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Most festivals start out with a vision. This could be either to change the scene or help fulfill the demands of a niche audience. Over time as they gain popularity and grow in size, many of these roots and values are left behind or simply forgotten in the commercial aspects. While there is nothing wrong with being commercial, it is nice to see some festivals still sticking to their original mottoes despite becoming veterans in the festival scene.
1. Sasquatch! Music Festival
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The Sasquatch! Music Festival was an idea born on a hunch that there was untapped demand for a certain kind of festival that catered to the eclectic tastes of music enthusiasts. The festivalΒ typically features a range of musical genres, with the emphasis being on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, but also including alternative rock, hip hop, EDM, and comedy acts. Despite having grown to such a large scale event since 2002, Sasquatch maintains its indie vibe by not becoming completely commercial like Coachella and other suchΒ festivals.
2. End Of The Road Festival
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The End Of The Road Festival is an annual music festival in England which focuses on alternative music, mostly folk, alt country and Americana. It is hosted at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the border of north Dorset and Wiltshire, and usually takes place over the last weekend of August or the first full weekend in September, opening camping on Thursday afternoon with the entertainment running from Friday to Sunday. The first editionΒ took place in 2006, and it sold out for the first time in 2008. The festival was started by and continues to be run independently by two friends, Simon Taffe and Sofia Hagberg.
3. Green Man
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Green Man is an independent music and arts festival held annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Now in its 14th year, it has evolved into a 20,000 capacity 4 day event, showcasing predominantly Live music (in particular Alternative, Indie, Rock, Folk, Dance and Americana), Literature, Film, Comedy, Theatre and Poetry.Β Renowned for its non-corporate, ethical approach, it has won several awards including βBest Medium Sized Festival 2010′ and βGrass Roots Festival 2012β.Β It is the largest contemporary music and arts festival in Wales and has been given major event status by Welsh Government due to the festivals positive impact, and wealth creation.
4. Firefly Music Festival
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The Firefly Music Festival is a music festival held in The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway, a 105 acre festival ground, over the span of four days. The festival is produced by Red Frog Events, with the hopes of having “an open-air festival on the East Coast with plenty of outdoor camping, much like the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee”. Firefly Music Festival’s tagline is “The East Coast’s Premier Music Experience.”
5. Pitchfork Music Festival
Courtesy : pitchfork.com
The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap & hip-hop, electronica, and dance music, although it has also included acts from hardcore punk, experimental/avant-garde rock and jazz in its lineups.Β In addition to music, the Pitchfork Festival also includes food, beverages, art, and gig posters from local, regional, and national vendors. The Pitchfork Festival also hosts a record fair that is organized and managed by CHIRP Radio, a Chicago community radio station. Pitchfork also provides a great platform for upcoming artists while also promoting them through their extremely popular online publication.
6. Latitude Festival
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The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006. Latitude is said to be similar to continental European festivals while also featuring a comprehensive bill of musicians, bands and artists across four stages. The festival comprises elements of theatre, art, comedy, cabaret, poetry, politics, dance and literature.Β The festival is run by Festival Republic (formerly the Mean Fiddler Group), which also runs the Reading and Leeds festivals and up until 2013 was contracted to run the Glastonbury Festival.
7. The Great Escape
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The Great Escape (TGE) is a New Music festival that showcases emerging artists from all over the world. Over 400 up and coming bands play in 35 Brighton venues. Itβs the first place to discover aΒ band and see them in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages.Β TGE is also attended by the music industry who are on the hunt for the next big thing. The festival also featuresΒ aΒ convention alongside the gigs featuring insightful panels, topical debates, keynote speeches and networking opportunities in abundance.
8. Joshua Tree Music Festival
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The Joshua Tree Music Festivals are produced by a family of friends and funsters convinced that music is the soul of life, and that art enriches and saves lives.Β The experience is enhanced when embraced in the great outdoors amongst fellow music lovers. The festival makes sure that the distinction between artist and audience is blurred with passionate performances that can be truly relished in close proximity to the stage. The festival also sets an example of non commercialism by providing free drinking water to patrons and no service charges on reasonably priced tickets.
9. Primavera Sound
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Primavera Sound is a music festival that takes place in Barcelona, Catalonia. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espanyol and in 2005 it moved to the Parc del FΓ²rum, a much larger site on the seafront. The nature of the festival and the wide range of bands represented have made Primavera Sound a meeting point for artists and spectators from all generations.Β The festival has always succeeded in bringing together in its line up both the latest independent music tendencies and artists with a consolidated career, while presenting all styles and genres and being fully committed to quality pop, rock and the most underground tendencies of electronic and dance music.
10. Riverboats Music Festival
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Riverboats has quickly become one of Australiaβs most anticipated and renowned boutique music festivals.Β Besides great lineups it is the only summer festival in Australia to present performances aboard paddlesteamers. These cruises sell out each year and festival goers are encouraged to book early.Β Under the dappled light of a canopy of river red gums and to the sound of historic paddlesteamers meandering past all weekend, music fans from across the countryΒ roll out picnic rugs, open bottles of wine and settle in, to experience one of the most exciting festivals in the region.