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From scenic valleys, downtown takeovers, mountaintops, massive warehouses, enchanted forests, and more, EDM has reached all corners of the world. Each place curates their own unique interpretation of rave culture and creates vibrant music festivals with electric atmospheres. A harmonious blend of global culture, music, and art, international festivals continue to elevate to all new levels bringing along legendary once in a lifetime experiences.
Music festivals are all about celebrating the power of electronic music and the vibrant community that comes with it. The pulsating beats, mesmerizing productions, and energized vibes from the crowds, continue to draw me into the international festival circuit. My bucket list of dream shows and festivals could probably go on for a millennium, but I have compiled my top must-go-to festivals in a list below. These festivals are ones I hope to experience as soon as possible because the FOMO hits harder every year these festivals are hosted. Each festival on this list promises an immersive experience where music and energy collide.
LET IT ROLL | Czechia
Czechia is home to one of the largest drum & bass music festivals in the world, Let It Roll Music Festival. With massive stages and an even more massive DNB lineup, Let It Roll pays homage to the rich culture and deep history of the DNB scene. As a DNB enthusiast myself, this is one of my top three festivals to go to.
RAMPAGE WEEKEND & OPEN AIR | Belgium
The legends of Rampage hosts two of the biggest drum & bass and dubstep festivals in Europe. Rampage Weekend takes over the Sportpaleis Antwerp for a weekend of insane music all night long. Besides an absolutely stacked lineup every year, the stage and production make this festival top tier. Every year the stage evolves into something even more mind blowing. Rampage, celebrating their 15 year anniversary this past year, brought out an iconic stage design with moving LED screens, a sea of lasers, and of course enough speakers to fully appreciate the pulsating bass of DNB and dubstep.
The complementing outdoor festival, Rampage Open Air, takes the legendary Rampage weekend to a whole new level. This festival spans over multiple days and hosts multiple stages, camping, a theme park, a pool, a skate park, and a grand lineup of artists. From what I’ve heard the vibes and energy are on a whole other level, which really ties in everything and makes me want to drop everything and full send it.
ELECTRIC FOREST | Rothbury, USA
In my personal opinion, Electric Forest is one of the most magical festivals in the US. Electric Forest connects music, art, community and more all together for an enchanting weekend in the forest. I’m eager to one day explore all the surprises and secrets that are in plain sight or hidden within the forest. It truly takes and changes the definition of what a music festival is thought to be. On top of a massive multi-genre lineup that is nothing short of legendary each year.
TOMORROWLAND | Belgium
Tomorrowland is probably a festival that is on everyone’s bucket list. This is one of the leading global music festivals that everyone should get to experience at least once in their lives. The top tier production, music, and overall community of Tomorrowland is beautiful. The range of the festival grounds is insane with up to 16 different stages exploring all the sounds of edm. Tomorrowland seems to be a city built from the ground up with an abundance of activities and surprises for people around the world to enjoy.
BOOMTOWN | Hampshire, UK
Boomtown is another festival that has a world of magic within. Boomtown is not only a music festival but an interactive experience for attendees. It’s like a giant carnival that brings out another level of fun to the experience. Boomtown has multiple stages and parties that host an array of genres of music. The thing that first caught my eye was the huge “Origin” stage that hosts some of the best DNB artists around. That alone had made me want to attend this festival but after seeing all the beauty that is Boomtown, I knew I had to make it a priority to get there.
AWAKENINGS FESTIVAL | Amsterdam, Netherlands
Awakenings Festival brings together a legendary lineup of house and techno. Awakenings is known for the sophisticated level of production and they do not hold back with the festival. Each stage has a mind-boggling design that elevates the vibe. It is a dream to be able to experience the deep and heavy bass of house and techno under these insane stages.
CREAMFIELDS | Cheshire, UK
Creamfields is a staple festival known far and wide. Each year releases a stacked lineup of house, techno, DNB and more at multiple monumental stages across the rich green fields. The music and energy make Creamfields a must for me.
ARC | Chicago, USA
What better place to experience house than in the birthplace of the genre? ARC is hosted in Union Park in Chicago, curating one of the best lineup of house and techno artists within the scene. ARC pays homage to the origins of house in the best way possible. Each time I see videos from ARC there is always a beautiful vibe, the best energy, and ethereal house and techno sets.
That wraps up my top festivals of my ultimate festival bucket list. Of course, as previously mentioned, this list could go on forever because the world continues to create and hosts absolutely insane music festivals. Each unique and showcasing the beauty of edm. Whether it’s dancing until dawn, adventuring throughout the grounds, or immersing myself in a vibrant new culture and community, these festivals are more than just events—they’re once-in-a-lifetime adventures that I can’t wait to experience.
