If you have been keeping track of our best of 2016 series then you know how this goes. But just in case you have been a lazy individual as this years comes to an end – here it is one more time. We polled the entire staff of EDM Sauce and each person could pick their top three choices for the best festival of the year. A first place vote gave that festival 3 points, a 2nd place vote gave them 2 points and a 3rd place vote gave them 1 point. So we tallied them up and honestly got some surprising results. We have your top 7 festivals of 2016 by the EDM Sauce staff then we also included all the festivals that received any votes at all. So take a peek at what we think you absolutely cannot miss in 2017.
Related: Festival Essentials
1. Electric Forest (Rothbury, Michigan)
If you have ever attended Electric Forest than this should as no surprise to you. In the beautiful natural forests of the NW part of the eastern Michigan sits the eclectic and unabashedly unique Electric Forest. Forest is a celebration of music, art and culture that has become synonymous with one of the best festival experience in the world. It has chosen to expand into two weeks for 2017 in order to keep attendance more manageable and help cultivate an authentic festival experience for its attendees. Read our review of 2016's Electric Forest here and buy tickets for 2017 here!
We cannot say we are surprised by EDCLV's incredibly high rank in this year's poll. It is without a doubt one of the best dance music festivals in the world. Taking place just outside of Sin City over the course of three nights, hundreds of thousands of attendees can take in the best artists in the world of EDM. Production value is the name of the game for EDCLV and the festival includes some of the most exciting stage designs ever made. Check out our review of EDCLV from this past year and buy tickets to 2017 here!
3. Euphoria
Euphoria was this poll's sleeper hit. The smaller festival which takes place in Austin, Texas took the third spot and while it is not as recognizable by name as the first and second place winners, it packs of a punch of perfection in terms of what a festival should be. Euphoria celebrated it's five year anniversary in 2016 and brought out all the stops. It is a beautiful blend of community, art and of course some of the best music out there today. It can easily be referred to as the Electric Forest of Texas. Euphoria is a magical experience and we cannot wait to see how it grows as it continues to turn into a nation wide destination from a regional favorite. Read our review of Euphoria 2016 and buy tickets for 2017 here!
4. Lollapalooza
Photo by Charles Reagan Photography
Chicago brought out all the stops this past year for Lolla. Lollapalooza is one of the most recognizable festival names in the world. Each year hundreds of artists converge on the windy city to take part in the whose who of the music industry. Lollapalooza has featured artists such as Daft Punk during their Alive 2007 show as well as more current sensations such as The Weeknd. Lolla can only be mentioned in the same breath as a few other festivals in the country such as Governor's Ball in NYC and Coachella in SoCal. Read our review of Lollapalooza 2016 and buy tickets for 2017!
5. CRSSD
CRSSD is a festival that demonstrates that good music is all you need to create a successful event. CRSSD is not gaudy nor does it feature many of amentities of the previously mentioned members of this list. What it does have though is excellent music. CRSSD caters to the more minimalistc genres of dance music ranging from deep house to techno and everything in between. Taking place twice a year CRSSD has become a festival that everyone in America talks about. It is just without a doubt the most finely curated minimalists festival in America. Check out our review of CRSSD 2016 and buy tickets for this coming March's event here.
6. Dreamstate
Trance is a funny genre when you consider the many ups and downs that the euphoric and melodic cornerstone of dance music has suffered. It once reigned king, any artist making music outside of trance could not find the success of that of top trance kings. Then all of a sudden it's forefathers started to leave and things took a turn for the worse. Bass music came out to the front of the line and trance full back. Insomniac's Dreamstate showed us that trance is no where near dead and truly only just beginning. The traveling festival is know for gathering the most sought after acts in trance ranging from progressive to psy. Dreamstate is a beautiful experience and continues to release line ups and curate stages at larger events with great success. Read our review of Dreamstate 2016 here and keep an eye out for the many dates bound to drop for Dreamstate in 2017.
7. Mysteryland USA
Mysteryland started as a festival exclusive to the Netherlands but a few years ago brought it's storybook vibe over to the historic Bethel Woods. That's right folks this festival is held on the grounds of the historic Woodstock '69. History aside Mysteryland is a full on sensory experience, production value of this festival is monumental as it spares no expense when trying to whisk all attendees away from the normal to the extraordinary. Mysteryland is a beautiful gem and has plans to broaden it's horizons in 2017. So take a look at our review of Mysteryland 2016 and get ready to make the trek back to Bethel in just five short months.
Here are the festivals that also earned a couple votes here or there in this year's poll!
Receiving three votes –
Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas), Tomorrowland (Belgium), Life is Beautiful (Las Vegas, NV), Electric Zoo *New York, New York), Ultra Music Festival (Miami, Florida), Defqon (The Netherlands)
Receiving two votes –
HARD Summer (Los Angeles, CA) , Burning Man (Nevada), MAD Decent Boat Party (Cruise)
Receiving one vote –
Imagine (Atlanta, GA), Spring Awakening (Chicago, IL), Camp Bisco (Scranton, PA), Dominator (International)
