TOP TEN MUSIC FESTIVALS OF ALL TIME
WOOD STOCK:
The
mother of all modern-say music festivals, Woodstock was a moment in music
history that has gripped the world ever since. Thirty-two acts, including such
greats as JIMI HENDRIX, JANIS JOPLLIN, the GRATEFUL DEAD,the WHO & CROSBY,
STILLS, NASH & YOUNG, performed over four days in August 1969 to a crowd of
over half a million people on a dairy farm in rural Bethel, New York. The
festival was one of the biggest rock events of all time and encapsulated the
anti-war sentiments and flower-power culture of the era. Originally conceived
by four young men as a business venture, it was eventually opened up to the
public as a free concert when organizers feared they could not control the
far-bigger crowds than excepted. Remarkable given the massive numbers of
revelers, Woodstock has become an icon of the 1960’s hippie counterculture of
peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll.
TOP
TEN MUSIC FESTIVALS:
1.
GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL:
PILTON, SOMERSET, ENGLAND
Festival
organizer Michael Eavis began hosting a music festival on his dairy farm in the
early 1970’s, when entry cost 1 pound. The festival featured special areas such
as the Dance Village, the Green Fields, the Theatre and Circus fields, and
Strummerville, alongside the main music stages, The next Glastonbury festival
will take place in the summer of 2013, with 2012 being declared a ‘fallow’
year.
2.
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL:
ROSKILDE, DENMARK
This
four-day Danish festival has existed since 1971 and is one of the biggest in
Europe. The Rockside Foundation runs the annual event as a non-profit
organization for the development and support of music, culture and humanism.
The once mainly Scandinavian crowd is now more international, with a 2011
festival attendee average age of 22.8 years.
3.
ROCK AL PARQUE:
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
The only
South American festival to make the Top 10, this free three-day festival has
been taking place since 1995. Originally devoted to rock and metal music, Rock
al Parque has gradually diversified to represent other genres, including ska,
punk and reggae, with an average of 50 national and international bands
performing each year.
4.
READING AND LEEDS FESTIVAL:
READING, UK: LEEDS, UK
Advertised
as Europe’s biggest and best dual-site event, this pair of annual music
festival take place at different ends of England and shares the same bill over
the same weekend in August. The Reading Festival is the worlds oldest popular
music festival still in existence, and the original venue.
5.
T IN THE PARK:
BALADO, KINROSS-SHIRE, SCOTLAND
The
three-day T in the Park music festival is Scotland’s most successful outdoor
music event. At 18 years old in 2011, the festival featured over 200 artists
performing across 11 stages – more than four times its original size.
6.
ROCK WERCHTER:
WERCHTER, BELGIUM
Belgium’s
largest festival, and one of the biggest rock festivals in Europe, began in
1974 as a one-day event. Since 2003, the festival has spanned four days.
Featured artists in 2011 included Linkin Park, Coldplay, Kings of Leon,
Portishead, A-Trak and Iron Maiden.
7.
OXEGEN:
PUCHESTOWN, CO. KILDARE, IRELAND
First
held in 2004, Oxegen is widely regarded as Ireland’s top music festival.
Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay were among the headliners of
the 2011 three-day event, which also featured ‘The Headphone Disco’ and a
campsite cinema.
8.
SUMMERFEST:
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA
Located
in the heart of the American Midwest, Summerfest is also known as ‘The Big Gig’
and is held along Milwaukee’s lake front. Lasting up to 11 days, this eclectic
festival is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands.
9.
COACHELLA:
INDIO, CALIFORNIA,USA
First
held in 1999, in the grounds of a polo club and headlined by such acts as Beck,
Morrissey, Tool and Rage Against the Machine, the event will expand to two
weekends in its 13th year, with the same line-ups for both weekends.
10.
SZIGET FESTIVAL:
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
With
more than 1,000 performances from a range of different genres, the nearly
week-long Sziget Festival has been described as the ‘Burning Man’ Festival
(Nevada, USA) of Europe, and enjoys a reputation as an arts and music festival.
Held every August on an island of the Danube River in the middle of Budapest,
the festival is popular with west Europeans.
PINKPOP FESTIVAL:
LANDGRAAF, NETHERLANDS
One of
the world’s oldest music festivals, and Netherland’s best know festival,
Pinkpop has been rocking since 1970. Over the three days, approximately 40
artists perform across three stages.
