The 10 Biggest Music Festivals in the World

For fans who love a good concert, music festivals can offer a whole new level of entertainment!

In addition to hosting once-in-a-lifetime shows, music festivals provide an opportunity for people to meet and experience food and other exhibits as well

Some music festivals even allow guests to enter for free, which often results in large turnouts

So how do you get the highest number of music festivals?

Today we plan to attend the 10 biggest music festivals in the world and learn a little about what makes each one stand out

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Great Performer: Katy Perry

Commonly known as the New Orleans Jazz Festival or simply “Jazz Fest”, this annual sporting event is dedicated to celebrating the culture of New Orleans

This is not your everyday festival or run away from the common carnival foods for authentic Creole cooking, an oyster bar, and a cooking show that offers guests a sampling of the famous master chefs

The first year it was hosted, Jazz Fest saw only around 350 attendees

Location: New Orleans

Location: New Orleans

Great Performer: En Vogue

Nicknamed “a party with a purpose,” the 2019 Essence Music Festival will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Essence Emporium, which is geared toward women of color

The music festival serves as a celebration of the essence of Black culture and activities both past and present

In addition to the music aspect of the festival, Essentia also offers an array of free workshops, shops and the Museum of Black Beauty

Location: Pilton

Great Artist: Curator

This music festival was originally called Glastonbury Fayre, and the first festival alone saw around 1,500 footfall

The Glastonbury Festival is usually around five days long and features activities on its iconic “Cyramid Stage”

Unfortunately, the pyramid stage burned down in 1994, but when the show was to go on, the stage was built for the festival

3 million gallons of water are used at the Glastonbury music festival per year on average

Location: Budapest

Great Performer: Lana Del Rey

Sziget’s music festival takes place in the picturesque “Old Buda Island” on the Danube River and features several features

This festival is especially popular with tourists because of the great wonders of Budapest that visitors can enjoy from the event itself

Sziget film shows, Sziget also offers films, shows, and theater shows

Sziget’s second ever music festival was called “Eurowoodstock” and trained musicians who played at the original Woodstock festival

Rock in Rio

Location: Rio de Janeiro

Great Performer: Bon Jovi

While Rock originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it later branched out to other locations as well, such as Madrid, Lisbon, and Las Vegas

Rock in Rio is held for five days until Lent and offers people the opportunity to indulge in a more lively party atmosphere

Rock in Rio initially started as a way for Brazilian youth to express themselves and speak out against the restrictive dictatorship

Location: India

Great Performer: Madonna

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen to provide a way for attendees to experience art and music like never before

Far from useless in its first year, Coachella is a highly profitable event—hosted for two weeks in 2013 alone, it pulled in a staggering $67 million

Part of the reason that the 1999 festival lost money for doing so was that tickets only cost $50 that year!

Location: Kostrzyn nad Odra

Great Performer: Carl Orff

Formerly known as Poland’s Woodstock Festival, Pol’and’Rock is one of the largest free music festivals in the world and was previously the largest outdoor festival in all of Europe

This festival promotes having fun in the mud and sleeping in tents to enjoy the open air while experiencing great rock music

The Pol’and’Rock music festival was started by four ambitious young men who were all in their twenties: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang

Location: Rome

Great Performer: Jennifer Lopez

Hosted at the Henry Maier Park Festival, or “Summer Festival” every summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this huge music festival usually takes up eleven days and includes hundreds of acts

Summerfest is organized and run by a non-profit board that strives to include local character alongside celebrity musicians

Since Milwaukee is home to a large number of German-Americans, Summerfest is heavily influenced by Oktoberfest and other lively German traditions

Location: London

Great Performer: Master Blaster

Donauinselfest, which is German for “Danube Island Festival”, is the largest free air festival in Europe, offering visitors the opportunity to experience live performances of all genres of music at no charge

Donauinselfest prioritizes local talent to give them exposure, sometimes only supplementing with celebrity artists

A torrential flood for days at the 2009 Donauinselfest almost resulted in its cancellation due to flooding, but luckily the weather moved in time

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Subcategory Attendance: 2,500,000

Location: Rabat

First year held: 2001

First year held: 2001

First year held: 2001

First year held: 2001

First year held: 2001

First year held: 2001

Great Performer: Ennio Morricone

Mawazine is the largest music festival in the world by aggregate attendance

This Moroccan festival aims to promote one love, global and musical appreciation, as well as to promote Morocco to the world as an open, tolerant and inclusive culture

Attendance is also free, since even those with the lowest incomes can attend and celebrate the holidays

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