With new festivals cropping up all over the place, it’s getting harder and harder to decide which ones are worth the trouble. A lot of the time, it’s the location that makes a festival, whether it’s on a sunny beach, inside a forest, or on top of a mountain. So for World Tourism Day, The Sherp has put together a list of the most scenic and perfectly located festivals that are worth travelling to.Β
1. Festival No.6
Where: Wales
The perfect destination for backpackers and travellers, Festival No 6 is one of those festivals that is known for being artistic, beautiful and awe-inspiring. Every September at Portmierton, Wales, it brings the whole town together, andΒ is the perfect answerΒ to over-crowded and hedonistic EDM festivals, with its family-friendly camping areas and activities.Β The music at boutique gala suits its setting perfectly, with a eccentric range of rock, folk and techno, and stages set at different venues in villages. Over the past two years artistes like James Blake, My Bloody Valentine, The SmithsΒ and Manic Street Preachers have performed here.
(Images via: Festival No. 6)
2. Ziro Festival of Music
Where:Β Arunachal Pradesh, India
Nestled in the beautiful Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh is festival that’s known for its perfect location, and the unique bunch of artists that perform there. Ziro Festival of Music is a camping festival, and is situated right int he middle of Apatani tribal villages. The festival is an organic musical experience that combines the stunning beauty of Arunachali hills, non-mainstream indie music, north-eastern folk music, and Apatani tribal culture. With a gorgeous view in every direction, amazing people around, and artists like Alisha Bath and Omak Kamut Collective playing, Ziro is worth every bit of travelling needed to get here.
(Images via: Ziro Festival of Music/Facebook & woohoochild/Instagram)
3. Shambhala
Where: British Columbia, Canada
Held on Salmo River Ranch, CanadaΒ annually, Shambhala Music Festival is a travelerβs haven. Β A quiescent farm land surrounded by forests andΒ hidden away in the Salmo River Valley in the West Kootenay region of Southern British Columbia, Canada. The farm is owned by the family that also organises the festival, therefore setting up beautiful, permanent stages. The festival is careful to line up artists that are mostly underground, with a few popular ones thrown tastefully in.Β This yearβs lineup features Kygo, Skrillex, Pretty Lights, DJ Jazzy Jeff and more.
(Images via: Shambhala/Facebook)
4. Lost Theory
Where: Croatia
There is no dearth of amazing psytrance festivals in Europe, and Croatia is perhaps the most sought-after destination out of these.Β While the beaches are reserved for all the cool deep house and tropical house parties and fests, this absolutely crazy psytrance festival can be found if you travel inland. The Lost Theory Festival is held in a serene setting in theΒ Croatian interior, with all the vibes you need.
(Images via: Lost Theory Festival/Facebook)
5. Ragasthan
Where: Rajasthan
This desert camping festival is all about the experience. You get to live in tents in the desert, and camels act as free and fun festival transport. The festival is an all-round experience, with underground artistsΒ likeΒ Goa Underground Tribe, Branoid, Addictek, Nocturnal Project, LusidΒ and Johnny Deep.Tom Gillieron and Jane Fitz.Β Again, with emphasis on the βexperienceβ festival, comes the many fun activities and visuals of Ragasthan. In terms of the location and nature of the festival itself, it’s the only one in India that seems to have taken a leaf out of Burning Man’s book, and the desert landscape is even more stunning.
(Images via: Ragasthan/Facebook)
6. Wilderness Festival
Where: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
Wilderness Festival is one of the most eclectic festivals out there, incorporating theater, music, sports, yoga, art and much more in a humble four-day celebration. Despite its modest and unostentatious demeanor, this festival is far from shy. Buoyant costumes, secret skinny dipping, philosophy walks and the mysteriously discreet night celebrations deem Wilderness an enigmatic boho heaven. It’s set in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, which serves as the perfectly green backdrop to the festival.
(Image via: www.wildernessfestival.com)
7. Labrynth
Where: Niigata Prefecture, Japan
An electronic music festival held in the beautiful mountains of the Niigata Prefecture in Japan, The Labrynth Festival has limited attendance, with 95% of the passes only available in Japan. This gives a feeling of intimacy in the festival, andΒ Resident Advisor in 2010 called it “one of the most lauded festival experiences in the electronic music world.” Whether it’s the luscious natural surroundings, or the insane DJs that play here, Labrynth is one of the most unique festival experiences Japan has to offer.
8. Envision
Where: Costa Rica
What could be a better location to host a festival than a beach-side jungle? This Costa Rican festival is all about teaching yourself about environment, community and cultures from all over America.Β Envision has all the elements of a perfect experience β music, art, culture and communal living on a beach. Among the activities, apart from the music, there’s some amazing stuff to do like drum circles, healing workshops, yoga, permacultures, art and even plant healing. The location sets the whole concept off perfectly.
(Images via : Daniel Zetterstrom/Envision Festival)
9. Bestival
Where: Isle of Wight, England
In terms of cultural spectacles, Bestival is a no-holds-barred mega event that involves music, performance art, fancy dress parades, drag parties and so much more, that it wonderfully fits in during its four-day run. In addition to being one of the most respected and coveted boutique festivals around, the natural beauty extended to the festival due to its location in the green pastures of Robin Hill, situation in Isle of Wight, creates the amazing Bestival experience that has actually won several awards!
(Images via: Bestival/Facebook)
10. Green Man
Where: South Wales
The welsh festival sees an amalgamation of independent folk-inspired music, literature, art and worship in the green countryside of Brecon Beacons, a mountain range in South Wales. Nature and art walks hand-in-hand, as the four day festival watches families descend to have the best kind of British Summer. Like Burning Man, the festival ends with the customary burning of the Green Man sculpture, made with leaves. All of this happens in a more intimate, beautifully lush green surrounding, thereby making it quite the variant to its more radical American counterpart.
(Images via: Green Man Festival/Facebook)
11. Slackline Festival
Where: Monte Piana, Italy
Italyβs International Highline Meeting is one of the most spectacular and dangerous festivals to ever be held on the globe. The event takes place in the northern Italian alps at Monte Piana, near Misurina, and gathered extreme slackline enthusiasts from around the world.Β Besides the fact that the slackers spend a good part of their days their days (and nights) on slacklines suspended hundreds of feet above the Italian dolomite Alps, the meeting has all the trappings of a normal festival β a kitchen, a bar, and awesome musical jam sessions. And just look at that stunning view!
(Images via: DailyMail)
12. Groove Fest
Where: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
At this festival, you get to experience the best of Caribbean culture as you immerse yourself in 4-days worth of tropical beauty. At Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, thereβs the beach that is pristine in a way that is exclusively Caribbean, the right kind of juices that make an afternoon at the beach worth it, a collection of some very enthused dance music, and a great gourmet culture. All this makes the Groove Fest absolutely worth grooving over. Itβs a party that you cannot miss.
(Images via: Groove Fest/Facebook)
13. Symbiosis Gathering
Where: Oakdale, California
The Symbiosis Gathering is borne out of the desire of creating a mutually symbiotic community; one that exists on well-being and nurture. Meeting the growing demand for transformational festivals, this festival,Β held in the sunny Woodward Reservoir in Oakdale, California, brings together a variety of elements to create a compellingΒ conjugation of several kinds. Amazing music combined with art and installations by acclaimed artists, yoga classes and workshops, and even costumes, The Symbiosis Gathering is the perfect location for anyone looking to get away from daily humdrum.
(Image credit:Β Piotr Wojnarski &Β Brendan Jaffer)
14. Snowbombing Festival
Where: Mayrhofen, Austria
Set among the idyllic alpine peaks and fragrant pine forests of Mayrhofen, Austria β Snowbombing is a festival jam-packed a whole lot ofΒ adventure. The days are spent skiing, snowboarding and lounging in the spa, while the nights deliver world-class performances in venues ranging from sky-high igloos, to enchanted forest clearings and street parties. With vast, beautifully white slopes of fun and a town of noise and vibes youβll carry through the year β thereβs nothing like the snowyΒ escapism of this fun festival.
(Images via: Snowbombing/Facebook)
15. Ozora
Where: Hungary
An army of the best psychedelic artists from around the world will assemble in Hungary every year,Β when the leading festival brand for psy-trance takes place. Β Since 2011, the Ozora festival has been attracting audiences from all over the globe at itβs magnificent venue, and the major credit for their intense traction must be awarded to their undivided focus on providing an overall festival experience with the best independent names in the world. This six day mega event sees fans of the genre descend on Hungary in the millions.
(Images via: Ozora/Facebook)