If your love of travel is rivalled only by your passion for rocking out, plan a visit to one of the many open-air music festivals happening around the globe this summer. Here are 10 of the most hot and happening international festivals:
SeeMe: SeeMe (South-East European Music Event), to be held June 5-7 in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia, brings together big names in the electronic and dance music scene. Like the Miami Winter Music Conference, this festival has industry events, an exhibition and three nights of parties in some of Sofia’s top clubs; www.seeme-sofia.com.
bonnaroo: Named best festival by Rolling Stone Magazine, Bonnaroo is a four-day, multi-stage camping festival hosted on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. The party gets under way June 12, rain or shine, with dozens of acts such as Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Death Cab For Cutie, Tiesto, BB King and Broken Social Scene; www.bonnaroo.com.
summer fest: How about a visit to the world’s largest music festival? Summer Fest takes place in Milwaukee June 26 to July 6, with performances by Stevie Wonder, Blondie, Galactic, Alicia Keys, Pat Benatar, Thievery Corporation, Stone Temple Pilots, The Roots and Goldfinger.
schlagermove: Schlagermove festival in Hamburg, Germany, set for July 4-5, attracts some 300,000 participants every year. Picture young and old alike dressed in crazy costumes, singing quirky German songs and drinking copious amounts of booze. During the day, a truck parade includes floats decorated in hippied-out kitsch and everyone parties like it’s 1979. Follow the crowd to a series of tents where patrons rock out to retro Schlager classics. Hamburg is all afros and sequins. www.schlagermove.de.
fuji rock festival: Set in the mountains of northern Japan, Fuji Rock Festival, held July 25-27, hosts both up-and-coming local bands and and high-profile headliners like Underworld and Paul Van Dyk; www.smash-uk.com/frf08.
glastonbury festival: The U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggies, claiming to be the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. From June 27-29, there’ll be performances by Leonard Cohen, Jay-Z, Manu Chao, The Verve, John Mayer, Ben Folds, Massive Attack, Groove Armada, Mark Ronson, Xavier Rudd and many more; www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk.
tuska open air metal festival: If metal — heavy, death or both — is your thing, you’ll love the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival. Taking place in Helsinki, Finland from June 27-29, the event will feature 32 bands on three stages; www.tuska-festival.fi/index _eng.html.
distant heat: Distant Heat is an all-night rave in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert. Held from July 31 to Aug. 1. It features the best of international electronic and dance music in one of the world’s most magical and remote locations; www.distantheat.com.
reading festival: Now in its 20th year, the Reading Festival puts on a wicked show of ska, hardcore, punk and rock. From Aug. 22-24, the 150-act lineup will include The Killers, Rage Against The Machine, Tenacious D and Alexisonfire; www.reading festival.com.
pukkelpop: Belgium’s Pukkelpop, Aug. 14-16, draws crowds of more than 100,000 people and headliners like The Flaming Lips, Metallica and Miss Kitten & The Hacker; pukkelpop.be/pp/en.
Freelance writer Julia Dimon is editor of The Travel Junkie and host of Word Travels, a new reality TV-series to be broadcast on OLN in 2008. Contact her at www.thetraveljunkie.ca.
