Posted: 2nd May 2023
Summer is nearly here and with it comes festival season! Use this article as your essential summer guide to some of the many festivals happening around the world throughout 2023.
Following just over 2 years of cancellations and reschedules, festivals and live music are back in full swing. Summer 2023 is going to be a very exciting year for festival-goers across the globe.
Read time: 4 mins
5 - 8 October
Taking place from October 5th until the 8th in Sacramento, California, Aftershock is a metal and rock festival with 2023 headliners including Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Guns N’ Roses, and more! The festival was originally founded as a two-day festival in 2014, in 2019 the festival expanded to three days and, more recently, in 2021 Aftershock expanded to a full 4 day-long festival.
19 - 21 May
The Electric Daisy Carnival is a festival rooted in a rich history and focussed on the future which will be at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the 19th May until the 21st May 2023. This is a festival that brings three days worth of glitter and glam to Las Vegas for this three-day celebration of electronic music. EDC has spread globally but we believe there’s nothing quite like the flagship version of EDC, which shows off hundreds of performers set to the backdrop of a full-sized carnival.
Although it has been and gone, but this event has yet to release its scheduled dates for 2024, so keep an eye out for social media for next year's dates to make sure you don’t miss out.
8 - 12 June
In 2023 Download will be at Donington Park to celebrate its 20th anniversary by hosting some of rock and metal's biggest names over 4 nights.
Download Festival was first conceived as a follow-up to the Monsters of Rock festivals, which had been held at the Donington Park circuit between 1980 and 1996. is now considered to be the most popular British summer rock and heavy metal festival Since the first Download Festival took place in 2003 they have hosted some of the genre's biggest names including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Slipknot and for 2023 a two-night Metallica headline slot.
5 - 8 July
2000 Trees is a multi-award winning festival that prides itself on bringing the best new and underground acts from across the world to the Cotswold Hills.
Since its launch in 2007, 2000 Trees have built themselves a reputation for providing a unique music festival environment for bands and audiences to co-exist as a community, where individuals feel free to be themselves. Each year around 80 bands perform across the weekend as is supported with a broad selection of food and locally produced ciders, ales and lagers.
This year the festival features headliners such as Soft Play, Bullet For My Valentine and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes across the 5th til the 8th of July.
15 - 18 June
Hellfest is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes one of the biggest metal festivals in Europe and a must for any heavy metal fan. Annually, thousands of metal fans from around the world rally in France to see some of Rock and metal's biggest acts from around the world across 3 days.
This year Hellfest takes place from the 15th to the 18th of June and includes headliners such as Kiss, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden and Slipknot.
3 - 4 June
Amsterdam Open Air is an open-air two-day festival. The festival is known for championing Dutch dance however a total of ten stages can be found during Amsterdam Open Air, where movements such as house, techno, pop, Latin, afro and urban are fully represented. There is no main stage at the festival as each stage is said to be its own experience.
The aim of Amsterdam Open Air is to reflect the diversity of today's electronic music scene and Amsterdam's nightlife, rather than being limited to just one genre. So when attending, expect a versatile festival brimming with extravagant music and Dutch culture.
2024
Mawazine Music Festival was founded in 2001 by King Mohammed VI. The festival celebrates world music and takes place every year in Rabat, Morocco. Mawazine is one of the largest music festivals in Africa and attracts people from all over the world. The festival originally started out as a series of events which hosted an array of world pop music as well as trying to promote Rabat as a welcoming city. Although it may not be taking place in 2023, Mawazine is set to return in 2024 and promises a huge lineup.
28 - 30 April
The Vic Falls Carnival made its debut in Zambia in 2023, thanks to a partnership with Timedia and Radisson Blu. The carnival, which has been a hit in neighboring Zimbabwe, crossed the Zambezi for the first time. The Vic Falls Carnival offers all attendees an explosion of music from both local artists as well as acts from all over Africa. Ticket holders got 3 days of award-winning DJ's and phenomenal new acts, making it a future must - attend event for all party goers and music lovers in the region.
This year the carnival took place on the 28th - 30th of April, but this annual event has yet to release its scheduled dates for 2024, so keep an eye out for social media for next year's dates to make sure you don’t miss out.
27 - 28 May
Taking place in Rio De Janeiro, and Sau Paulo Brazil on separate weekends, Music is the answer festival (MTIA for short) hosts a variety of acts and genres from all over the world across both weekends. This year Lana Del Rey and Florence and the Machine headline both weekends making this year one to remember for music lovers in Brazil.
12 -14 October
After a 6-year hiatus, Tomorrowland returns to Itu, Sao Paulo Brazil for 3 days starting on the 12th of October. The festival originated in Boom, Belgium and was created by two brothers in 2005. The festival represents some of the biggest names from the dance and electronic music genre and has since grown to be one of the biggest festivals in the world taking place in multiple countries
This year's Brazilian line up is yet to be fully announced, however, tickets are already sold out due to the festival's extravagant themes and reputation for hosting some of the world's biggest DJ’s and dance acts.
28 - 30 July
Fuji Rock Festival is a festival that takes place annually and is held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
The festival takes place over three days and is organised by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. In 2005, more than 100,000 people attended the festival.
This year’s line-up includes artists such as The Strokes, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi and Weezer.
19 - 20 August
Taking place on the 20th of August in Tokyo’s Zozomarine Stadium and Makuhari Messe on 20th August this year, Summer Sonic has a star studded lineup including The 1975, Maneskin, St Vincent and Bebadoobee. An annual tradition since 2000, this festival attracts some of the world's biggest names in music.
Headlining Summer Sonic 2023 are Britpop icons Blur and 15-time Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. Other artists include Liam Gallagher, Evanescence, Thundercat and Nova Twins.
It's been said that attending the Summer Sonic festival should be on every music lover’s bucket list, not only do you get to see some of the biggest names but you also have the opportunity to explore other genres like Alt-pop, shoegaze, and Japanese Rock music.
21 - 24 July
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its founding in 2001, Splendor in the Grass has brought some of the biggest names from indie, pop and rock music to their stage as well as dances, circus workshops and a fantastic display of Australia’s aboriginal heritage. The festival hosts a mix of artists and genres every year the lineup this year includes Lizzo, Arlo Parks, Slowthai, Lewis Capaldi, Idles and many more.
30 December 2023 - 1 January 2024
A festival that spans over 2 years! Well, sort of… in 2023 Lost Paradise Festival will be running from late December right into new year's day. The festival is a three-day festival that takes place in Glenworth Valley, New South Wales, Australia, as there are still a few months to wait until the festival, the lineup is yet to be announced for this year, however, we can’t think of a better way to spend your New Years Eve.
