9 destination music festivals worth travelling for

The festival: Coachella
The destination: Palm Springs, USA
As the first official summer festival, Coachella sets the benchmark high for the festivals that are to follow. The lineup pools together the biggest musical acts in the world. In 2019, Childish Gambino, Janelle Monae, Solange and Ariana Grande all hit the stage, and if your favourite musician is not on the lineup, chances are they’ll be somewhere among the crowds of people attending. Coachella is always packed with Hollywood stars, Victoria’s Secret models and A-list musicians.
When: Coachella usually takes place on the second and third weekend in April.
Where to stay: For something quintessentially Palm Springs, stay in The Saguaro—It does however take approximately an hour to travel to and from the festival from here. For something closer to the site, La Quinta is the place to be.

Image credit: Instagram.com/coachella

The festival: Tomorrowland
The destination: Boom, Belgium
As one of the biggest music festivals in the world, you need to be quick to secure a ticket to Tomorrowland (the event typically sells out in minutes). The electronic music festival has headlined some of the biggest international DJs in the world, including David Guetta, Tiesto, Armin van Buren and Swedish House Mafia.
When: Tomorrowland usually takes place in the last week of July and now takes place over two weekends.
Where to stay: The festival town ‘DreamVille’ has a host of different accommodation options, ranging from camping spaces to deluxe cabana and mansion packages.

Image credit: Instagram.com/tomorrowland

The festival: Splendour in the Grass
The destination: North Byron Parklands, Australia
The humble seaside town of Byron Bay (and its surrounding areas) in northern NSW becomes an international tourist destination come late July, as music and culture enthusiasts flock to the annual Splendour in the Grass. The three-day festival is Down Under’s equivalent to Coachella or Glastonbury, headlining some of the biggest local and international bands. Previous years have seen huge acts grace the Splendour stages, including Kendrick Lamar, The Strokes, Kanye West and Outkast.
When: Splendour in the Grass typically takes place on the second last weekend of July.
Where to stay: Considering the muddy nature of the festival (gumboots are a must!), a hotel or Airbnb in Byron Bay with a warm shower is a godsend after a long day in the mud. The Villas of Byron are positioned quite centrally in town, and will add a bit of luxe to your weekend. Buses shuttle back and forth between Byron and the festival grounds (it’s about a 30 minute drive), so anticipate some delays.

Image credit: Instagram.com/splendourinthegrass

The festival: Sónar
The destination: Barcelona, Spain
Taking place over three days, Sónar is one of the biggest EDM festivals in Europe. The festival specialises in digital art and sees some 120,000 people flock to its stages each year. Pervious headliners include Skrillex, Major Lazer and M.I.A.
When: Sónar typically occurs over three days in mid-June.
Where to stay: The Serras in Barcelona is a boutique hotel located about 20-minutes from the festival site. With a rooftop terrace and pool it is the perfect spot to relax (and pre-drink) before making your way into the festival.

Image credit: Instagram.com/sonarfestival

The festival: Burning Man
Click Here: Liverpool FC T ShirtsThe destination: Nevada desert, USA
Established in 1986 as a bonfire ritual to celebrate the summer solstice, Burning Man is one of the old-dogs of the summer festival scene—but don’t let that fool you, to this day it remains one of the most crazy and free-spirited festivals in the world. Making a home in Nevada’s dry and dusty desert, vintage aviator goggles and bandanna scarves have become the unofficial uniform of the festival. While the festival showcases a mostly electronic music lineup, Burning Man cannot be shoe-boxed by a music genre; it is an entirely new world of its own, celebrating art, unity, creativity and self-expression.
When: Burning Man typically takes place over seven days in the last week of August.
Where to stay: Set up a crazy camp in Black Rock City among all of the other festival-goers.

Image credit: Instagram.com/burningman

The festival: Nos Alive
The destination: Lisbon, Portugal
Founded in 2007, Nos Alive is the newbie of the European festival circuit, but it’s by no means the underdog. Kicking things off with a bang, the first-ever festival featured Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys. Since then, Nos Alive has seen Bob Dylan, Metallica and Coldplay all grace its stages.
When: Nos Alive usually takes place on the second weekend of July over three days.
Where to stay: Palacio do Governador in Lisbon is a beautiful boutique-style hotel located approximately 15-minutes from the festival site.

Image credit: Instagram.com/nos_alive

The festival: Glastonbury
The destination: Somerset, UK
One of the biggest events on the UK’s cultural calendar, Glastonbury is a haven of contemporary music (of all genres), comedy and arts. The festival is as much a street-style show as it is a stage for entertainment, with Kate Moss, Cara and Poppy Delevingne, Sienna Miller and other British fashion elite counting themselves as regular attendees. After taking a break in 2018, the music juggernaut just returned with a 2019 lineup that included Kylie Minogue, The Cure, Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish.
When: Glastonbury usually runs over three days on the last weekend of June.
Where to stay: Book one of the camping tipis on-site for a festival experience you will not forget. 

Image credit: Instagram.com/glastofest

The festival: Your Paradise
The destination:Fiji
Your Paradise is a unique, boutique festival experience that flies festival-goers to Fiji for the ultimate cultural and musical event. Along with a world-class electronic line-up, the festival also offers a range of activities such as scuba diving, skydiving and bespoke surfing trips. Being an incredibly small festival, the experience is exceptionally intimate—it’s not uncommon to find punters taking shots of black Sambuca and partying with one of the international acts on the roster. Previous years have seen Skrillex, Peking Duk and Snakehips perform.
When: The festival usually occurs over seven days in the first week of December.
Where to stay: Accommodation is included in the cost of your festival ticket (as are flights) and can be booked as a group, single, or couple.

Image credit: Instagram.com/yourparadise

The festival: Fuji Rock Festival
The destination: Yuzawa, Japan
Taking place at Naeba Ski Resort, Fuji Rock Festival is Japan’s largest outdoor music event. The first Fuji Rock Festival took place in 1997 at the base of Mt. Fuji (hence the name), however it was moved to Naeba after a particularly tumultuous inauguration that saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform during a tycoon. Year after year, the festival continues to bring the biggest and best in rock and electronic music to the mountains of Japan, including Kendrick Lamar, Muse, Nine Inch Nails and Disclosure.
When: Fuji Rock Festival takes place on the last weekend of July.
Where to stay: If you’re lucky (and particularly quick with your ticket purchase), you can secure accommodation at one of the onsite hotels just walking distance from the festival. Otherwise, the festival offers various packages for hotels in the area that all operate free shuttles to the festival site. 

Image credit: Instagram.com/fujirock_jp