DANCE TO THE BEAT OF THE WORLD’S BEST FESTIVALS
Byron Bay Bluesfest, Australia
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.
Coachella, California, USA
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.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Louisiana, USA
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.
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.
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.
Lollapalooza, Chicago, USA
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.
Ejekt Festival, Athens, Greece
A big musical event right by the water shakes the Athenian scene every summer. Big names in music, artists and bands perform as the sun sets and keep the vibes up high! It takes place at the Plateia Nerou on the Athens waterfront at Faliro.
Genre: Rock, pop & dance
Insider tip: Book your tickets eary. If you know anyone that owns a boat parked at the Flisvos Marina, you should definitely watch the concert from the boat and have the ultimate Greek experience.