From Jazz to EDM: Five Spectacular Music Festivals Worth Travelling For
- LB
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
The festival season does not have to be confined to muddy fields and beer tents. The most memorable gatherings take you far from the usual circuits, into places where the setting, history, and local flavour are as important as the line-up.
These unique international music festivals double as cultural pilgrimages: you’ll find yourself strolling a lakeside promenade in Switzerland between jazz sets, eating crawfish in New Orleans after a gospel choir, or boarding a “party train” to a week-long island takeover in Budapest.
From world-famous cultural celebrations with decades of history to unusual music festivals in Japan and Belgiumthat blend spectacle with meticulous production, this is a tour through events that are both sonic and sensory experiences.
Whether your taste leans toward jazz, global folk traditions, alternative rock, or electronic dance music, each of these festivals offers more than just a programme - they deliver an atmosphere, a sense of place, and stories you’ll retell long after you’ve unpacked your bag.
Five of the Best Music Festivals in Europe, Asia, and North America
Montreux Jazz Festival - Switzerland
Photo: Montreux Jazz Festival
Perched on the serene shores of Lake Geneva, the Montreux Jazz Festival has been charming audiences since 1967. What began in the Montreux Casino as a purist’s celebration of jazz has, over the decades, widened its remit – welcoming rock, pop, and, today, an enviable spread of world music.
The two-week July event pairs big-name acts with an Alpine backdrop that could make even the most jaded tour manager stop and stare.
Wandering the lakeside promenade between sets, past wine bars and artisan stalls, feels as much a part of the experience as the concerts themselves. Think of it as a cultured holiday with an exceptional soundtrack.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - USA
Photo: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Locals call it Jazz Fest, but the title undersells it. This late-April institution isn’t just about music - though its 13 stages cover jazz, gospel, blues, zydeco, funk, African beats, and more - it’s a full-bodied celebration of Louisiana’s cultural DNA.
Between performances, the scent of gumbo and crawfish étouffée fills the air, while stalls brim with local crafts. The event is run by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which reinvests proceeds into education, cultural programming, and community events.
In short: it’s a party with purpose, set in the city where jazz was born.
Sziget - Budapest, Hungary
Photo: Sziget Festival
For one week each August, Old Buda Island in the Danube is transformed into a temporary city of music, art, and late-night revelry. Sziget is one of Europe’s biggest cultural gatherings, with a bill that hops from rock to techno, via world music, hip-hop, and the occasional circus act.
Its “Party Train” ferries festival-goers from across the continent straight onto the island, where the backdrop of Budapest’s skyline and the languid summer air complete the picture.
It’s as much about the community it creates as the music it hosts - a miniature, self-sufficient society that disbands with a sigh after seven days.
Fuji Rock Festival - Japan
Photo: Nozawa Holidays
Despite the name, you won’t see Mount Fuji from here - the festival has long since relocated to Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata. But you will find a meticulously curated line-up of around 200 acts, split between international headliners and up-and-coming Japanese talent.
Stages are tucked into forest clearings and beside mountain streams, creating the rare sensation that nature is part of the show.
It’s civilised without losing its sense of adventure - wellies are swapped for hiking boots, and between sets you might find yourself wandering a wooded trail rather than a beer queue.
Tomorrowland - Antwerp, Belgium
Photo: Daniels Joffe
A fairy-tale EDM kingdom in the heart of Flanders, Tomorrowland has been redefining what a dance festival can be since 2005. For two weekends in July, it offers theatrical stage designs, pyrotechnics worthy of a film set, and a crowd dressed like they’ve raided a costume department.
There’s an in-house currency (“pearls”), a sprawling campsite-turned-village called DreamVille, and an air of unselfconscious excess.
For electronic music devotees, it’s the genre’s high temple; for everyone else, it’s a fascinating anthropological study - albeit one with an excellent beat.
Why Unique Festivals Are Worth the Journey
Travelling for music festivals isn’t simply about the headliners. It’s about discovering off-the-beaten-path cultural events, sampling regional cuisine that rarely leaves its homeland, and immersing yourself in traditions that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
From bucket-list music festivals in Europe to niche cultural celebrations in Asia, these experiences shape travel memories that last far longer than the final encore.
If you’re planning your next trip, consider swapping the usual city break for a destination festival adventure. You’ll come home with more than souvenirs - you’ll carry stories that, like the best songs, you’ll want to replay again and again.
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