What if I told you that mind-blowing world travel destinations and unique music festivals could co-exist in your travel plans?
Would you believe me? The passion you have for music and the love you have for experiencing new travel destinations will afford you options that both rock the funky beats and let you lounge in paradise. You see, in the musical happenings of the world today, those two things have become one. It’s time you realize that with all the big festivals out there, there are still some awesome low-key festivals that catapult you to the unknown.
In exploring the sister post to this one – European festivals you need to check out – I stumbled into the plethora of amazing festivals that occur worldwide and offer unique locales to travel to! In this adventure, we looked through options to expose you to new surroundings where travel and music festivals combine for the ultimate experience.
So sit back and make sure your passport is ready because it is time to book some flights to take you to your next destinations around the globe!
Air Festival – Bali, Indonesia – March 30 & 31 + April 1, 2018
A four-year-old festival growing in the nation of islands, Air Festival offers a truly unique backdrop for festivals. In particular, it situates you in a tropical island paradise ripe with House and Techno artists aplenty. Major international talent Blond:ish mark the instantly recognizable names this year, but the two stages are the true draw here. The “Air” stage offers you the energy and peak time moods brought through the international talent. The “Awan” stage returns this year after the initial offering in 2017 and brings with it the mellow vibes with slower DJs and live musicians.
The festival had to move this year due to renovations at Gili Air, but the new home at Echo Beach looks to be just as stellar. The festival also holds a tight tolerance on being zero-impact and was almost 100% plastic free last year. All in, for $110, it’s hard to top the venue of the Air Festival.
Check out more on Air Festival on their website by clicking here!
Caprices Festival – Crans-Montana, Switzerland – April 12-15, 2018
What happens when you take the Swiss Alps and run a festival for three days and nights? You get the destination Caprices Festival! Celebrating 15 years this year, the festival takes over two local venues – Moon by night and MDRNTY by day – and packs the Techno talent in for non-stop jamming.
The likes of Adam Beyer, Sven Vath, Matador, Paul Kalkbrenner, Luciano, Dubfire, and more take over the venues to dish out the beats for your sonic consumption from Thursday night to Sunday daytime. There is no shortage of vibes here with roughly 30,000 attendees to join up with, and for $350, there is more than enough in this unique setting to warrant a trip.
Check out more on Caprices Festival on their website by clicking here!
Sandbox Festival – El Gouna, Egypt – May 3 – 5, 2018
For the past few years, House & Tech House artists have dropped into the sandy beaches near El Gouna in Egypt for a fun-filled festival. This year, title sponsor Heineken helps Nacelle bring a talented group of individuals from the likes of Patrice Baumel, HVOB, Charlotte de Witte, DJ Tennis, and more to the shoreline to really celebrate the warming trend of Spring into Summer. Expect intimate and extended sets from the talent all the way from the bottom to the top!
Check out more on Sandbox Festival on their website by clicking here!
Music On – Havenpark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands – May 5 & 6, 2018
The brainchild of DJ Marco Carola and going into its second year is the Music On festival. Taking place in Amsterdam, you likely won’t be surprised at the talent drawn to the festival. From Claude von Stroke and Loco Dice to Paco Osuna and Secret Cinema, the festival caters to the Techno side of the Dance music spectrum.
The location that is near the harbor and displays industrial touches and some wind turbines offer a different vibe than the city is often touched with. The 18+ event runs from midday to 23:00, so whether you are into the daylight vibes or the nighttime grooves, you’ll find something to love when they turn the music on!
Check out more on Music On on their website by clicking here!
Sea Dance Festival – Buljarica Beach, Budva, Montenegro – Aug 30 – Sept 1, 2018
A spin-off from the successful major European brand Exit, Sea Dance Festival guides you to the scenic shoreline of Montenegro and combines all sorts of sounds for a party unlike any other. The seven stages fill the air with the beauty of music throughout the daytime but when the night falls, the magic truly takes hold.
The lineup this year has yet to be announced, but come on, warm beach vibes mixed with a plethora of amazing acts and right on the shoreline and early bird tickets are just 29£ – how could you miss this?!
Check out more on Sea Dance Festival on their website by clicking here!
Sonus Festival – Zrce Beach, Pag Island, Croatia – August 19 – 23, 2018
From the amazing Time Warp crew…innovation continues. Enter Sonus Festival – marketing itself as a blending of top-tier international talent, local legends, and underground heroes. If you like your beats woven with Techno and love to explore a sunny paradise, you deserve to enjoy the Croatian coastline during Sonus Festival.
Your ticket gets you into multiple venues for the festival, plus you can include all the shuttle fairs you need for the five days you’ll enjoy the experience. Daytime affords you the moments to relax too whether it’s boating, jet-skis, or ATVs to enjoy, you and your crew get the time to explore and decompress before jamming to beats each day.
Check out more on Sonus Festival on their website by clicking here!
Outlook Festival – Stinjan, Croatia – September 6 – 10, 2018
There is something about Croatia and the multi-day beach festival that just keeps grabbing us. Outlook Festival is in another beach-vibe region of the small country but offers something most other festivals cannot — a Roman fortress and amphitheater.
From camping to beach stages, boat parties, and of course music sets inside the fortress, the unique setting of the festival just means it’s something that will live on in that memory book always. If you live a bit dirtier sounds like Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and maybe a touch of R&B/Soul mixed into your music festivals, Outlook is the end of the Summer festival you need.
Check out more on Outlook Festival on their website by clicking here!
UnKonscious – Paradise Beach, Phuket, Thailand – May 4 – 7, 2018
If the Air Festival above didn’t catch your attention and you love some Trance music, perhaps UnKonscious will in Phuket, Thailand. The South Pacific island offers plenty of gorgeous sandy beaches and Paradise Beach played host to this festival’s first edition just a month ago.
Bridging Trance fans from around the world to a shore in Thailand ripe with rain showers and flaming pyrotechnics, UnKonscious offers an escape from the normal with its fresh interpretation of what a festival experience can be.
Check out more on UnKonscious on their website by clicking here!
Untold Festival – Cluj-Napoca, Romania – August 2 – 5, 2018
Romania may not be the first location people think of for new festival experiences, but if you are looking for the biggest non-Ultra or non-Tomorrowland festival hosted in Europe, you may have found it in Untold. In a way, it reminds us of the original EDC Los Angeles editions at the Coliseum complex where the main-stage resides inside the stadium. Outside you’ll find more stages than you can shake a stick at and plenty of talent from around the world.
Attracting the who’s who in music, this year’s lineup includes Jason Derulo, The Chainsmokers, Diplo, Armin van Buuren and more and offers a unique backdrop for attendees looking for a bit different take on the major festival. Expect the production you see at the biggest festivals out there, but shock your senses with a new backdrop.
Check out more on Untold Festival on their website by clicking here!
AIM Festival – Rue Berri, Montreal, Canada – July 6 – 8, 2018
Looking to stay in North America but need to escape from the US for a while? Why not take a trip to Canada and check out AIM Festival? Taking place just outside Montreal, AIM offers a smorgasbord of musical tastes from bass-driven genres to Trance, Techno, and House. Your ears can have a veritable feast on whatever style you desire most.
The production might be a bit more subdued than one is used to, but the vibes are plentiful with happiness and wonder. You can dive deeper into the experience with camping as well should you be up to the experience in the warmth of July. Take AIM and rise higher!
Check out more on Aim Festival on their website by clicking here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIZZZV1VjUA
As you can tell, there’s no shortage of new destinations with music festivals as an added perk.
The world is our oyster. The pearl inside is the experiences we share that unify us together as a body of music lovers. As you can see from the above festivals, there’s always somewhere else to travel to as a destination, and in almost every locale you’ll find something to satiate that musical itch your ears cannot get enough of.
Given the opportunity, where would you go to enjoy these experiences? Comment below and let us know!
