Music truly brings the world together. How could it not? A sea of fans from all around the globe skedaddles to a specific city to sing their souls away and dance until their soles levitate in the name of music. The biggest music festivals in the world have a common denominator: the grandiose stages, technicolour light shows, dazzling fireworks, flavourful bites, and A-list musicians.
Some make it a personal bucket list to attend at least one of the following music festivals once in this lifetime. Others may not bother as long as they can experience their favourite musician in person. After all, witnessing live shows is unique. And with our list of music festivals, it’s so much more than music. Let us serenade you from Europe, North and South America, and Africa with the list.
Biggest Music Festivals in the World
EUROPE
Tomorrowland (Boom)
Tomorrowland is an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival with an attendance of up to 400,000 people annually. Spectators at Tomorrowland are provided with a vast camping area to simply stay on the grounds so they wouldn’t miss a beat as long as two weekends. July 2024 was the 20th-anniversary celebration of this music festival in Boom, Belgium where 400 EDM musicians were scheduled to perform with David Guetta and Tiësto as the headliners.
Glastonbury Festival (Somerset)
Founded by Michael Eavis in 1970, the festival is held at Worthy Farm, Somerset, United Kingdom. Glastonbury is famous for its Pyramid Stage and features a wide range of music genres from rock, pop, and indie, to electronic. In addition to music, the festival also presents theatre performances, visual arts, circuses, and more.
Donauinselfest (Vienna)
Held on an island in the middle of Vienna's Danube River, this music festival is a paradise for music lovers as it is held openly and free for three days every June. Donauinselfest is also home to local and international artists across Europe as it presents a wide range of performances from all genres of music, from pop, rock, hip-hop, folk, metal, blues, and EDM, to reggae. In 2019, Donauinselfest successfully showcased 13 stages with 600 hours of music and 17 different themes.
Sziget Festival
Opened for the first time in 1993, Sziget manages to attract more than 550,000 people every August to Budapest, Hungary. The festival usually lasts for seven days and features music, circuses, movies, and sports all at once. The music genres played at this festival are also diverse, ranging from jazz, rock, blues, and so on with artists gracing stages the likes of Rihanna, Muse, Sia, and Kendrick Lamar.
NORTH AMERICA
Coachella (Indio)
Not only is Coachella listed as one of the largest music festivals in the world, Coachella is also the most famous and profitable music festival in the US. Coachella’s three-day extravagance that takes place on two weekends in April is a sought-after affair for music, fashion, and art lovers. Various music genres soar the Indio desert in California as attractions and food keep spectators at bay in between their favourite acts.
Lollapalooza (Chicago)
Lollapalooza is a music festival that was started in 1991 by Perry Farrell, the vocalist of the band, Jane's Addiction. The festival is held in Grant Park, Chicago and features a a myriad of music genres from rock, pop, and hip-hop, to EDM. Lollapalooza has also grown into an international festival with editions in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and Sweden.
Summerfest (Milwaukee)
The music festival has been going on since 1968 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Aside from music, this festival also presents comedy performances, bazaars, fireworks, culinary parties, and various outdoor games with an entrance fee of only US$20.Every year, the 11-day music festival, which runs from late June to early July, attracts more than 850,000 spectators from all over the world. Musicians who have performed at Summerfest include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, Pink, and Paul McCartney.
Essence Festival (New Orleans)
Essence is a music festival that was originally formed in 1994 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence Magazine, which is an African-American women's fashion magazine. The festival then had a significant impact on the fashion industry and history as it evolved as an African-American cultural music festival in the US. Essence only features soul, gospel, blues, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B every July in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (Montreal)
If you are a jazz lover, then the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is for you. The music festival was first initiated in the 1980s and was even named the largest jazz music festival by Guinness World Records in 2004! The festival usually lasts for 10 days with indoor and outdoor stages featuring hundreds of famous jazz musicians from all over the world.
SOUTH AMERICA
Rock in Rio Festival (Rio de Janeiro)
Rock in Rio is a biennial music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that attracts over 700,000 spectators at each event. Despite it being named “Rock in Rio”, other music genres are found at this festival, such as pop, funk, EDM, and more. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jessie J, Charlie Puth, and Drake are a series of musicians who have performed at Rock in Rio.
AFRICA
Mawazine
Mawazine is an annual music festival held every June in Morocco. Mawazine was originally initiated by King Mohammad IV's personal secretary as a tribute to African music. The word Mawazine itself comes from the Moroccan language for “Rhythm of the World”. Musicians who have performed on the Mawazine stage include Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Iggy Azalea, David Guetta, and many more. Mawazine also displays various promotions of Moroccan culture to its visitors.