There are many outstanding music festivals to be found around the world, and what is essential to experience can depend heavily on personal taste, location and funding, but some festivals have become so famous for the incredible experience they have given travellers and have become staples of the festival scene, with festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella achieving a near mythical status as a festival everyone should try going to at least once in their life.

An essential music festival should give you a once in a lifetime experience that is special and incredibly specific to what that festival offers, such as cultural music, stunning locations and incredible service. The following are 5 essential music festivals from around the world that you don’t want to miss. 

Glastonbury

Glastonbury Music Festival is an essential music festival because it is one of the most iconic and well known music festivals in the world. Glastonbury festival is held for five days in summer, during late June, near the civil Parish of Pilton, Somerset. 

Glastonbury music festival needs no introduction, and without exception the festival is guaranteed to have an incredible, ever-changing line-up of incredible stars and musical legends. Glastonbury is almost a right of passage for any true music lover, and festival goer will experience a world like no other for five days, from rough and unpredictable weather, to hundreds of places to visit and sites to see, to mainstays of the local culture to enjoy, like food and famous cider. 

Please note that parts of the Glasonbury music festival may not be suitable for younger festival goers. 

Australian International Music Festival 

The Australian International Music Festival is a festival that is essential to a young musician’s experience and education. The festival is held at the Sydney Opera House in New South Wales, Australia, during a 7-day period that lasts from June to July. 

The Australian International Music Festival is an event that gives young musicians from all around the globe a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform at the Sydney Opera House with over 1000 other participants in Jazz bands, wind bands, orchestras and choirs. The festival also puts young musicians in touch with world-class musicians in workshop classes and allows them to meet new and diverse people with rehearsal exchanges and a festival afterparty to make time for new and old friendships. 

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Coachella

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, more commonly known simply as Coachella, is a mainstay of American culture and has formed a popular zeitgeist all of its own since it officially started in 1999, making it a must-see and essential festival. Coachella is held at the Empire Polo Club in Coachella Valley, Riverside Country of Southern California, for two weekend periods during April. 

Coachella is famous for outstanding and breathtaking performances from some of the most popular and famous musicians of every year. Coachella is an interesting and absolute way to step away from daily life for a weekend and enjoy and participate in Bohemian fashion, interactive and interesting art, and a unique culture that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. 

Please note that parts of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival may not be suitable for younger festival goers. 

The Midwest Clinic

The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, also known more simply as the Midwest Clinic, is the world’s largest instrumental music education and is an essential music festival for both learning musicians and their teachers. The Midwest Clinic is held in Downtown Chicago, in the United States, during the mid-December period. 

The Midwest Clinic is an event that is solely dedicated towards musical education, and is made for both young artists and their teachers. Young musicians will be given the chance to perform and learn from some of the best in the industry, not only in music, but in the act of teaching itself, while musical teachers can attend lectures, workshops and demonstrations on how to teach their craft in newer, more interesting and effective ways. 

Summa Cum Laude Festival

The Summa Cum Laude Festival, also known as the SCL Festival, is a youth music festival of classical bands, dancers, choirs, and orchestral performance. The festival also includes competitions for each of these categories, with the winners performing at the winners gala event. Summa Cum Laude Festival is held in Vienna, Austria, from the start of July onwards, typically for a period of five days. 

Summa Cum Laude is an essential music festival because it offers young and upcoming musicians a chance to celebrate music in such classic venues as the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as participate in competition and workshops to truly develop their musical skills in a way that few other festivals offer.