Vibe's Top 20 International EDM Festivals
Earlier this month, the organizers of Belgium's colossal Tomorrowland festival offered the tantalizing promise the event would one day make it to the USA.
Inspired by the idea of Tomorrowland making it to the USA, VIBE has put together our own dream international EDM holiday, with 20 of our premium picks for global party excellence. Our own Ultra Festival will be venturing to Europe this year, while we’ve been promised that other international favorites like Mysteryland will venture our way soon.
Which of these killer parties will make it to American soil? -->
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20. Ultra Europe
Stateside EDM fans will already know and love Miami’s annual gargantuan annual affair, but this July, Ultra will also be extending its reach all the way over to Croatia in Europe. The whopping three-day affair will take place on both the mainland, as well as the resort Island of Hvar only a short ferry ride away. The authentic Ultra experience is promised, in terms of a superstar lineup and beyond. Ultra Europe is definitely on VIBE’s holiday itinerary.
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19. Melt! Festival
While the music at Melt! might be impressive, with last year’s lineup featuring Bloody Beetroots and Richie Hawtin, it’s the location that gets everybody talking. An open-air museum of industrial machinery that’s perched at the tip of a peninsula, enormous hulking machines tower over partygoers, illuminated by the festival’s dizzying light-shows. What could be cooler than that?
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18. Mysteryland
Holland sure knows how to party, and Mysteryland is the country’s original multi-stage day festival that’s taken place just outside Amsterdam for nearly 20 years. What’s more, it’s the spiritual parent of Tomorrowland. Last year organisers ID&T confirmed exclusively to VIBE that Mysteryland will be coming to America. Stay tuned for more info, but expect magic to happen.
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17. Creamfields
Way back in the late 90s when dance music first exploded across the world, Creamfields was considered the cream de la crème of EDM festivals, and it’s held onto its prized status to this day. The fact that UK punters are willing to camp out and brave the elements says it all. Last year the party was notoriously washed out, yet the punters just can’t stay away.
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16. Field Day
Want to escape the winter for some Australian sunshine during your New Year holiday season? Field Day takes place on NYD in in the grassy surrounds of the Sydney’s Domain, flanked by a pristine view of the city skyline. Artists fight tooth and nail to play there every year, with A-Trak, Diplo and Mark Ronson regularly making the trip down under to bask in the sun.
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15. Snowbombing
If you’ve ever dreamt of combining snow shredding with party rocking, Austria’s Snowbombing is 'The Greatest Show On Snow'. It’s got the white stuff in heavy doses, and it’s also waist deep in EDM excellence, with April’s event featuring Above & Beyond, Example, Carl Cox, Tiga and many more.
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14. Defqon.1 Festival
Were you lucky enough to witness the explosive ‘Qdance’ stage at EDC Las Vegas last year? It showcased the pounding sounds of hardstyle, from the creators of Tomorrowland and Sensation. The final word in Qdance parties though is definitely Amsterdam’s Defqon.1 Festival, a three-day camping event with multiple stages, and a jawdropping mainstage so spectacular it barely even seems real. VIBE wagers Defqon.1 might even make it to the USA one day…
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13. Outlook Festival
Have a soft spot the heaviness of dubstep and drum n’ bass? Croatia’s Outlook Festival is your premium choice, and it’s also set in the unforgettable surrounds of an abandoned fort and its surrounding beaches, with crowds rocking it in the tunnels, moats and abandoned ruins. Heavy!
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12. South West Four
If you’re jetting over to London this summer, you won’t have to adventure far to enjoy the EDM delights of South West Four, over two days at the inner-city location of Clapham Common. Last year included everyone from Knife Party and Benny Benassi to Eric Prydz and Paul van Dyk.
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11. Nature One
While it might be a fresh name to many American EDM fans, Germany’s Nature One packs enough brain-bending spectacle to rival even the likes of Tomorrowland or Ultra. A sterling choice for the fans of trance and techno, the likes of Paul van Dyk and Sven Vath are regular performers. And oh lordy, look at that setup… VIBE is booking its tickets now.
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10. Glastonbury
One of the world’s greatest festivals, whatever your musical tastes, Glastonbury is a UK institution that is epic in every way, with over 150,000 punters with enough infrastructure onsite to power a small country. The Dance Village is just a stones throw away from the main Pyramid Stage, and it’s nothing less than immense for EDM fans.
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9. Dance Valley
A favourite for the party-crazy Dutch since 1995, Dance Valley is widely known as the ‘Woodstock of Dance”. It’s another of Holland’s iconic multi-genre day festivals, but one of the best too, frequented by Dutch leviathons like Tiesto, Afrojack, Sander van Doorn and more.
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8. Global Gathering
A UK household name in EDM festivals since 2001, Global Gathering takes place over a weekend at the Long Marston Airfield just outside of London. One of the multi-stage, multi-genre parties that showed the way for the likes of Ultra and EDC, it’s an iconic name in worldwide dance festivals that’s inspired a number of ‘global’ spinoffs, and deserves to be experienced.
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7. Fusion Festival
The hidden jewel of the Berlin dance scene, Fusion Festival is know to few outside the German capital, though many would like to keep it their special secret. The party’s organisers own the abandoned military airport where the party takes place, meaning they can break all the rules. A visit to Fusion is described as being “spirited to another heavenly dimension”. Believe the hype.
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6. Hideout
The perfect choice if you want to cram in as much beach time, bangin’ beats and bikinis as possible into your EDM holiday. Taking place on a Croatian island, across a host of beachside clubs and boat parties, the setting couldn’t be more pristine. SBTRKT, Marco Carola, Skream & Benga and many more are confirmed for this year’s return in June.
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5. Time Warp
Is pumping techno your thing? If so, VIBE recommends a trek to Manheim in Germany’s south-west for Time Warp in April. You’ll join the vast army of techno renegades who make the pilgrimage annually, along with regular appearances from Carl Cox, Sven Vath, and Richie Hawtin’s annual 6-hour closing set. For hard-hitting beats, this is as good as it gets.
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4. Sonar Festival
There’s no better place to be in June than the sun-soaked streets and stunning architecture of Spain’s Barcelona. Sónar Festival is a full-blown cultural extravaganza, taking over the city’s museum district for ‘Sónar By Day’ to showcase fresher sounds, while the blockbuster ‘Sónar By Night’ hosts the likes of deadmau5. Not to mention the hundreds of other parties across Barcelona’s beach bars, city squares and beyond. Absolutely essential for EDM lovers.
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3. Exit Festival
In the far-flung location of Serbia, inside the spectacular surrounds of the Petrovaradin Fortress, you’ll find one of the world’s most prized parties for EDM lovers. Exit Festival’s ‘Dance Arena’ is rightfully proclaimed as one of the true EDM meccas, taking place in a moat within the fortress walls, where the likes of Avicii and Richie Hawtin entertain the notoriously crazy crowd.
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2. Amsterdam Dance Event
As VIBE discovered last year after flying to Amsterdam to hang with Chuckie, Nicky Romero and more, ‘ADE’ is the hottest week in dance music all year. Across five long days and sleepless nights, the entire industry gathers for panels, showcases and networking… plus a whole lot of partying. There’s more than 60 events across the city every night, from the tiny clubs all the way up to Chuckie’s ‘Dirty Dutch’ stadium extravaganza.
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1. Tomorrowland
Yep, this is the big one. Belgium’s De Schorre National Park is transformed for three days of magical mayhem every July, and VIBE can confirm Tomorrowland lives up to the hype. The park’s epic ampitheatre hosts the biggest, most spectacular mainstage the world has ever seen, with David Guetta, Avicii and more, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. A thoroughly immersive fantasy world at every step, here at VIBE we’re praying we’ll see it in the US one day.
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