We told you the best parties to go to. We gave you a list of some of the biggest and best festivals on the planet to travel across the globe for. Now here's a selection of 22 off-the-path, boutique festivals to get stuck into.Start booking, get packing!
#22 ELE [Johannesburg, South Africa]
Their vision is to grow ELE by building a community who, by offering their unique skills and a little time, can help nurture a peaceful world for all of us to live in together. That’s the kind of love you feel at an ELE event. From their ‘Dreaming of the Beat’ to ‘Beats in the Bush’ the ELE team have created a fantastic, forward-thinking platform for all to enjoy…but with a cause. [Cliff Viljoen]
#21 Mozamboogy [Ponta Malongane, South Africa]
Temporarily escape from the hibernation of winter at Mozamboogy, which is held at the exotic beach front resort of Malongane, only a 7 hour drive from Johannesburg, with easy access over the quiet border post of Kosi Bay. From the Creators of ONE Festival and Tswaing Crater Gathering, this is another transcending treat. [Cliff Viljoen]
#20 Let Them Eat Cake [Werribee Mansion, Melbourne, Australia]
In the secluded gardens of Werribee Park thousands of revellers shrug off their New Years Eve hang over, or keep partying, for Let Them Eat Cake. The boutique New Years Day festival boasts surprises in every corner, from kitsch stages, to avant-garde artwork and cutting-edge visuals. The festival is free of buffed-up men and bikini clad women, full of electronic music lovers dancing in the new year to a diverse range of DJs. In the past two years it's lured away the likes of DJ Koze, James Holden, Soul Clap, Julio Bashmore, Kerri Chandlier, Flying Lotus, Theo Parish and Dusky from a cold northern hemisphere new year's to party at a mansion to bask in the glory of the Australian summer. Bring on 2015. [Lauren Murada]
#19 Meadows In The Mountains [Rhodopian Mountains, Bulgaria]
Meadows in the Mountains could be everything you’ve searched for. More than just a festival, this surreal gem is perched high atop the Rhodopian Mountains of Bulgaria. A place where intense sunsets settle over fog filled valleys. Reality looks like a dream and dreams are transformed into real life for three days.
The unspoiled beauty of the location mirrors the festival’s ethos. A small capacity ensures zero crowds and lines. Genuine collaboration with the community is also a key feature. MITM offer home stays, locally sourced food, excursions to the Greek coast, even horse and cart rides. Haute underground acts are also carefully selected house and techno names. This year think Maayan Nidam, Moomin, Hrdvision, San Proper, Jazzanova plus a healthy cohort of underground acts that you can see before everyone else. Bicep’s Matthew McBriar sums it up perfectly, “Meadows in the Mountains is what every festival wants to be." [Sonia Miles-Khan]
#18 Meredith Music Festival [Victoria, Australia]
Meredith is not as much a festival as it is a convergence of a musically minded family coming together each year. Now in its 24th year, ‘Aunty’ Meredith consistently pulls together some of the most diverse line-ups the Australian festival market has to offer, not to mention a proudly self-proclaimed ‘No Dickhead Policy’. What more could you want? [Marissa Demetriou]
#17 Strawberry Fields [The Wildlands, Victoria, Australia]
Over the past five years, Strawberry Fields has firmly cemented itself on the international circuit. Affectionately known as “Strawberry,” the festival appeared on numerous must see festival lists in 2013, including our Top Ten Australian Festivals and Resident Advisor’s coveted #2 position for November-December. Musically, Strawberry combines all things luscious and electronic, with a focus on borderless sounds. Highlights of past years include Pantha Du Prince, Tornado Wallace, Kyson, Minologue, Phil Keiran, James Holden, KiNK, Moodymann, Tiga and Carl Craig.
The 2014 event is shrouded in mystery and no details have been released bar a save the date. You’re safe to expect names of the above calibre performing in an expanse of divine Australian wilderness. Not to mention a laissez faire environment where beach styled renegade stages and kangaroos jumping through the mayhem are not at all uncommon (not a joke – this has happened nearly every year!) Prepare your glitter and stomping boots for frolicking in the fields. [Sonia Miles-Khan]
#16 Desert Hearts [Apple Valley, USA]
Entering its third year, Desert Hearts takes place from April 25-28 in Apple Valley, CA. The festival was founded by an eclectic crew of DJs and House lovers, all of which spent years attending desert festivals before deciding to start one of their own. Desert Hearts aims to promote community-oriented house and techno gatherings. Tim Green, DJ T, Matthew Dekay, Droog, Christian Martin and Atish are headlining this year. The festival is also host to a number of artists, art installations and performers, and yoga instructors. Attendees camp out and there are a number of themed camps. Desert Hearts promotes sustainability and leaving as little a footprint as possible. Check out the website for full details and lineu. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#15 Sunwaves [Mamaia, Romania]
Located on the Black Sea in Mamaia, Romania, Sunwaves festival showcases 4 nights of some of the most prolific forward thinking names in techno. Last year the lineup hosted names such Richie Hawtin, Villalobos amongst others, this years bar has been raised well and truly, bringing Marco Carola, Tale Of Us, Seth Troxler and Nastia to the charming Romanian coastline. With return flights costing less than a train to London, and tickets not much more, this idyllic little get away is most definitely not something to be shrugged at. The weather isn't too bad either; so don't forget your sun cream. [Becca Kennedy]
#14 Lightning In A Bottle [Bradley, USA]
Presented by The Do LaB, Lighting in a Bottle is a transformational festival that takes place over from May 22-26 in Bradley, CA. LIB wants your festival experience to be spiritual, enlightening and generally fantastic overall. Along with musical stages, there are plenty of interactive and immersive environments, such as the Temple of Consciousness, along with workshops, yoga classes, art installations, guest speakers and a silent auction to raise money for public art programs. The festival, which supports sustainability, provides free water to all attendees, the only requirement being they bring their own water bottle or purchase one at the event. Social cohesion, personal health and creative expression are among other things the festival seeks to promote. Many attendees camp on-site. Fittingly, Moby is headlining along with Simian Mobile Disco, Damien Lazarus, Lee Burridge, Blond:ish, DJ Tennis, Maxxi Soundsystem, Claude Von Stroke and more. Check out the details and full lineup here. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#13 Rocking The Daisies [Darling, South Africa]
Brought to you by Seed Experiences, Rocking The Daisies pulls together walks-of-life from across the board. With the main stage and Red Bull stage both focusing on the local talents of South Africa's finest live acts including high calibre international acts as headliners, to the Mainstay Beach Bar that plays home to the finest local DJ’s on the circuit, you get it all at Rocking The Daisies. And it works! [Cliff Viljoen]
#12 Camp Bisco [Pattersonville, USA]
Camping, jam bands and good vibes are just a few of the things that come to mind when thinking about the three-day festival in Pattersonville, NY. Located just outside Albany, the festival takes place over a weekend in July at the Indian Lookout Country Club. Passion Pit, STS9, Animal Collective, Umphrey’s McGee, Flux Pavilion, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Boys Noize, Zeds Dead and Madeon are among the number of bands and artists that performed last summer. There are enough rides, art installations, food stands and plenty of surprises to go around for weeks. Peep Camp Bisco’s website for photos, videos and details on the next Bisco, which is set to take place next summer. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#11 Soundwave [Tisno, Croatia]
Croatia may have more than its fair share of beautiful festivals, but Soundwave comes about as close as we can imagine to perfectly pairing sound and sight. Their eclectic combination of cutting edge electronica DJs, unbeatable live bands and music that joins the dots between jazz, reggae, house and hip hop, mixed with picturesque beaches and boats of Croatia’s Tisno, is like something out of a dream. This year, artists like Fat Freddy's Drop, Madlib, Gold Panda, Mr. Scruff, and Shigeto will be providing the soundtrack to your experience as waves crash, people laugh, and reality floats away. And don't forget its renowned disco ball, which hangs above the sea front’s live stage and glimmers in the moonlight, reminding you that this disco on the beach is really and truly happening. [Chandler Shortlidge]
#10 The Garden Festival [Tisno, Croatia]
If you’re in the market for an intimate beach side retreat soundtracked by the freshest underground cuts, then look no further than long-standing boutique festival, The Garden Festival. The founding electronic music event to grace Croatia’s sun-soaked shores, the team behind The Garden Festival have been at it for close to a decade, hosting the week long party in an idyllic man-made bay in the costal town of Tisno. Boasting an eye-watering 2014 line up of live performances and DJ sets, featuring the likes of KINK, François K, Soul Clap and more, The Garden Festival is all about lazy days by the bay, boat parties at dusk and dancing all night long under a blanket of stars. Think this sounds like paradise? You’d be right. [Charlotte Lucy Cijffers] [Photo credit Khris Cowley]
#9 Electric Forest [Rothbury, USA]
From June 26-29, the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, MI will be home to thousands of people flocking to attend Electric Forest. The four-day, multi-genre event focuses on electronic and jam band genres and is open to all ages. The String Cheese Incident, Steve Angello, STS9, Zedd, Cut Copy, Flying Lotus, Moby, Booka Shade and Art Department are among the many major talents headlining 2014’s event. Electric Forest is what its name suggests; an interactive, visually stimulating environment filled with rides, art instillations and a large camping facility, known as The Good Life Village. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#8 Gottwood [Holyhead, Wales]
With many vying for status on the ‘boutique’ battlefield, Gottwood’s uniqueness stands against the beach-located festivals of mainland Europe. The North Wales early summer weekender is delightfully perched in Anglesea woodland, with stages intertwined in the trees, complete with wooden sculptures in a quirkily British setting. The music spans from homegrown stalwarts Craig Richards and Crazy P Soundsystem to Euro faves Prosumer and Tale Of Us, but it’s the embracing of club and label collectives in its idyllic setting amongst nature that makes the place a magical experience and an essential stop on the summer circuit. [Guy Hornsby]
#7 The Secret Garden Party [Abbots Ripton, England]
Known as the quintessential boutique festival, The Secret Garden Party leaves no stone unturned in providing a sensational experience. Take the Yacht Club for example – a cocktail bar closer to a Balearic chill-out sailing club rather than its true Huntingdon surroundings. Or the infamous Pagoda stage, playing host to the world's greatest DJs in the open-air on an intimate and breathtaking riverside platform. Or the giant bespoke structure built each year in the middle of the on-site lake – a fully functioning stage with sound-system accessible by boat only – which on the last night is lit ablaze whilst the sky is filled with a dramatic and ecstatic firework display. Or the stage made of hay bales, or the trapeze artists and petting zoo, or the chance happening upon cupid floating past. Each year there is a theme – last year Superstition, this year Wizard of Oz. There is no place like it on earth. [Sophie G James] [Photo credit: Luke Taylor]
#6 Decibel [Seattle, USA]
The Decibel International Festival of electronic music performance, visual art and new media is approaching its eleventh year this September. The annual music and digital arts festival takes place in Seattle from the 24th-28th, and has hosted more than 750 acts ranging from underground dance and experimental electronic music to transmedial art. Similar to festivals like The BPM Festival, there is no single event space. Instead, there are a variety of venues that are host to a number of parties throughout the 5-day period. Check out Tiga, Green Velvet, Duke Dumont, MK, Tensnake, Pantha Du, Bonobo, Breach, Justin Martin, Danny Daze, Tycho and Dusky at venues like The Neptune, Q Nightclub, Neumos and Re-Bar. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#5 Horizon [Bansko, Bulgaria]
2013 saw the arrival of a new major player on the snow festival scene with Horizon, and in 2014, the Bulgarian bash brought some of the biggest names in underground – Detroit Swindle, Âme, Kerri Chandler, Roy Davis Jr. and Kerri Chandler, just to name a few. Not settling for just another big lineup, Horizon’s true speciality is price – 6 days and nights of cutting edge electronic, 6 nights of accommodation with pool or spa use, and a 5-day ski pass with access to the whole mountain for just a few hundred quid – it simply can’t be beat. Bridging the gap between high-end ski festivals and a classic British festival, Horizon Festival guarantees 75kms of slopes at heights of 2,600m – no mud, no queues, affordable prices, and an incredible atmosphere. Sound too good to be true? Come March 2015, get yourself to Bansko Ski Resort and find out for yourself. [Chandler Shortlidge]
#4 Moogfest [Asheville, USA]
Each April for two to five days, the city of Asheville, NC plays host to Moogfest. The festival is named after Dr. Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer. He spent the last thirty years of his life in Asheville and it is said that Moogfest is put on to honor his creativity and inventiveness. The festival is taking place from the 23rd-27th and features a variety of day and evening activities for attendees to choose from (or all). Days are filled with “mind-expanding conversation, experimentation and collaboration for creative and technology professionals” across seven venues in downtown Asheville. The conference is host to leaders and pioneers of music, technology, science, art, culture, design and metaphysics. Evenings are reserved for musical performances by Kraftwerk 3D, Pet Shop Boys, M.I.A., Nile Rogers, Animal Collective’s Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, Dillon Frances and more than 70 more artists. [Sonali Sen Sharma]
#3 Unknown [Rovinj, Croatia]
You'd be forgiven for thinking Croatia had reached saturation point with its countless festival offerings. Fortunately for everyone, last summer, a game changer came along. Located in the Disney-like town of Rovinj, Unknown Festival burst on to the scene with colourful production and a tantalising array of international DJs and bands, combining stunning lighting, sound and bunting, so much beautiful bunting.
With the Forest stage and a poolside used day and night by a host of revered labels and brands, Unknown takes its beautiful natural surroundings and charms them into an impressive and vibrant display, perfect for the consumption of both acoustic and electronic music. Highlights of its debut last year include the 20 Years of Kompakt boat party and the Innervisions takeover of the mystical Forest – an absolute delight of an Adriatic offering stretching the possibilities of boutique festival delivery. [Sophie G James]
#2 Festival No.6 [Portmerion, Wales]
This North Wales festival describes itself as “as festival unlike any other, in a place like no other.” That may sound oversimplified, but where so many other festivals get it wrong by thinking that bigger is better, over the past few years Festival No 6 has become one of the most celebrated boutique festivals in the UK by nailing those two most important factors; stunning location and an exciting and eclectic lineup. This year’s bill looks set to be no different, boasting seasoned favourites like James Holden, Bonobo and Neneh Cherry alongside exciting newcomers a la John Wizards and Julio Bashmore. [Henry Johnstone]
#1 Hideout [Pag, Croatia]
Hideout’s only in its fourth year, but it’s already made an indelible mark on the Adriatic. Tucked away on the island of Pag, its UK-focused line-ups are unafraid to mix veteran DJs with chart-topping acts and underground hotshots, all in the name of a weeklong sun-drenched beachside tear-up. In 2014, they welcomed Sasha and Loco Dice alongside Disclosure and Rudimental, sprinkling in a dollop of boat and pool parties into the mix outside its main three days – another addition to the crammed Croatia calendar, but an essential one. [Guy Hornsby]