The World's 300 Best Festivals in 2017
Article by: Emily Ward|@_drawylimeMon March 13, 2017 | 10:00 AM
Each November, Fest300 staff removes 30 festivals from our list and asks the international festival community to vote on 30 new ones for the next year's list. When the legendary Kuti family heard that Felabration, the Nigerian festival that celebrates Fela Kuti's legacy and his trailblazing Afrobeat music, was nominated to join Fest300’s list of the world’s best festivals for 2017, they sprung into action. ( See the entire list of 2016 nominees here). Fela's family, including son Femi Kuti, rallied Felabration’s enthusiastic fans to vote daily. In the three years we've run this voting, Felabration's was one of the most impressive community turnouts we've ever seen. After weeks of campaigning, Felabration topped the list with more than 2,000 votes.
WE WON
— Femi Anikulapo -Kuti (@Femiakuti) December 1, 2016
CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE 😄👍🏽😝✅🎺👏🏽🎷🎹🎂😘♥️
Thank u very much for voting Felabration best festival 2016👊🏽
Out of 200 nominees, Felabration and 29 other festivals made the cut. Our congratulations to all 30 new festivals on the list! What do these new events say about our ever-changing festival culture?
What the 2017 List Says About Global Festival Trends
In Fall 2016, Fest300 staff evaluated the global festival scene, and nominated 150 events for our "Best Fest Quest" that we felt deserved the title of "World's Best." After a public nomination process, we ended up 200 nominees representing art, music, film, food, and cultural festivals around the world. More than 20,000 of you voted! Nineteen different countries are represented in the winners list, and 90% of those thirty festivals are music-related.
Two unique flavors of boutique gatherings continue to take the festival world by storm. On the North America side, we’ve seen an uptick in “conscious gatherings” - events more experiential than musical, centered around personal growth and emphasis on community. Enchanted Forest Gathering (USA, California), Gratitude: Migration (USA, New Jersey), Fozzyfest (Canada) and Genius Loci (Mexico) are prime examples. On the other hand, Europe’s winners are more focused on escapism, on fanciful experiences you're unlikely to encounter in daily life. These posh, boutique events include Meadows in the Mountains (Bulgaria), Pete the Monkey (France), Love International (Croatia), and Eastern Electrics (UK), and are geared towards electronic music lovers.
Another trend that jumped out was a love for festing in cool, exotic, cutting-edge locations. Romania's Electric Castle takes place on the grounds of a Transylvanian castle, Russian megafest Alfa Future People has one of the most insane stages in the world, the beaches of Croatia host Love International and Bulgarians flock to the Rhodopes Mountains for Meadows in the Mountains .
Overall, the events you voted for are driven by entertainment but equally focused on spreading ideas, encouraging environmental action, and building meaningful lives. By creating a certain atmosphere, festivals showcase their ability to be a step ahead of what festivalgoers want in their lives. People are festivaling with a purpose, and attending festivals that give them the tools to make sense of a changing culture.
2017 Winners: The Complete List
Congratulations to the 30 new festivals on our list! 2017 Winners of our Best Fest Quest are denoted with an asterisk below.
Africa and The Middle East
- Afrikaburn
- Cape Town International Jazz Festival
- Felabration*
- Fes Festival of World Sacred Music
- FESTIMA
- Gnaoua World Music Festival
- Lake of Stars
- Mawazine
- Nyege Nyege Festival*
- Oasis Festival
- Oppikoppi Festival
- Panafest
- Rocking the Daisies
- Splashy Fen Music Festival
- Timkat
- Wodaabe Gerewol & Cure Salee
Asia
- Alfa Future People*
- Ati-Atihan
- BaliSpirit Festival
- Big Mountain Music Festival
- Boryeong Mud Festival
- Chinese New Year
- Dinagyang
- Diwali
- Djakarta Warehouse Project*
- Esala Perahera
- Fuji Rock Festival
- Gion Matsuri
- Guru Nanak Jayanti
- Hadaka Matsuri
- Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival
- Holi
- Jaisalmer Desert Festival
- Java Jazz Festival*
- Kanamara Matsuri
- Kumbh Mela Festival
- Lopburi Monkey Banquet
- Losar
- Maha Shivaratri
- Molten Iron Throwing
- Nadaam
- Navratri
- Obon
- Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
- Pushkar Camel Fair
- Quest Festival*
- Rainforest World Music Festival
- Sapporo Snow Festival
- Songkran
- Sunburn Festival
- Tet Nguyen Dan
- Thaipusam
- Thrissur Pooram Elephant Festival
- Vegetarian Festival
- Wakakusa Yamayaki
- Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival)
Australia and Oceania
- Byron Bay Bluesfest
- Camel Cup
- Chi Wow Wah Town*
- Earth Frequency Festival*
- Galungan
- Heiva I Tahiti
- Mount Hagen Cultural Show
- Naghol Land Diving
- Queenstown Winter Festival
- Rainbow Serpent Festival
- Splendour in the Grass
- Splore
- Strawberry Fields
- Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras
- World Buskers Festival
- Yemaya Festival*
Caribbean and Central America
- Cannabis Cup
- Crop Over
- Envision Festival
- Junkanoo Parade
- Reggae Sumfest
- Semana Santa
- St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival
- Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
Europe
- AgitÁgueda*
- Amsterdam Dance Event
- Awakenings Festival
- Balaton Sound*
- Battle of the Oranges
- Beltane Fire Festival
- Bestival
- Boom Festival
- BoomTown Fair
- Brussels Light Festival
- Burning the Clocks
- Carnevale di Venezia
- Colours of Ostrava
- Concurs de Castells
- Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling
- Creamfields
- Donauinselfest
- Download Festival
- Eastern Electrics*
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe
- El Colacho
- Electric Castle*
- Electric Picnic
- EXIT Festival
- Festa de São João
- Festival Number 6
- Festival of Giants
- Festival of Near-Death Experiences
- Fiesta de San Fermín
- Fusion Festival
- Galway Oyster Festival
- Glastonbury
- Haro Wine Festival
- Hay Festival
- Henley Royal Regatta
- Hogmanay Celebration
- Ibiza Closing Parties
- Iceland Airwaves
- Il Palio
- Kazantip
- King's Day (Koningsdag)
- Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival
- Krampusnacht Festival
- Las Fallas
- Latitude Festival
- La Tomatina
- Les Festes de la Merce
- Let it Roll*
- Lewes Bonfire
- London Design Festival
- Love International*
- Manchester International Festival
- Meadows in the Mountains*
- Melt!
- Mevlana Whirling Dervishes
- Montreux Jazz Festival
- Mysteryland
- Noisily Festival
- Notting Hill Carnival
- Nowhere
- Oerol
- Oktoberfest
- Open'er Festival
- Outlook Festival
- Oyafestivalen
- Paléo
- Paratissima*
- Paris Techno Parade
- Pete the Monkey*
- Pflasterspektakel
- Pinkpop Festival
- Positivus
- Primavera Sound
- Provinssirock
- Pukkelpop
- Regata Storica
- Rock am Ring
- Rock Werchter
- Roskilde Festival
- Rouketopolemos
- Salzburg Festival
- Scottish Highland Games
- Secret Garden Party
- Secret Solstice
- Shambala Festival
- Snowbombing
- Sonar Festival
- Stars of the White Nights
- Stonehenge Summer Solstice
- St. Patrick's Day
- Street Parade Zurich
- Sweden Rock Festival*
- Sziget
- Tomorrowland
- Up Helly Aa
- Venice Biennale
- Viareggio Carnevale
- Wacken Open Air Festival
- Walpurgisnacht
- Way Out West
- Westman Islands Festival
- Wife Carrying World Championship
- Wilderness Festival
- WOMAD
- Woodstock Festival Poland*
- World Bodypainting Festival
- World Bog Snorkeling Championships
North America
- AFROPUNK Festival
- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
- ARISE Music Festival
- Art Basel Miami
- Astral Harvest
- Austin City Limits Festival
- Bass Coast
- Beale Street Music Festival
- Beloved Festival
- Bonnaroo
- Bottlerock Napa Valley
- Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
- BUKU Music + Art Project
- Burning Man
- Calgary Stampede
- California Roots Music and Art Festival
- Calle Ocho
- Camp Bisco
- Cheyenne Frontier Days
- Chicago Blues Festival
- Coachella
- Comic-Con International
- CRSSD Festival
- Dancefestopia*
- Desert Hearts
- Día de los Muertos
- Dirtybird Campout
- Electric Daisy Carnival
- Electric Forest Festival
- Electric Zoo
- Enchanted Forest Gathering*
- Euphoria Music Festival*
- Festival d'été de Québec
- Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
- Festival Western de St-Tite*
- Firefly Music Festival
- Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
- Fozzyfest*
- Frozen Dead Guy Days
- Further Future
- Gem & Jam Festival
- Genius Loci*
- Gratitude: Migration*
- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
- High Sierra Music Festival
- Holy Ship!
- Imagine Music Festival
- International Folk Art Market
- Jam Cruise
- Joshua Tree Music Festival
- Just For Laughs Comedy Festival
- Life Is Beautiful
- Lightning in a Bottle
- Lollapalooza
- Lockn'
- Lucidity
- Luminato Festival
- Mardi Gras
- Monterey Jazz Festival
- Moogfest
- Motion Notion
- Movement Electronic Music
- National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
- National Pyrotechnic Festival
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
- Newport Folk Festival
- New York City Wine & Food Festival
- Northern Nights
- Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival*
- Outside Lands
- Oregon Country Fair
- Osheaga
- Paradiso Festival
- Pemberton Music Festival
- Pitchfork Music Festival
- Punk Rock Bowling*
- Quebec Winter Carnival
- Riot Fest*
- San Francisco Pride
- Sasquatch!
- Shambhala Music Festival
- SnowGlobe Music Festival
- Sonic Bloom
- Stagecoach
- Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
- Summerfest
- Summer Camp Music Festival
- SunFest
- Sundance Film Festival
- Suwannee Hulaween
- SXSW
- Symbiosis Gathering
- Taste of Chicago
- Telluride Film Festival
- Texas Renaissance Festival
- The BPM Festival
- The Governors Ball Music Festival
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Tortuga Music Festival
- Treasure Island Music Festival
- Ultra Music Festival
- Voodoo Experience
- Vive Latino
- Wanderlust
- What The Festival