It’s the epic drop you’ve been waiting for: music festival season is here. Dance music festivals continue to blow up in popularity (last year, we reviewed these 15 dance fests), and this year there are more events than ever for fans to get their fix with incredible dance music lineups going off throughout the year all across North America. From festivals aboard tropical cruises (Holy Ship) to snow-covered winter extravaganzas (SnowGlobe), the amazing array of fests with killer dance acts has us feeling like a bunch of kids in a candy store. To help you find your fun, here are our top picks for the best dance music festivals out there in 2016 (in no particular order).
Electric Daisy Carnival — New York, Las Vegas, & Orlando
1. EDC New York, May 14-15
The city that never sleeps will live up to its nickname this spring with an epic lineup that includes Alison Wonderland, Aly & Fila, Dada Life, Dash Berlin, Eric Prydz, Excision, Dillon Francis, Zedd, The Magician, Kaskade, and more. Insomniac’s EDC started as a small SoCal rave and has since spread throughout the world under the leadership of founder Pasquale Rotella, who has helped bring the festival to international party hotspots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.K. With its state-of-the-art sound, awe-inspiring stage designs, and killer lineup featuring the best in house, electro, drum & bass, dubstep, and more, EDC has become a destination festival for dance fans around the world.
2. EDC Las Vegas, June 17-19
Arguably the largest EDM festival in North America, EDC Vegas has become a favorite of fans looking to go BIG. Although this year’s lineup hasn’t been announced yet, a quick look at EDC New York’s lineup (above) should give you an idea of the world-class talent you can expect. In addition to all the euphoric dance action, fans can also hit the strip for all the fun Sin City has to offer.
3. EDC Orlando, date TBD
Although the dates and lineup for this year’s EDC Orlando haven’t been announced yet, fans can count on another epic experience in The Sunshine State this winter.
4. HARD Summer & HARD Day of the Dead — Summer, Southern California
In its ninth year, HARD SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL can no longer be classified as just a ‘dance music’ or ‘edm’ festival. Committed to elevating and expanding the electronic music space, founder Gary Richards’ diverse taste and knowledge in music manifests itself in the festival’s line-ups that consist of performances by both emerging and world-renowned performers in the electronic, hip-hop and alternative music genres. As a result HARD Summer has grown into a future music festival driving the taste of youth culture around the globe. HARD Summer 2016 will take place in Southern California on Saturday July 30 & Sunday July 31.
HARD Day of the Dead is expected to follow in the fall, fans are eagerly awaiting lineup announcements for the hotly anticipated festivals. Last year HARD featured great acts like The WEEKND, The Chemical Brothers, Odesza, Jack Ü, RL Grime, Ratatat, and more—and this year we’re sure they’ll up the bar even further.
5. Shaky Beats — May 20-22, Atlanta, GA
This brand-spanking-new festival at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park features top electronic acts alongside indie and hip hop artists. Taking place one week after its rock and pop-oriented sister festival Shaky Knees, Shaky Beats will bring the bass at its inaugural festival with a seriously impressive lineup featuring Major Lazer, Zhu, Duke Dumont, Odesza, Porter Robinson, Big Gigantic, Nas, and A$AP Ferg. In addition to the festival fun, fans can enjoy all the great food, music, and culture Hotlanta has to offer.
6. Lightning in a Bottle — May 25-30, Bradley, CA
The aptly titled festival has been electrifying Central California with world-class electronic music for more than a decade, and they do it in the most eco-friendly way possible—Lightning in a Bottle has won the “Outstanding Award” from non-profit group A Greener Festival five years running. As if an environmentally conscious festival featuring incredible music wasn’t enough, the weekend also features guest speakers, art installations, group meditation sessions, yoga classes, and more good vibes than you can shake a stick at. This year’s star-studded lineup includes Chet Faker, Grimes, Jamie XX, Big Gigantic, Cashmere Cat, Tokimonsta, Four Tet, Guy Gerber, Lee Burridge, Hayden James, and more.
7. Movement — May 28-30, Detroit, MI
What better place for an underground dance music festival than Detroit, the birthplace of techno? Movement caters to all lovers of dance music, but diehard fans attending this year’s festival can enjoy the added bonus of a tech area featuring demos of cutting-edge hardware and software. The 2016 lineup is looking good—Caribou, Get Real: Green Velvet and Claude Vonstroke, Loco Dice, Maceo Plex, Seth Troxler, Tale of Us, MK, Boys Noize, and more. True to its roots in the Detroit underground, Movement abounds with epic afterparties—check out movementafterparties.com to stay up to date.
8. Spring Awakening — June 10-12, Chicago, IL
The winter chill is gone and the flowers are in bloom—time to celebrate at Spring Awakening, which celebrates its five year anniversary this June at Chicago’s massive Soldier Field (home of the Bears).This year’s lineup is TBD but last year hosted epic acts like Zedd, Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Diplo, Tiësto, and Afrojack. When you’re not dancing your booty off at the festival, don’t miss great Windy City attractions like Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue, and 360 Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory).
9. Electric Forest* — June 23-16, Rothbury, Michigan
With its lush green setting tucked away in the Michigan wilderness and its unique mix of dance acts and jam bands, Electric Forest Festival is truly one of a kind. This year’s lineup is on point—EDM fans can shake their booties to Bassnectar, Major Lazer, Bonobo, Griz, Adventure Club, Beats Antique, Fetty Wap, and Flosstradamus, while alt-rock and jam band lovers can get down with The String Cheese Incident, Greensky Bluegrass, and Nahko and Medicine for the People. With great camping, carnival rides, a waterpark, and multiple stages of world-class music spread out over the course of four days, Electric Forest 2016 has everything you need to have the time of your life.
10. Camp Bisco — July 14-16, Scranton, PA
There’s a lot to love about Camp Bisco. In addition to three days of killer music on three stages, the festival takes place in the pristine wilderness of Montage Mountain, a gorgeous outdoor venue in the hills above Scranton. Camping, lush forests, a waterpark with numerous slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river—Bisco has it all, not to mention an insane lineup featuring Big Grizmatik (Big Gigantic + Griz + Gramatik), The Discobiscuits, Odesza, Lotus, Zeds Dead, FJK, STS9, and more.
11. Electric Zoo — Labor Day Weekend, Randall’s Island, NYC
Every Labor Day, EDM lovers looking for a wild time flock to Electric Zoo to dance the long weekend away. The festival is situated on Randall’s Island, a lush river park featuring nine miles of waterfront pathways and unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline. This year’s lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but you can bet it’ll be good—last year’s epic bill featured dance masters like the Chemical Brothers, Borgore, Borgeous, Above & Beyond, Adventure Club, Alesso, Oliver Heldens, and more. The International Dance Music Awards nominated Electric Zoo for Best Music Event four years in a row—come see what all the buzz is about.
12. Nocturnal Wonderland — September, San Bernardino, CA
The legendary SoCal festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015 with an epic lineup that included heavy-hitters like Afrojack, Kaskade, Yellow Claw, Alesso, Z Trip, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Beat Junkies, and Donald Glaude. Production value is next-level at Nocturnal Wonderland, with five insanely decked-out stages featuring the best in deep house, electro, techno, trance, nu disco, dubstep, and much more. Come for the music, soak up the vibes, and leave with a whole new perspective on what a festival can be.
13. Escape — October, San Bernardino, CA
This Insomniac-produced Halloween fest lives up to its name, treating costumed revelers to a weekend escape full of spooky delights at the NOS Events Center. The 2016 dates and lineup haven’t been announced yet, but you can expect plenty of top-notch dance acts in addition to multiple themed stages, haunted mazes, and ghoulish performers.
14. SnowGlobe — Dec 29-13, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Keep warm this NYE at SnowGlobe Music Festival, the perfect way to ring in the New Year with all your closest friends and favorite superstar DJs. The 2015 lineup featured stone-cold selecters like Jack Ü, Kaskade, Dillon Francis, Chet Faker, and Eric Pyrdz, and fans can subscribe to updates for the 2016 festival here. The Lake Tahoe area is also home to tons of epic winter activities including skiing, snowboarding, and plenty of great sledding and tubing.
15. Mad Decent Block Party & Boat Party
Superstar DJ, producer, and songwriter Diplo is a man of many talents. In addition to producing hits for some of music’s biggest stars (Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyoncé) and blowing up the charts with his own projects (Major Lazer and Jack Ü), his label Mad Decent throws the annual multi-city Mad Decent Block Party as well as the more recent Mad Decent Boat Party. Last year’s Boat Party set sail for a private beach in Cozumel, Mexico and treated passengers to sets by Skrillex, Major Lazer, Grand Theft, Dillon Francis, Party Favor, Jauz, and Diplo himself.
16. Holy Ship — Jan 3-6 & Feb 10-14, 2016, Miami, FL to The Bahamas
A world-class dance music festival on a Caribbean ocean cruise? Yes please. With two ships setting sail from Miami to The Bahamas, Holy Ship is a sure-fire way to cure your winter blues and ring in the new year in style. The 2016 boat trip experiences featured favorites like Kaskade, Dillon Francis, Flostradamus, DJ Snake, Chromeo, Porter Robinson, Boys Noize, and more all performing on a luxurious cruise liner. Bon voyage!
17. Beyond Wonderland — March 18-19, San Bernardino, CA
Insomniac’s annual Beyond Wonderland festival has become a favorite with fans thanks to its euphoric vibes, dreamlike atmosphere, and world-class lineup of dance music talent. This year the festival’s psychedelic stages at the San Manuel Amphitheater were graced by a bevy of dance music’s finest including Chris Lake, Ferry Corsten, Myon & Shane 54, Alesso, Bro Safari, Klingade, Deorro, and more.
18. Ultra Music Festival* — March 18-20, Miami, FL
While the rest of the country is still thawing, Miami keeps it red-hot every spring with Ultra, which brings one of the most impressive—and eclectic—lineups of the year to Bayfront Park in the city’s downtown area. This year’s waterfront lineup featured some of the biggest names in dance music (Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Zed, DJ Snake, Avicii, David Guetta, Carl Cox) as well as a smorgasbord of amazing artists from genres as diverse as pop, electro, and indie pop (Miike Snow, Chet Faker, The Prodigy, AlunaGeorge, Purity Ring, Peaches). The festival coincides with Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference “WMC”, meaning attendees can also soak up all the seminars, panel discussions, and epic parties that WMC brings to the table.
CANADA
19. Digital Dreams — July 2-3, Toronto
Only a few headliners for this year’s Digital Dreams have been announced yet, but things are looking pretty ace: Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, and Axwell Ingrosso have all signed on for the holiday weekend at The Flats at Ontario Place. And that’s just A’s! Imagine all the killer acts starting with other letters that will round out the lineup in the coming months. Toronto is gorgeous in July—don’t miss the views from the CN Tower, the impeccable collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and all the action at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
20. VELD — July 30-31, Toronto
Also held in Toronto in July, VELD Music Festival heats up at the end of the month on the expansive greens of Downview Park. VELD 2015 headliners included deadmau5, Kaskade, Hardwell, and Above & Beyond, and we’re sure 2016 will be just as epic. Stay tuned to the festival site for lineup announcements in the coming months.
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