Top 10 International Festivals This July!

The Sherp takes you on a global round up of the best festivals that will surely get you backpacking abroad. 

Whatever your musical preference, there’s a festival to suit your taste. From watching Hardwell headlining at EDC UK to a simple street dance festival in Austria, this July – you are spoilt for choice.

1. Lovebox – London, England (July 18 – 19) 

This year Lovebox has been trimmed from three days to two, but its lineup is no less staggering. As with past years, the London event brings together a sprawling cast of DJs and live acts that covers just about every sound people in the UK capital like to dance to, from house, techno and disco to drum & bass and garage. Hosts for this year’s stages include The Hydra (Madlib, Joy Orbison), Soundcrash (Bonobo, Mount Kimbie), Crack Magazine & Krankbrother (Scuba, Visionquest, The Martinez Brothers) and many more.

2. Tomorrowland – Boom, Belgium (July 18 – 19 – 20, July 25 – 26 – 27)

What sets Tomorrowland apart from the rest is its storybook setting and immersive nature. Described as Trippy Technicolor Fantasies, stages undergo seamless transformations with a well-executed attention to detail. In 2011, the “Alice in Wonderland” theme translated into a real-life journey down the rabbit hole with live characters, real waterfalls, next-level pyrotechnics, and life-size mushrooms that catapulted stage design to new heights. Read more here.

3. Astropolis – Brest, France (July 3 – 7)

Astropolis is one of France’s oldest electronic music festivals, and it’s clear they know exactly what they’re doing. Located in Brest, a seaside city on the country’s northwest coast, the four-day event treats its crowd to a stunning panorama of electronic sounds. Its programme runs the gamut from seminal acts like The Orb, Jeff Mills and Model 500 to contemporary innovators like Machinedrum and Pearson Sound. The action is split among a slew of unconventional venues—punters can expect to dance in a fort, in a manor and by the sea. It’s no mystery why Astropolis lures in more than 10,000 punters from France and around the world each year.

4. Global Gathering – Stratford Upon Avon, England( July 25 – 26)

Global Gathering is the UK’s most cutting edge and forward thinking electronic music festival brand, founded by Angel Music Group in 2001. The multi award winning festival has also become one of the largest music festival brands worldwide, with festivals held every year in the Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia and South Korea.

5. Melt! – Grafanhainichen, Germany (July 18 – 20)

Set in one of the most unique festival locations in the world, Melt! brings life to the gigantic monuments of the machine age with its colorful lighting and thumping tech beats. This is the ultimate “Industrial Meets Electronic” music festival that takes place in the massive industrial museum of Ferropolis, Germany. The event location spreads over 6 floors, and has a line-up of nearly 100 live acts over the weekend.

6. Exit – Novi Sad, Serbia (July 10 – 13) 

Serbia’s EXIT Festival is the one of the best festivals that mixes up radical politics, a beautiful setting, and unparalleled musical offerings. This heavyweight combo earns EXIT the distinction as one of the most sought-out summer music festivals in the world.

7. Sound Wave – Tisno, Croatia (July 17 – 21) 

Now in it’s sixth year, Soundwave is a truly intimate festival where three thousand soon-to-be friends and artists come together to laugh, dance, swim and relax together in the beautiful Croatian sunshine. Curated by a small team of music lovers, Soundwave provides five full days and nights of sun-kissed music spread across a boat, a beach, a live stage by the seafront and a open air nightclub for dancing beneath the stars. The festival site is located in a picturesque hidden bay just outside the small fishing village of Tisno on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, between the beautiful and historic cities of Zadar and Split. The bright, sparkling waters are some of the clearest in the world, the hospitality is always welcoming and the seafood and local cuisine is outstanding.

8.Secret Garden Party – Abbots Ripton, England (July 24 – 27)

Two words. Magical and carnival-esque. This annual independent festival for music and arts is probably the most well known and loved boutique festival that exists. It takes place in Abbots Ripton, near Huntingdon, England. The location of the festival is its USP – a Georgian farm house accompanied by its own lake, river and gorgeous landscape.  The organizers concentrate on making the festival a visual experience with floating boats, crazy entertainment and a yearly theme. Over the years (starting in 2004) Chase and Status, Django Django and Bastille are some of the bands who have featured at this festival.

9.Wanderlust – California, USA (July 17 – 20)

More than just a yoga festival, Wanderlust combines natural beauty with fun activities, epic musical performances, organic food and inspiring lectures. Jeff Krasno, co-founder of Wanderlust, wondered why there wasn’t a gathering like this for the holistically-minded, health-conscious folks of the world. So, in 2009, he combined yoga with live music, farm-to-table food, outdoor adventure, inspirational speakers, a healing vibe, and a beautiful Lake Tahoe setting, and Wanderlust was born.

10. Electric Daisy Carnival UK – Milton Keynes, England (July 12 – 13) 

EDC UK is all set to feature icons of dance music and promises to be the most impressive show of 2014 with transform iconic outdoor entertainment venue Milton Keynes Bowl into a brand new world. Milton Keynes Bowl has hosted concerts by some of the most famous musical acts of all time, including Queen, David Bowie, U2 and REM, Bon Jovi and Metallica, sounding like the perfect arena for some EDC goodness.