Two global digital festival discovery communities, Everfest and Fest300 merged together in 2016 under the Everfest brand. Today is been revealed its annual Fest300 list top 300 most apprised festivals from around the world. Nominated by Fest300 co-founder, Airbnb Strategic Advisor, and Burning Man board member Chip Conley and as voted on by Everest’s 500K member community.
The former Fest300 team has spent four years refining a model for how people discover festivals and bring to form these life-changing experiences. Everfest brand, the team will travel the world in search of the most meaningful events, producing a 24/7 global editorial view on festival culture. Discovering festivals from over 70 countries, the Fest300 list looks beyond borders, mediums, and size, creating a quantitative picture of how festivals are driving the live event industry as well as becoming cultural standard across the world.
The 2017 list touches on events centered around music, film, visual art, yoga, and includes new additions like CHI WOW WAH TOWN (Australia), Gratitude Migration (New Jersey), Electric Castle (Romania), Woodstock Festival Poland, Djakarta Warehouse Project (Indonesia), Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival (Nevada) and Genius Loci (Mexico) as well as returning favorites.
In Eamon Armstrong, Fest300 Global Curator’s own words, “Each November we run a crowdsourcing campaign in which we remove 30 festivals from our list of 300 and ask the international festival community to vote on new ones. We start by nominating 150 festivals we’ve discovered and we ask our community to vote on them or write in their own.”
In Nielsen’s Audience Insights Report on Music Festivals, 32 million people attend at least one festival in the U.S each year and will travel an average of 903 miles to attend a festival. Music fans are also twice as likely to discover music via Facebook, thus outlining the importance of digital discovery platforms for the new generation of festival-goers.
“The more digital we get, the more ritual we need,' but with the growing demand for festivals this year, I think the new mantra is ‘the more the world becomes crazy, the more we seek refuge.' We're proud to announce our 2017 list so that our Everfest/Fest300 fan base can seek out new places beyond the ‘default' world.” – Fest300 Co-Founder Chip Conley
When Everfest and Fest300 joined forces in 2016, its mission was to become the undisputed global authority on the world’s music and cultural festivals fusing savvy editorial content, tech-driven discovery tools, and a forward thinking digital home for the global festival community. What began as a simple tool for finding events has expanded into the community’s first member’s club, Everfest Premium, offering exclusive perks, discounts, and experiences from over event partners around the world. Examples include free VIP upgrades, pre-sale access, artist meet and greet, discounts on ticket, food, Merch and more. With nearly half a million basic users, Everfest is primed to offer a first of its kind opportunity for passionate festival fans around the world.
“We’re thrilled to have the Fest300 team on board to help make the world a little more festive. Their thought leadership is a pillar of the community we are building together, and Everfest Premium is the next evolutionary step towards that goal. We want to elevate the festival experience and truly meld it with our fans passions and curiosities to enable all of us to discover and attend one more festival a year”. Everfest CEO Jay Manickam
“The World's Best Festivals” full list is below, Fest300's mission was to present personalized information on 300 top culture and music festivals from around the world, from the Bali Spirit Festival to Oktoberfest to Art Basel Miami. Everfest was created by fellow global wanderers and serial tech entrepreneurs Jay Manickam (uShip, RoverPass) and Paul Cross (TicketBud, RoverPass). Everfest aims to be the world's festival authority, boasting over 15,000 festivals and growing, inclusive of all genres, sizes, and geographies. Together they are now under one brand, Everfest. It’s about discovery, cultural curiosity, connecting with new people, and experiencing the world of festivals. If any of these festivals are in an area near you, we highly recommend that you attend and make your own experience at one of these magical festivals around the world.
2017 Fest300 List Additions: The World’s Best Festivals
CHI WOW WAH TOWN
Australia
February 24-26, 2017
Earth Frequency Festival
Australia
February 17 – 20, 2017
Yemaya Festival
Australia
April 21 – 24, 2017
Meadows in the Mountains
Bulgaria
June 9 – June 12, 2017
Festival Western de St-Tite
Canada
September 8 – 17, 2017
Fozzyfest
Canada
September 14 – 17, 2017
Love International
Croatia
June 28 – July 5, 2017
Let it Roll
Czech Republic
August 3 – 5, 2017
Pete the Monkey Festival
France
TBD
Balaton Sound
Hungary
July 5 – July 9, 2017
Djakarta Warehouse Project
Indonesia
TBD
Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival
Indonesia
March 3 – 5, 2017
Paratissima
Location – Italy, Macedonia
Dates – TBD
Genius Loci Fest
Mexico
June 22 – 26, 2017
Felabration
Nigeria
TBD
Woodstock Festival Poland
Poland
August 3 – 5, 2017
AgitÁgueda Art Festival
Portugal
July 1 – 23, 2017
Electric Castle
Romania
July 12 – 17, 2017
Alfa Future People
Russia
July 7 – 9, 2017
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden
June 7 – 10, 2017
Nyege Nyege Festival
Uganda
September 1 – 3, 2017
Eastern Electrics
United Kingdom
August 5, 2017
Enchanted Forest Gathering
California, USA
June 9 – 11, 2017
Riot Fest
Colorado & Illinois, USA
Chicago – September 15 – 17, 2017
Denver – TBD
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
Florida, USA
March 2 – 5, 2017
Dancefestopia
Missouri, USA
Sept 7 – 10, 2017
Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
Nevada, USA
May 27 – 29, 2017
Gratitude Migration
New Jersey, USA
July 14 – 16, 2017
Euporia
Texas, USA
April 6 – 9, 2017
Quest Festival Vietnam
Vietnam
TBD
