge fish head – no, really.
Genre: carnival
Insider tip: Don’t miss the drag-queen gala on the last weekend too.
Website: guidetocanaryislands.com/tenerife-carnival-2020ENVISION, RANCHO LA MERCED, COSTA RICA
17–24 February 2020
Four days beside the Pacific Ocean and the jungle of Costa Rica, listening to 24-hour music through Funktion-One soundsystems: Envision is the final word in remote hedonistic wonderlands. The setting is the main attraction, near the stunning Playa Hermosa, a quiet cove lined with palm and fig trees, and electronic artists like GRiZ and Tycho provide the beats. Eco and community initiatives underline its commitment to being a sustainable festival.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Stay in one of Envision’s VIP treehouses with a private bedroom and your own lounge.
Website: envisionfestival.comRIO CARNIVAL, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
21–29 February 2020
The biggest, most overwhelming carnival in the world (pictured above). Three hundred neighbourhood street parties lead up to a week of samba parades, with the champions of the various samba leagues returning to lead the crowds on the concluding Saturday (a separate parade which takes place after the ‘main event’ marches of Carnival Sunday and Monday). It’s an incredible display of Brazilian bacchanal, and in fabulous weather: February’s average is 30°C.
Genre: carnival
Insider tip: Save some energy for one of the flamboyant evening balls: the Copacabana Palace Magic Ball for old-time glamour, the Gay Gala for the most inventive costumes.
Website: rio-carnival.netMARDI GRAS, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, USA
25 February 2020
Celebrating the last Tuesday before Lent with unforgettable flamboyance: that’s the purpose of the world-famous New Orleans Mardi Gras. A huge parade of elaborately decorated floats sees flashily dressed local ‘krewes’ toss beads, cups, doubloons and stuffed animals to spectators lining the streets (many stake out their spots hours in advance). NB: Smaller parades happen further out of town.
Genre: carnival
Insider tip: Book a Mardi Gras package at Olde Nola Cookery to get a great parade view on their balcony, and some great Cajun food.
Website: mardigrasneworleans.comBY:LARM, OSLO, NORWAY
27–29 February 2020
Oslo becomes Europe’s capital of music for three bustling days every February, with theatres and graffiti-drizzled squat venues presenting a packed bill of exciting gigs. By:Larm is a music conference too, packed with talks by industry gurus, but it’s expanded into a real showcase for bands from Scandinavia, Britain and beyond (Billie Eilish, Black Midi and Georgia have played in recent years).
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Bring your snow boots: it’s usually below zero in Oslo around this time of year.
Website: bylarm.noFind out where to go on holiday in February
Merrick AlesThe best festivals in the world in March
SXM FESTIVAL, ST MARTIN, THE CARIBBEAN
11–15 March 2020
Underground house and techno for the kind of discerning dance-music lovers you would normally find riding a tandem through Burning Man Festival. SXM takes place over five sunshine-filled days on the island St Martin, which is still recovering after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Emanating Ibiza vibes in the middle of the Caribbean, venues are nestled in private jungle-lined beaches, villas and boats, with 2019’s acts including Ricardo Villalobos, Axel Coman and Apollonia.
Genre: music (EDM)
**Insider tip:**Turn your trip into a bigger Carribbean escape: St Varths, Anguilla, Saba and St Eustachius are only 40 minutes by boat from SXM.
Website:sxmfestival.comSXSW, AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA
13–22 March 2020
What was once South by Southwest is now so huge its acronym has taken over. It’s the essential international showcase for emerging and established bands as well an industry conference, but fans are as plentiful on Austin’s bustling streets as the media moguls. Now hosting 2,000 acts from more than 60 countries every year, as well a huge programme of movies, the town’s vibe remains determinedly alternative and independent.
Genre: music (multi-genre), film, media
Insider tip: For some late-night respite from the city-centre chaos, go to Justine’s on East 5th Street, where bands hang out and records play till 2am.
Website:sxsw.comFALLAS, VALENCIA, SPAIN
15–19 March 2020
In Valencia the end of the Spanish feast of San José is celebrated with five days of fireworks and firecracker-throwing – in the squares, in the streets and by everyone. The town is also filled with huge falles and ninots (papier mâché sculptures filled with gunpowder) that are set off on the last night; bands and traditional food add to the pyromaniac party atmosphere.
Genre: carnival
Insider tip: Some models are saved every year from the blazes: go to the Fallero Museum and the Museo del Gremio de Artistas Falleros to glory in them.
Website: visitvalencia.comFind out where to go on holiday in March
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in April
BYRON BAY BLUESFEST, AUSTRALIA
9–13 April 2020
The Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm hosts the annual Bluesfest music festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The 2020 line-up includes Alanis Morissette, Lenny Kravitz, and Patty Smith, and previous years have featured the likes of Jack Johnson, Hozier, Iggy Pop and The Raconteurs.
Genre: music (blues, folk, indie)
Insider tip: Make some downtime for one (or several) or Byron Bay's paradisiacal beaches. Whites Beach is one of the most secluded.
Website:bluesfest.com.auCOACHELLA, CALIFORNIA, USA
10-19 April 2020
The first major music event in the annual festival calendar is a glossy, glamorous, brand-festooned answer to Glastonbury, peppered with palm trees. The line-up always gleams with huge stars, with Beyoncé, Childish Gambino and Ariana Grande among recent headliners. Expect clear skies, designer-hippie ensembles and not a squelch of mud underfoot.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: If the heat gets too much in the day, check out the Yuma tent for daytime house music – and air conditioning.
Website:coachella.comSNOWBOMBING, AUSTRIA
13-18 April 2020
The world's biggest festival in the snow takes place in Mayrhofen, Austria. 2020's line-up includes Liam Gallagher, The Streets and Loyle Carner. There's also the Arctic Disco, which takes place in a giant nightclub Igloo, an enchanted forest party and a subterranean supper club. Plus there's nearly 500km of piste, a glacier and an award-winning terrain park.
Genre: music (multi-genre), ski
Insider tip: Don't miss the fancy-dress street party – the atmosphere is so electric that the entire town takes the afternoon off work for it.
Website:snowbombing.comNEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL, LOUISIANA, USA
23 April–3 May 2020
The world’s most renowned jazz festival, now broadening its reach to other genres, in one of the world’s most important musical cities. Over two weekends, acts from across the musical spectrum play at the horse-racing course in the centre of the city – in previous years it’s hosted the likes of Stevie Wonder, Neil Young and Lorde – but jazz heads and brass bands also play riotous sets in bars and clubs for all-comers. The city itself thrives with life all week: make sure to properly take in the town.
Genre: music (jazz, multi-genre)
Insider tip: To be in the thick of the French Quarter action, stay at the Hotel Monteleone, with its revolving carousel bar.
Website: nojazzfest.comFind out where to go on holiday in April
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in May
ANNIE MAC'S LOST AND FOUND FESTIVAL, MALTA
30 April–3 May 2020
Veteran DJ Annie Mac takes her 'Presents' series to another level with a five-day festival in Malta. As well as top-notch DJs, the festival makes the most of its island location with castle raves, boat parties and pool parties to get your summer started early. 2020's line-up includes Helena Hauff, Eats Everything, Patrick Topping and Seth Troxler.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Make the local pastizzi your go to hangover food. They're small parcels of flaky pastry stuffed with a range of different fillings.
Website:lostandfoundfestival.comBRIGHTON FESTIVAL, BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM
2-24 May 2020
Music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature and debate at the biggest mixed arts festival in the UK, stretching across the seaside havens of Brighton and Hove. An eye-popping roll call of past guest directors (including Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, Kate Tempest, Ali Smith and Anish Kapoor) have curated progressive programmes of talks, theatrical performances and gigs, many specially commissioned for the event.
Genre: music, art, drama
Insider tip: Look out for pop-up ‘Our Place’ performances, developed by Brighton’s local residents in collaboration with the festival directors.
Website:brightonfestival.orgVIENNA FESTIVAL, AUSTRIA
15 May - 21 June 2020
Founded by Austrian artists keen to reconnect with the world after World War II, the Vienna Festival explores dance, music, theatre and the visual arts from the perspective of the classics to the avant-garde. Although this is the city of Beethoven and Brahms, expect more modern, challenging stuff, such as films mixed up with live performance, experimental installations and unusual interpretations of classical song.
Genre: music (classical, electronic)
Insider tip: Get there early for the grand opening show in front of the City Hall: it’s also free.
Website:festwochen.atHAY FESTIVAL, UNITED KINGDOM
21-31 May 2020
Held in giant marquees on the outskirts of Wales’s bookshop-filled border town, the Hay Festival is the megastar of literary festivals. Here you’ll hear invigorating talks from award-winning authors, broadcasters, politicians and global policy makers, who you can celebrity-spot around the site. These days the event is broadening its reach with music and comedy performances appearing on the programme.
See more of our favourite family-friendly festivals in the UK
Genre: literary, music
Insider tip: You don’t have to buy a ticket before the festival: just turn up and enjoy it via last-minute tickets, returns, free events or as a festival barfly.
Website:hayfestival.comWHITE NIGHTS FESTIVAL, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
22 May–21 July 2020
Held during the summer period when there’s almost 24 hours of sunlight a day, White Nights events take place at stunning venues including the grand Mariinsky Theatre, where many major works by Romantic titans such as Tchaikovsky received their premieres. Opera and ballet is everywhere, but pop also blasts in the town’s Palace Square (The Rolling Stones played in 2007 and Paul McCartney appeared in 2004), plus the ‘Long Night of Museums’ opens up the town’s galleries and cultural institutions until the early hours.
Genre: opera, ballet
Insider tip: Try to catch the stunning Scarlet Sails event on the shortest night of the year, a huge 1am fireworks and light show around an iconic tall ship.
Website:mariinsky.ru/enKARNEVAL DER KULTUREN, AKA CARNIVAL OF CULTURES, BERLIN, GERMANY
29 May–01 June 2020
In a city packed with great street parties (MyFest, Berlin Pride, World Music Day), this is the best. Events celebrating Berlin’s multicultural mix burst out all over the city, with a fabulous parade through Kreuzberg as the festival’s centerpiece. It turns the city into a vital stage, the organisers say, to question ‘everyday life and politics through art and celebration’.
Genre: music, dance
Insider tip: Hang around Mehringdamm/Hallesches for some great music.
Website: karneval.berlinTHE MASKED BALL, CORNWALL, UNITED KINGDOM
2020 dates to be announced
For one weekend of the year, the cliffs above the sleepy Cornish seaside town of Porthleven are turned into a hotbed of masked shenanigans. Celebrating more than a decade of revelry, The Masked Ball is essentially a giant themed party in a wonderful remote location, with festival-goers expected to dress up and look just as good as those on stage. Past headliners have included Bonobo, Andrew Weatherall, Hot Chip, and Horse Meat Disco.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Pack your favourite one-piece swimsuit – there's a hot tub disco.
Website:summer.maskedball.netHOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, HAY-ON-WYE, POWYS, UK
22-25 May 2020
Unrelated to the main Hay festival, this philosophy, politics and music weekender, named after a Leonard Cohen lyric, is rapidly expanding. Its musical line-up is particularly impressive for its small riverside site: recent headliners have included Anna Calvi and British Sea Power. Its speakers are also heavy-hitters: philosophy giants such as Roger Scruton and Noam Chomsky have clashed brains with politicians and writers here in the past, discussing a wide range of subjects, from post-truth and paradox to AI and adventures in space.
Genre: literary, music
Insider tip: Book accommodation in the jaw-dropping Black Mountains or Golden Valley countryside nearby, and combine it with the literary festival: but get in early.
Website: howthelightgetsin.orgSEA CHANGE, TOTNES, DEVON, UK
22-24 May 2020
Already one of the greatest small British music festivals, Sea Change is curated by an award-winning local record shop, Drift, taking over the Devon hippy Mecca of Totnes and the nearby Dartington Hall Estate for one spring weekend. Venues include a 15th-century church, two Grade II-listed Modernist masterpieces, a truck, a big top and a ballroom, with music largely on the alternative pop spectrum (recent performers include Jane Weaver, Metronomy and The Comet Is Coming).
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Don’t miss a trip to Drift itself, the music-lover’s perfect record store, and snap up exclusive releases in their Dinked Editions range (featured artists include '80s film whizz John Carpenter and psych-poppers TOY).
Website:seachangefestival.co.ukVIVID SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
22 May - 13 June 2020
A huge, three-week festival of ‘light, music and ideas’ in the middle of Australia’s winter where music, light installations and seminars take over every precinct in the city. The line-up for 2019 included The Cure, Underworld, FKA twigs, Spike Lee and sex writer Esther Perel – but the trip’s worth it alone for the transformation of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, always psychedelically stunning in fittingly vivid colours.
Genre: music, literature, art
Insider tip: Hunt down the X|Celerate programme of pop-up gigs across town, taking over more than 20 venues.
Website: [vividsydney.com](https://www.vividsydney.com/)
Find out where to go on holiday in May
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in June
DISTORTION, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
3-7 June 2020
Over five days of free street parties attracting DJs from across the globe, Distortion sees Copenhagen overwhelmed by thousands of revellers. There’s impromptu crowd surfing, cooking, singing and plenty of street food by day, and by night, clubs, record labels, magazines and party venues host ticketed events. The weekend also hosts a 24-hour open-air festival in the harbour. Being eco-friendly Copenhagen, partygoers are invited to purchase a street bracelet (known as a ‘gadearmbåndet’), the funds from which go towards the clean-up afterwards, and the festival’s noisy future.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Even Distortion’s campsite has a DJ stage and workshops, plus you can swim there.
Website:cphdistortion.dkMEADOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA
4–8 June 2020
At the top of the Rhodope Mountains on Bulgaria’s Greek border, this festival promises cosmic communion with music and nature. The local village, Polkovnik Serafimovo, is at the heart of it: you can even stay with a villager, and its choir blesses the festival through song. Experimental bands and DJs join a packed programme of creative workshops and wellness sessions.
Genre: music (alternative, electronic)
Insider tip: The festival site’s a climb up a steep peak, but the sunrises are worth it.
Website:meadowsinthemountains.comMASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA FESTIVAL, JOUJOUKA, MOROCCO
5–7 June 2020
There are magical tiny festivals, then there’s this event for a mere 50 people, hosted by the Master Musicians of Joujouka. The Sufi trance musicians from the Southern Rif Mountains offer a tiny group the opportunity to live with them for three days and experience their music in their spectacular landscape.
Genre: music (world, trance)
Insider tip: The home-cooked food and drinks from your hosts are to die for.THE GOVERNORS BALL MUSIC FESTIVAL, NEW YORK, USA
5-8 June 2020
They call it New York’s answer to Coachella and Glastonbury, and the line-up of once alternative, now huge acts (such as, in 2019, The Strokes, Florence + the Machine, Major Lazer) certainly puts it in that league. The food is legendary here (pizza from Roberta’s, cookie dough from Dō, lobster rolls from Luke’s Lobster and giant ice-cream sandwiches from Coolhaus) while the After Dark gigs, held at NYC venues nearby, also pull crowds with cult artists such as US Girls, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, who featured on 2019’s bill.
Genre: music (electronic, hip hop)
Insider tip: Track down the secret area, called, um, Best Kept Secret, with shade, cocktails and ping pong to crash out in between curtain calls.
Website:governorsballmusicfestival.comBERGENFEST, NORWAY
10–13 June 2020
Set in the stunning surroundings of Bergenhus Fortress at the north end of Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this four-day cross-genre festival in Norway’s second city draws big rock and pop artists (Robert Plant, Patti Smith) and indie heavy-hitters (Julia Holter, Bon Iver).
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Get out of the moshpit, however briefly, to enjoy the wooded mountains and nearby fjords.
Website: bergenfest.noMIDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL, FINLAND
10–14 June 2020
Almost a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle is where Finnish film-director brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki rock up every summer for their Midnight Sun Film Festival, a five-day-and-night celebration of new cinema. A mix of silent gems, contemporary Finnish films, recent festival hits and box-office classics are screened around the clock – not that you'll notice the difference in the endless daylight.
Genre: film
Insider tip: Feeling sleepy? A sauna fuels refreshing swims in the nearby river, a surprising spot to rub shoulders with Palme d'Or winners.
Website: msfilmfestival.fiKALA, DHËRMI, ALBANIA
10th-17th June 2020
This young boutique festival on the little-known Albanian Riviera is right to call itself a ‘new dance paradise’. Stages are in incredible locations, including one in a secluded beach fenced by a natural canyon and accessible only by boat, with music played till 6am by collectives like London’s Secretsundaze and Phonica.
**Genre:**music (electronic)
Insider tip: Swim in the Blue Eye spring, a 45-metre-deep pool surrounded by hazelnut trees.
Website: kala.alNOS PRIMAVERA SOUND, PORTO, PORTUGAL
11-13 June 2020
Europe’s most lively alternative pop festival is spinning off from its birthplace in Barcelona to outposts in Benidorm, LA and Porto’s tree-laden Parque da Cidade. This particular younger sibling has grown quickly, with over 100,000 revellers enjoying of-the-moment intelligent pop and indie royalty – Pavement are the first to have been confirmed for the 2020 festival (2019's line-up included Solange, Interpol and Stereolab).
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Committed to 50/50 gender representation on stages, they’re refreshingly female-friendly.
Website:nosprimaverasound.comBONNAROO, TENNESSEE, USA
11th-14th June 2020
Bonnaroo has its roots in jam bands and folk rock – it is based in Tennessee, home of country music, after all. Alternative music with a folk edge is still its main raison d'être, but hip-hop also has a stronghold on the billing. This year's headliners include The Lumineers, Odesza, Childish Gambino, and Cardi B.
Genre: music (pop, rock)
Website:bonnaroo.comGOTTWOOD, LLANFAETHLU, WALES
11–15 June 2020
In a forest in north-west Anglesey with a secluded beach nearby, this gorgeous, remote festival has been entertaining 5,000 dance fans for more than 10 years. Across 10 stages in idyllic lakeside and woodland locations, DJs like Andrew Weatherall, Mr Scruff and Skee Mask have played alongside breaking talents. Accommodation is plush too, including Lotus Belle tents and Airstreams.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Find great food at floating restaurant The Nest.
Website: gottwood.co.ukPARKLIFE, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
13–14 June 2020
Originally the ultimate end-of-exam party for Manchester students, Parklife has moved from its central location to Heaton Park and continues to get bigger and better each year. Music includes everything from the likes of The Chemical Brothers on the main stage to smaller local DJs in the dance tents dotted around. There's no camping, meaning you can head back to a proper bed and a warm shower before the next day.
Genre: music (alternative, electronic)
Insider tip: Book into one of our favourite Manchester hotels for a respite in a great location with smart design.
Website:parklife.uk.comSONAR, BARCELONA, SPAIN
18–20 June 2020
Still the definitive city-based electronic music festival, Sonar continues to dominate Barcelona for one weekend every summer. Music pulses all day in Montjuïc and all night at Gran Via L’Hospitalet, with big names like Four Tet, Holly Herndon, Underworld and A$AP Rocky playing big sets.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Don’t take a taxi between daytime and nighttime venues – the traffic jams are huge. The trains take 30 minutes and run frequently.
Website: sonar.esGLASTONBURY FESTIVAL, SOMERSET, UNITED KINGDOM
24–28 June 2020
Starting as the 1,500-capacity Pilton Pop, Folk & Blues Festival in 1970 (tickets were £1 with free milk from the farm’s cows), Glastonbury (pictured above) has now become the world's biggest festival. Every year it gets bigger, louder, messier; every year new fields of weirdness are added. Missing the headliners never matters, because there’s so much else to do.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Don’t miss new wellness wonderland Humblewell by the Park Stage, which morphs into late-night jazz venue The Wormhole after dark (or something else that hasn’t been invented yet).
Website: glastonburyfestivals.co.ukSECRET SOLSTICE, ICELAND
26-28 June 2020.
Festival-goers never want the sun to set, and in this midsummer Reykjavík ‘midnight sun’ weekender, it literally doesn’t. International stars from pop, rock and alternative scenes (Rita Ora, Patti Smith Pussy Riot) rub shoulders with Icelandic artists, and VIP options are rife: an Óðinn pass offers complimentary cocktails, access to the artists’ bar, and side-of-stage viewing.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: The eight-day Icelandic Beats package, turns your experience into a holiday, taking in trips to the Black Sands and the Blue Lagoon.
Website:secretsolstice.isROSKILDE, DENMARK
27 June–4 July 2020
Now running over eight days, with the big headliners (including Bob Dylan, Chance The Rapper and The Cure) playing from Wednesday to Saturday, and Scandinavian acts winding things down from Sunday to Tuesday, the gargantuan Roskilde continues to pull in the crowds (it’s always a sellout). Art and activism are big festival offerings too, with sculpture and talks around the site.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Check out the Ambereum, Roskilde’s new area for “DJs, art, relaxation and raves”.
Website:roskilde-festival.dkFind out where to go on holiday in June
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in July
LUCCA SUMMER FESTIVAL, TUSCANY, ITALY
1st-31st July 2020
Within the ancient walls of the historic Piazza Napoleone in the picturesque town of Lucca, this month-long festival plays host to a jawdropping collection of stars from every genre. This year Elton John, Ennio Morricone, New Order, Janelle Monae and Sting are set to grace its stages.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: The festival takes over the city, the music echoing round the streets, so you’ll catch even more in the city’s bars.
Website: summer-festival.comOPEN'ER FESTIVAL, GDYNIA, POLAND
1-4 July 2020
Poland's biggest festival consistently draws in huge rock, indie, rap and pop acts (Travis Scott, Kylie, The Strokes, The Smashing Pumpkins), but it also has a huge fashion stage, where upcoming designers exhibit their wares to a 90,000-strong audience. It makes each year’s festival T-shirt design competition a particular draw (pun intended).
Genre: music (multi-genre), art
Insider tip: Explore Gdynia too, with its gorgeous beaches and thriving food culture.
Website: opener.plALSO FESTIVAL, WARWICKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
3–5 July 2020
A pioneering ideas festival with a focus on getting back to nature, where music leaves the small stages and goes into the wild. Enjoy a gospel choir Sunday breakfast, a treasure hunt of song lyrics, a lakeside battle of vinyl geeks and a disco bunker. Forest bathing, science talks and an on-site wooden pintxo restaurant, Getaria, made from the site’s own trees, complete the 360° wellness bubble-bath.
Genre: music (multi-genre), ideas, art
Insider tip: A great one for young families: the kids even do a Saturday-night pudding procession.
Website: also-festival.comBARN ON THE FARM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
2-5 July 2020
This intimate Gloucestershire festival has gained a strong reputation for its carefully curated line-ups of promising indie talent. With three stages set in – you guessed it – barns, this is the place to catch hot newcomers before they hit the big time. Previous years have seen Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard and Bastille perform. With a cosy capacity of 1,500 guests, Barn on the Farm is one of the only festivals where you can watch a band and then have a beer with them afterwards.
Genre: music (indie)
Insider tip: For an even more boutique experience, head along to 'intimate Thursday' or 'intimate Friday' – there are only about 250 tickets on sale for each and they sell out fast.
Website:barnonthefarm.co.ukFIELD DAY, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
11th July 2020
From a park in Hackney to a 10-acre site near Enfield’s marshes and reservoirs, Field Day is one of London’s biggest events – and the loudest, with the best festival sound system in the city. Four mammoth interlinking warehouses, The Drumsheds, are at the heart of it, and Skepta, Jorja Smith and Diplo have all been recent big-hitting headliners.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: An additional afterparty ticket gets you in till 3am (the latest curfew in London).
Website:fielddayfestivals.comThe best live music bars in London
EXIT FESTIVAL, NOVI SAD, SERBIA
9–12 July 2020
Evolving from the anti-Milošević protests of 2000, Exit is now one of the biggest dance-music festival juggernauts in Europe. It flirts with the mainstream (The Cure, The Chainsmokers and Chase & Status), but techno and bass (Paul Kalkbrenner, Carl Cox, Jeff Mills) remain its pulse. Plus its Petrovaradin Fortress amphitheatre-like setting – you’re literally raving in a giant moat – is jaw-dropping.
Genre: music (EDM)
Insider tip: It gets hot here, so an apartment in Novi Sad is recommended.
Website:exitfest.orgLOVE INTERNATIONAL, TISNO, CROATIA
15-21 July 2020
Set in the hills of Tisno overlooking the stunning Dalmatian Coast, this event blurs the lines between festival and holiday. Big-name DJs (Craig Richards, DJ Harvey, Optimo) provide the soundtrack to open-air clubs, beach parties, secret island parties and parties on boats that travel for hours (just don’t miss the departure points).
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Barbarella’s Discotheque, a short journey from the main site, is sunrise-seeker central.
Website:loveinternationalfestival.comNOS ALIVE, LISBON, PORTUGAL
8-11 July 2020
An alternative-music juggernaut in Portugal’s buzzy Lisbon, running everyday from 4pm to 4am. Big-name headliners have included Vampire Weekend, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Chemical Brothers. Weekend ticket options can also include hotels and special-interest tours exploring street art, the city’s surfing and local food.
Genre: music (rock, indie)
Insider tip: Camp in the nearby four-star Lisboa Camping & Bungalows, which has its own pool, restaurant, bathhouse and tennis courts, and where a pitch starts at €38.80.
Website:nosalive.comG! FESTIVAL, FAROE ISLANDS
16–18 July 2020
Deep in the North Atlantic, in the tiny seaside village of Göta on the Faroe Island of Eysturoy (population 567), artists at the G! Festival have to compete with the midnight sun and stunning scenery for attention. The islands’ huge grassy mountains are like nothing on earth, and the spirit of the crowd – used to dark winters and all-day summers – is undeniable. British stars are regulars (Fatboy Slim, Lewis Capaldi), as are Nordic giants (metal is ever-present).
Genre: music (alternative, electronic)
Insider tip: Visit the lovely Finnish sauna and hot tubs down on the beach.
Website: gfestival.foFESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE BENICASSIM, SPAIN
16-19 July 2020
On the coast between Barcelona and Valencia, the small village of Benicàssim has long been host to one of Europe’s best summer pop festivals. Friendly crowds, international stars like Lana Del Rey and Kings Of Leon, and simple camping options (including the city-centre Villacamp, with its own bar and café, leisure zone and showers) keep things easy.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
**Insider tip:**Turn up three days early to enjoy festival sets in local clubs Buddha and Casablanca.
Website: fiberfib.comMELT!, FERROPOLIS, GERMANY
17–19 July 2020
Located in the Ferropolis open-air museum on a tiny peninsula between Leipzig and Berlin, in the shadow of mining cranes and excavators, this three-day electronica and indie extravaganza is all about laser lights and euphoric partying. When the crowds are tired from dancing to acts such as Bon Iver and Bonobo, they pitch tents beside the lake or collapse in a bunk bed on the Mixery Melt! sleeper train, a hotel (and bar) on wheels that also collects and drops off weekend merrymakers.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Slope off for rest around the tree house, hidden bars and hammocks of the idyllic Forest stage.
Website: meltfestival.deMIDI FESTIVAL, SOUTH OF FRANCE
24–26 July 2020
The gorgeous medieval hill town of Hyères in the French Riviera hosts this four-day showcase of some of the world's best left-field music. Hubert Lenoir, Muddy Monk and Charlotte Adigéry will be among those playing here beneath the stars at one of the festival's three quirky venues: a racetrack, the beach, and an early modernist building, the Villa Noailles.
Genre: music (alternative)
Insider tip: The Villa Noailles exhibits art and photography and is worth further exploration.
Website:midi-festival.comWOMAD, WILTSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
23–26 July 2020
A country estate outside Malmesbury is the landing site for all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds from around the globe. British artists of an exploratory bent are in residence too (Orbital, Nadine Shah), but the main pleasure here is finding new music. Attracting families (The World of Children area runs from 9am to 7pm each day) and grown-up music fans alike, this is a festival to bring your teenage brood to and let them loose, knowing they'll be safe.
Read more about Womad Festival in our guide to the best music festivals in the UK.
Genre: music (world)
Insider tip: Go to the World of Words Tent, a beautiful wooden framed geodesic dome: a balm for the mind and the soul.
Website:womad.co.ukBLUEDOT FESTIVAL, CHESHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
23–26 July 2020
At other festivals, 'dark matter' is something to be avoided in the compostable loos. Here at Jodrell Bank, the incredible observatory in the Cheshire countryside, it's just one of many cosmic subjects to get to grips with over the Bluedot weekend. Futuristic bands (Kraftwerk, New Order and Hot Chip among them) provide the festival with a star-laden soundtrack , as more than 200 astronomers and astrophysicists share their universal knowledge.
Genre: music (electronic, indie), science, arts
Insider tip: Don’t miss the late-night Orbit stage’s cutting-edge intergalactic sounds.
Website:discoverthebluedot.comSPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS, BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA
24–26 July 2020
Behold Australia’s biggest winter festival, held in the beautiful North Byron Parklands of New South Wales, which attracts cutting-edge pop and alternative stars like Childish Gambino, Little Simz and Chance The Rapper. But there’s more: the fantastically eclectic World Stage, home to global music, and hidden areas like the nighttime Tipi Forest with its underground DJs, light shows and fire twirlers.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: The peaceful wellness haven of the Bohemian Lounge turns into an erotic cabaret and silent disco space after sundown.
Website:splendourinthegrass.comTERRAFORMA, MILAN, ITALY
26–28 July 2020
An exploratory arts, music and ideas festival in Italy’s fashion capital, featuring three days of music, workshops and lectures promoting sustainability. The festival team have restored the historic Villa Arconati garden in the city, and have set up solar-lit camping, and an impressive recycling system. Artists such as Laurie Anderson and Mica Levi provide the tunes.
Genre: music (electronic), art
Insider tip: Be sustainable yourself by collecting empty cups: with enough, you get a free beer.
Website:terraformafestival.comPARIS JAZZ FESTIVAL, PARIS, FRANCE
2020 dates to be announced
Big names as well as emerging talents will perform at the Paris Jazz Festival, in the city's beautiful Parc Floral.
Genre: music (jazz)
Insider tip: Pack a picnic blanket and a basket stuffed with French foodie treats.
Website:parisjazzfestival.frPORT ELIOT, CORNWALL, UNITED KINGDOM
2020 dates to be announced
The ultimate posh literary festival, where authors become the rock stars of the weekend (poet laureate Simon Armitage, Emily Maitlis, Decca Aitkenhead, roll on up). There are also artists (Jeremy Deller), fashionistas (Zandra Rhodes), foodies, artisans, thinkers, talkers, bohemians and idlers. The site, on the banks of the River Tiddy, is stunning too.
Read more about Port Eliot Festival in our guide to the best music festivals in the UK.
Genre: literary
Insider tip: Book the Woodfired Canteen’s amazing open-air dining, for only £25 a seat.
Website:porteliotfestival.comPETE THE MONKEY, NORMANDY, FRANCE
2020 dates to be announced
A little slice of eco-cool in the Normandy seaside town of Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer. Expect cabaret acts, naked saunas and under-the-radar European indie. And all proceeds go to a wildlife charity.
Genre: music (indie)
Insider tip: Pack your swimsuit and head to Normandy's lovely coast for a break from the revelry.
Website: petethemonkeyfestival.comMANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
2020 dates to be announced
A fantastic international arts festival with experiment and exploration at its heart, which keeps putting more focus on music. Past festivals have staged events such as Maxine Peake’s new work, The Nico Project, inspired by the 1960s Velvet Underground star; conceptual bell-ringing with Yoko Ono; plus star performances by conceptual art-lovers like Janelle Monae and David Lynch.
Genre: music, art, theatre
Insider tip: Head to the Festival Square’s intimate Glass House for Michelin-starred weekend lunches.
Website: mif.co.ukFind out where to go on holiday in July
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in August
LOLLAPALOOZA, CHICAGO, USA
30 July-2 August 2020
It started out as a travelling farewell to the raucous US band Jane's Addiction, then settled down to live noisily ever after in Chicago's Grant Park. Rock and punk still bare their teeth, but the likes of Ariana Grande and Tame Impala also provide an explosion of pop. The festival's food market, Chow Town, is rightly legendary too, promoting great local restaurants and food spots.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: The aftershows are worth eyeballing: Idles and Death Cab For Cutie are among the late-night attractions.
Website:lollapalooza.comWILDERNESS FESTIVAL, THE COTSWOLDS, UNITED KINGDOM
30 July–2 August 2020
Wilderness is a haven of barefoot, flower-garland-toting bohemians dancing in woodlands and skinny-dipping in the lake at Cornbury Park. The lineups are great too: Robyn, Bombay Bicycle Club and Groove Armada entertained the troops last year. Masked balls and wild late-night parties sit alongside thought-provoking talks and symposiums on the bill. Something for the loins, the feet and the mind.
Read more about Wilderness Festival in our guide to the best music festivals in the UK.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Check out talks and comedy at the House of Sublime, and the leftfield beauty pageant, Alternative Miss Wilderness.
Website:wildernessfestival.comOUTLOOK FESTIVAL, CROATIA
30 July–3 August 2020
For the last time, following a ten year run, 19th-Century Fort Punta Christo and its idyllic surroundings will be reanimated with the booming bass of Outlook Festival's incredibly impressive array of hip-hop, grime, reggae, techno, dub, and more (pictured below). Whether you're partying in the fortress moat, dungeon, forest, harbour stage, on the beach or on a boat, some of the greatest makers and shakers of modern music will be there to ensure a transformative experience.
Genre: music (electronic, hip-hop)
Insider tip: The festival site is big with security checks for each area, so allow plenty of time to get to the stage for your favourite acts.
Website:outlookfestival.comSZIGET, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
5–11 August 2020
This monster of a music festival spans seven days and the full 266 acres of the lovely Obuda Island on the River Danube. Daytime can be spent on the beach before you party by night to the sounds of more than a thousand acts, and mainstream names are ubiquitous: Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar and Dua Lipa will all be hyping up the crowds this summer.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: The Hungarian design fair, WAMP, sets up stalls in colourful wooden houses in Sziget, showing off the wares of the hippest Hungarian designers.
Website:szigetfestival.comOFF FESTIVAL, KATOWICE, POLAND
7–9 August 2020
Only an hour’s drive from Krakow is the old mining town of Katowice, home to two brilliant festivals: electronica event Tauron Nowa Muzyka in June, and this fantastic multi-genre weekender in the verdant Three Points Valley. Suede, Foals, Neneh Cherry and Stereolab were among the big names on the bill last year, but Polish and underground acts also make noise. Renowned for its non-commercial atmosphere, good food and good prices, it’s a good bet for music-lovers wanting something that feels from the heart.
**Genre:**music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: If you’ve got kids, the amazing Piaskoffnica events for them include 1980s rock star hair-styling, music-inspired painting sessions and treasure hunts.
Website: off-festival.pl/enNEWPORT FOLK AND JAZZ FESTIVALS, RHODE ISLAND, USA
7-9 August 2020
In 1954 George Wein, now in his nineties, set up a small jazz event in Rhode Island; five years later, its folk version followed. Festival culture was born. Legendary performances from Nina Simone and Bob Dylan going electric entered popular music mythology, and the quality of stars is still up there, over half a century on. Music-heads have enjoyed the likes of Charley Crockett and Kacey Musgraves at the folk fest, Herbie Hancock and Sun Ra Arkestra when the site focuses on jazz. And the festival’s small size – 10,000 – makes it feel intimate.
Genre: music (jazz, folk)
Insider tip: The views of the Newport Harbour are worth the ferry trip alone.
Websites: newportfolk.org newportjazz.orgEDINBURGH FESTIVAL, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
7– 31 August 2020
The world's largest single arts festival brings together fantastic performers of every imaginable stripe, from classical musicians to pop stars, actors to poets, comedians to acrobats – and from the glossy mainstream to the truly far-out. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival take place in tandem, plus there’s a book festival in Charlotte Square Gardens, and brilliant food stalls and bars popping up like whack-a-moles. It’s an arts paradise, basically. Just book your accommodation early: the city’s full to bursting.
Genre: music (multi-genre), theatre, comedy, literary
Insider tip: Take time to breathe in the beautiful city by climbing Arthur’s Seat hill, only a 30-minute walk from the Royal Mile.
Website:edfringe.comHOUGHTON FESTIVAL, NORFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM
6–9 August 2020
A baby on the dance-music festival circuit, but one making its name for all the right reasons, in the North Norfolk countryside. Curated by Fabric’s Craig Richards, it feels like a family affair: he personally invites all the acts, and they play long, exploratory sets in the woodlands. Accommodation options include airstreams and vintage caravans, or the countryside’s many hotels and B&Bs nearby.
Genre: music (electronic)
**Insider tip:**Take a culture break with an art exhibition at Houghton Hall – you can currently gawp at huge Henry Moore sculptures in the grounds, and smaller pieces in the house.
Website:houghtonfestival.co.ukBOOMTOWN, WINCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
12–16 August 2020
Billed as 'the most immersive and theatrical festival experience on earth', Boomtown keeps getting bigger, bolder and stranger. What was once a 'township' has become a full-on fantastical 'city', with distinct districts (Oldtown, Copper County, Area 404), building-lined roads and new stories, led by actors, to explore every year. Acts such as Kano, Flogging Molly and Caravan Palace will be playing too, at more than 25 stages.
Genre: music (alternative, drum and bass)
Insider tip: Whistler’s Green gives an amazing view of the whole site, and has fantastic vegan food.
Website:boomtownfair.co.ukWAKING LIFE, CRATO, PORTUGAL
12–17 August 2020
A thoughtful utopia of art and electronica beside a dreamy lake in Crato, in Portugal's Alentejo region. Last year, Four Tet and Ben UFO provided a cosmic soundtrack to kung-fun classes, audio-haptic theatre and blissed-out rubber-ring floating.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Swimwear is essential for cooling off and chilling out in the lake.
Website: wakinglife.ptDIMENSIONS, CROATIA
13–17 August 2020
Dimensions Festival is back for another year with underground techno, house, and electronica. Taking place at The Garden Resort nestled on the scenic Dalmatian coastline, it begins with a concert in a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre, and proceeds with inner-citadel performances and beach and boat parties. With stages located on the beach and nestled under a canopy of trees, plus parties taking place on historic wooden boats, it's going to be an idyllic event blessed with Adriatic views.
Genre: music (electronic, drum and bass)
Insider tip: Take some time out to visit the Kornati Islands which are just a short boat ride away.
Website:dimensionsfestival.comGREEN MAN FESTIVAL, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM
20–23 August 2020
What began in the early 2000s as a tiny folk festival has expanded hugely, but its easygoing character and idiosyncratic line-ups remain. The bigger stages host dirty rock'n'roll, blissed out psychedelia and dance pop, while Chai Wallahs is fuelled by Afrobeat, funk and kicker gin cocktails. The Walled Garden is in the spirit of the original weekend, and the location beneath the Black Mountains is particularly magical. The 20,000 capacity keeps it intimate too.
Read more about Green Man Festival in our guide to the best music festivals in the UK.
Genre: music (alternative, indie)
Insider tip: Stay until midnight on Sunday to see the huge Green Man by the campfire being set ablaze.
Website:greenman.netFUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, JAPAN
21–23 August 2020
Having begun at the foot of Mount Fuji back in 1997, this huge festival is now held in the impressive foothills of Naeba Ski Resort. It’s long wandered away from guitar-slamming rock, and last year saw The Chemical Brothers, James Blake and Thom Yorke on the bill.
Genre: music (pop, rock)
Insider tip: Camp ticket owners also get free access to the hot spring at the Naeba Onsen.
Website:fujirockfestival.comLOST VILLAGE, LINCOLNSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
27–23 August 2020
This is one of the UK's most inventive festivals, mixing a whimsical woodland setting with a rock-solid line-up of dance acts and DJs. It made its debut in 2015, founded by the duo behind Lincoln's legendary Moda Black club night, Jaymo and Andy George, and has kept the numbers limited to around 5,000 people. The three stages are set amongst the trees, with dreamcatchers, strobes, smoke machines and wandering 'villagers' creating an atmospheric, fairytale landscape. There's a lakeside wellness area, for those vital Indian head massages and hot tubs, and an impressive Boutique Sanctuary of tipis and suites that offers residents 24-hour concierge and a cocktail bar (as well as squeaky clean bathrooms). This year's line-up is yet to be announced, but previous foodie features have included James Lowe from Michelin-starred Lyle restaurant, Lee Westcott and Elizabeth Allen, and Sunday roasts from Hawksmoor. As for the sounds, Mr Scruff, Ibibio Sound Machine, Greg Wilson, The Black Madonna, Moderat and De La Soul were among those rustling the leaves.
Read more about Lost Village Festival in our guide to the best music festivals in the UK.
Genre: music (electronic, rock)
Insider tip: Bring your wildest outfits.
Website:lostvillagefestival.comThe best food festivals in the UK
DEKMANTEL SELECTORS, TISNO, CROATIA
27-31 August 2020
Held at a Croatian seaside hotspot The Garden in Tisno, this Dutch-run techno party limits numbers to 2,000. So you might get your own Airstream and Adriatic splashing space.
Genre: music (techno)
Insider tip: Don't miss a chilled-out day trip to nearby Krka Falls, a stunning national park with a Jurassic Park setting.
Webite: dekmantelselectors.comBURNING MAN, NEVADA, USA
30 August–7 September 2020
In a middle-of-nowhere spot in the Nevada desert at the end of every summer, an eccentric community of 50,000 builds a temporary metropolis, Black Rock City: a ‘crucible of creativity’. The event takes its name from the burning of 'The Man' – an effigy that has come to embody the ethos of the event: community, artwork, absurdity, revelry, inclusion, self-expression and civil responsibility. Warning: might require hallucinogens. Pictured above.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Take enough time, man, to explore the Burning Man art installations, commissioned to a theme every year.
Website:burningman.comNOTTING HILL CARNIVAL, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
30–31 August 2020
This two-day celebration of Caribbean culture sees a corner of West London transformed into Europe's biggest street party. Reggae, zouk, merengue and much more blare from ear-shattering soundsystems, alongside soca floats, steel pans and the most flamboyant costumes outside of Rio. Beginning in the heat of interracial tensions in the late 1950s, Carnival means even more to locals now after the nearby Grenfell Tower disaster. So come dance: this is London at its fullest and best.
Genre: art, culture
Insider tip: If you’d rather avoid the biggest crowds, Sunday’s family-friendly day is the easiest, and the parades are still lively.
Website:thelondonnottinghillcarnival.comGUCA TRUMPET FESTIVAL, SERBIA
2020 dates to be announced
If the idea of a brass band festival conjures up nostalgic images of old men in uniforms to you, it’s time to go to Guca. This country town goes crazy every August, filling up with thousands of musicians and music-lovers who come to hear, watch and dance to the cacophonous sounds of Balkan brass and traditional gypsy wedding music. It’s played absolutely everywhere, at speed and all at once. Bring your best dancing boots and your earplugs.
Genre: music (world)
Insider tip: Accommodation with locals in comfy houses with fantastic breakfasts starts at a ridiculously cheap £20 a night.
Website:guca.rsFind out where to go on holiday in August
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in September
END OF THE ROAD, DORSET, UNITED KINGDOM
3-6 September 2020
If your love of music veers towards bands that wear plaid, with added lashings of 6 Music pop, folk and indie, then this festival should be your second home already. In the Grade-II listed grounds of the Larmer Tree Gardens where peacocks roam freely, you’ll catch cool critics’ favourites (Beirut, Metronomy, Michael Kiwanuka), and find secrets in the fairy lights after dark. It’s small – stages are only five minutes apart – but this adds to its sweet, magical atmosphere.
Genre: music (indie, pop, rock)
Insider tip: There’s usually an indie disco, or a retro light-up dancefloor, to be found in the woods.
Website:endoftheroadfestival.comLIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, LAS VEGAS
18–20 September 2020
Big, bold and ambitious like its extravagant host city, Life Is Beautiful transforms 18 blocks in Downtown Las Vegas into a celebration of music, art, food and ideas over three desert-glitz days. Headliners including Chance the Rapper, The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend complemented world-class cuisine and cocktails, rousing speakers and mega-art installations last year, but the 2020 line-up is still to be announced. This is the ultimate city-based festival experience for those who love the magic of wandering but want none of the mud.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Exclusive ticket and hotel packages include accommodation in some outrageous places: The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino has a 200,000-galllon shark aquarium.
Website:lifeisbeautiful.comLAKE OF STARS, MALAWI
2020 dates to be announced
Set in the grounds of Kachere Kastle alongside the third largest lake in Africa, Lake Of Stars has had a magical reputation ever since it was founded by British promoter Will Jameson in 2003. Malawian music is its focus, and ticket prices are kept low (60% of the crowd are from the country), but international acts (Young Fathers, Maccabees, Major Lazer) have also been drawn to enjoy its welcoming spirit and fantastic scenery.
Genre: music (world, multi-genre)
Insider tip: You’ll need vaccinations before travelling, and anti-malarial tablets, so give yourself time to see your GP.
Website: lakeofstars.orgNOVA BATIDA, LISBON, PORTUGAL
2020 dates to be announced
Fantastic electronic music in a brilliant city, where it’s still sunny but not sweltering, just out of the madness of peak holiday season, you say? Nova Batida’s a clever young thing. Alongside staging sets by the likes of Jon Hopkins and Floating Points, this is an event that’s big on introducing festival goers to culture, and offers art and museum tours of Lisbon to enrich your experience further. Special supper clubs also open up Lisbon’s vibrant food scene. A music festival turned 360° holiday. Pretty boa.
Genre: music (electronic)
**Insider tip:**Check out the mini travel guides on the festival website. Their insider info on where to get the best pastéis de nata (custard tarts) is sugar-sweet.
Website: novabatida.com/enFind out where to go on holiday in September
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in October
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, TEXAS, USA
2–4 & 9–11 October 2020
SXSW may have given Austin its reputation, but this double-weekender packs in the big guns as the Autumn settles in. The year’s biggest names in contemporary pop and old rock will always will be here (last year saw Guns ’N’ Roses, Billie Eilish and Childish Gambino), and much of the food onsite is Texan, sticky and delicious (vegans, fear not – you’re catered for too). The foam also flows freely, at the Barton Springs Beer Hall, and money from every ticket sold helps with the upkeep of the city parks.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Take a break to climb up Mount Bonnell for gorgeous views of the city. Also close by is the villa Laguna Gloria with its outdoor sculpture gallery and Instagrammable peacock gardens.
Website:aclfestival.comUNSOUND, KRAKOW, POLAND
4–11 October 2020
The greatest underground and experimental music festival in Europe, which has spawned outposts in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. Each year revolves around a theme (Future Shock, Presence, Solidarity), and explores these ideas through the gigs, club nights, talks, screenings and art that flood through the city. Expect challenging, jaw-dropping sets from underground heavy-hitters – last year saw Holly Herndon and Sunn O))).
Genre: music (electronic), art
Insider tip: Take time to check out Krakow’s growing microbrewery scene, with great bars like T.E.A. Time and Stara Zajezdnia.
Website: unsound.plMOGA FESTIVAL, ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO
9–11 October 2020
The hippie hangout of Essaouira, a UNESCO World Heritage site, hasn't seen anything this trippy since Zappa and Hendrix bowled around its ramparts (which you may recognise as the Red City, Astapor, from Game of Thrones). Expect an edgy line-up of tech-house and electro DJs fused with digital art, but with modern comforts: its setting is a golf and spa hotel.
Genre: music (electronic)
Insider tip: Make time to make use of the hotel’s stunning natural swimming pool and olive garden.
Website:mogafestival.comFind out where to go on holiday in October
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in November
ICELAND AIRWAVES, ICELAND
4–7 November 2020
What began in an aeroplane hangar in 1999 has now evolved into an eclectic international festival in an equally eclectic mix of intimate venues throughout downtown Reykjavik. It hosts an industry conference too – record-industry gunslingers will be flashing their lanyards – and most visitors use their downtime for a whistle-stop tour of Iceland’s natural attractions, including the famous Blue Lagoon (probably because its healing qualities make for a perfect hangover cure).
Genre: music (alternative, electronic)
Insider tip: Check out the flight and hotel package deals available through the festival website.
Website:icelandairwaves.isLE GUESS WHO? UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS
12–15 November 2020
An open-hearted exploratory four days of music, dedicated to artistic collaboration and crossing borders between genres, with curators like The Bug and Jenny Hval at the helm. There’s a lot of experiment and playfulness in the eclectic collection of venues: churches, film theatres, and even a laundry-room and a warehouse. Acts like Cate Le Bon, Sonic Boom, Earth and The Raincoats completed the mix last year.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Don’t miss their festival within a festival, Lombok, held in the Turkish-Moroccan suburb of the same name on the Friday of the festival. You’ll find gigs in eight locations, organised by locals, a neon-lit mosque and great food.
Website: leguesswho.nlSTRAWBERRY FIELDS, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
2020 dates to be announced
Deep in the bush a few hours from Melbourne, Australians stretch towards their summer with this annual celebration of art, electronic music and creative expression. Strawberry Fields was set up by music lovers without any industry connections, and the vibe is loose and relaxed, but with ambitions; among installations of visual art you’ll find international DJs as well as intimate, hidden spaces to relax.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Take your swimmers – you won’t be able to resist the temptation to swim in the Murray River between sets, or lounge it out on the banks.
Website:strawberry-fields.com.auFind out where to go on holiday in November
Getty ImagesThe best festivals in the world in December
WONDERFRUIT, PATTAYA, THAILAND
12–16 December 2020
An impressively eco-friendly four-day festival dedicated to art, music and ideas, Wonderfruit features immersive light installations in secret valleys, trees and on sustainable stages (one was made of parcels of rice in 2017). All of which creates a sumptuous setting for an eclectic international musical line-up (recent years have seen Goldie, Roots Manuva and Nightmares on Wax playing alongside Mongolian throat-singers and German marching bands covering techno).
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: TED-style environment talks here are popular, as is the deep-house yoga.
Website:wonderfruit.coRHYTHM & VINES, NEW ZEALAND
28–31 December 2020
If you want to be among the first to see the sun rise in 2020, and enjoy some fabulous music – and heat – while you’re at it, try this energetic New Zealand four-dayer. Set up by three university friends and run on a family vineyard, Rhythm and Vines now runs five busy stages, and hosts 20,000 partygoers every year. It’s attracted big international names too, like Mark Ronson, NER*D and 2manydjs, as well as local Australasian stars like Tame Impala, Cut Copy and The Black Seeds.
Genre: music (multi-genre)
Insider tip: Three swimming pools on site are the setting for all-day parties, while boat trips to Taumotu Island offer heavenly rewards for surfers and dolphin-spotters.
Website:rhythmandvines.co.nzMAGNETIC FIELDS FESTIVAL, ALSISAR MAHAL, INDIA
2020 dates to be announced
A few years ago, the burgeoning rave scene in India found its spiritual home at Magnetic Fields, a festival set in a 17th century palace with ornate gardens in the remote Rajasthani desert. Four Tet, Bicep and Joy Orbison have played, with secret parties and sets going on until 8am, as the desert haze shines through the dunes. Accommodation is in rows of peaceful white tents with beds, toilets and washbasins included.
Genre: Music (electronic)
Insider tip: Check out the Magnetic Sanctuary, which focuses on ancient Rajasthani knowledge of wellness.
Website: magneticfields.inFind out where to go on holiday in December
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