1800–1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s The following is an incomplete list of music festivals that feature electronic music, which encapsulates music featuring electronic instruments such as electric guitars and keyboards, as well as recent genres such as electronic dance music (EDM). Many of the festivals in this list take place in the United States and Europe, though every year thousands of electronic-focused music festivals are held throughout the world. This list generally excludes multi-genre festivals with only a partial focus on electronic music (Glastonbury, Summer Sonic Festival, and Big Day Out) and festivals that have added EDM stages in later years.
Since the early 1900s there have been music festivals that featured electronic instruments, as electronic sounds were used in experimental music such as electroacoustic and tape music. The use of live electronic music greatly expanded in the 1950s, along with the use of electric guitar and bass. With the advent of new technologies in the 1960s, electronic genres such as electronic rock, electronic jazz, disco, computer music, synthpop, psychedelic rock and ambient music followed, with large free festivals showcasing the sounds into the 1970s. There has been a significant change in the capabilities of amplifiers, sequencers, and mixing synthesizers since 1980, as well as computers and digital audio workstations. This has given electronic musicians and DJs the ability to mix elaborate and complicated music in forms such as techno, electronica, trance, house or industrial, all of which have large festivals, raves, technoparades, algoraves, doofs, or teknivals in their sole dedication.
Festivals by debut year
1800s–1950s: Electroacoustics Name Yrs Locale Notes 1800s–1920s WorldwideA number of festivals for classical music and folk music in the late 1800s and early 1900s periodically featured electronic instruments and electroacoustic improvisation, though they were not necessarily a regular feature. Some of these festivals included Leeds Festival (1858–1985) in England, the folk festival Þjóðhátíð (1874–present) in Iceland, and Glastonbury (1914–25) in England. Donaueschingen Festival 1921– present Donaueschingen, Germany A vital party of the history of electronic music, this festival paved the way to the concept of establishing small festivals to present new and experimental musicians. After World War I, a significant increase in new electronic instruments took place, becoming featured elements of the festival. In 1926, Jorg Mager invented an electronic instrument without a keyboard, called the Spharophon, among others, which was shown at the festival.Beaulieu Jazz Festival 1956–1961 Hampshire, England Lord Montagu of Beaulieu holds an annual trad and modern jazz festival in the ground of Beaulieu estate, in the New Forest. Attracts beats and jazz eccentrics, called 'ravers'.George McKay (2002) 'Trad jazz in the 1950s', interviews with Montagu, George Melly, other musicians and fans attending Beaulieu.ONCE Festival of New Music 1958–1969 Ann Arbor, MichiganONCE Group was responsible for hosting. During the years the festival was active, a number of avant-garde composers’ works were performed, including Pauline Oliveros, David Behrman, Roger Reynolds, Gene Tyranny, and Philip Krumm. The compositions and the performances served as a laboratory for new approaches in both acoustic and electronic music.Pro Musica Nova 1958–2001 Bremen, GermanyWas a biennial festival for contemporary music sponsored by Radio Bremen from 1958 to 2001. It was founded by Hans Otte. Pro Musica Nova introduced the public to the music of experimental composers including Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Terry Riley, La Monte Young, Conlon Nancarrow and Hans-Joachim Hespos. Otte also commissioned many new works for the festival.Kerala J. Snyder The Organ As a Mirror of Its Time University of Rochester Professor Emerita of Musicology at The Eastman School of Music – 2002 Page 312 "When Hans Otte, then head of the contemporary music department of Radio Bremen, asked Ligeti and Hambraeus to contribute new organ works for a concert to take place in 1962 as part of the Radio Bremen series pro musica nova, they .."
1960s: Rock and pop festivals
NameYearLocation NotesNational Jazz and Blues Festival 1961–1980s United KingdomMostly oriented around jazz and blues to start, this annual festival soon became a showcase for progressive rock as well, featuring groups such as the psychedelic rock group Cream. Reading and Leeds Festivals 1961–present United KingdomThe line-up settled into a pattern of progressive rock, blues and hard rock during the early and mid 1970s then became the first music festival to embrace punk rock and new wave in the late 1970s, when The Jam, Sham 69, The Stranglers and Penetration were among the headline acts. Currently known for its rock focus, it also hosts major EDM stages for DJs. Un disco per l'estate 1964–2003 ItalyIt was organized and sponsored by the Italian record industry association, AFI, and by RAI, except for the editions between 1995 and 2000, in which the festival was organized and broadcast by Mediaset. Trips Festival 1966 San Francisco The Trips Festival on 21–23 January 1966 was the most attended and advertised of the early Acid Tests events, which were started in late 1965. On Saturday 22 January, the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company came on stage, and 6,000 people arrived to imbibe punch spiked with LSD and to witness one of the first fully developed light shows of the era. Shiraz Arts Festival 1967–1977Shiraz and Persepolis, IranAn experimental international festival, a number of electroacoustic works were presented during its run, with artists such as Dave Tudor and John Cage performing in 1971. 1967–1968 North AmericaThe Summer of Love from 1967 to 1968 was an important aspect of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, which was closely tied with alternative music and free rock festivals featuring genres such as psychedelic rock. The development of better electronic speaker equipment allowed for massive concerts to attract hundreds of thousands of attendees. Started with the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in Marin County, California, the other significant shows in California included the Monterey Pop Festival, the San Francisco Pop Festival, the Los Angeles Pop Festival, Newport Pop Festival, and Northern California Folk Rock Festival I and II. Notable shows not in California included the Miami Pop Festival I and II in Florida, and the Isle of Wight Festival in England. By 1969, similar festivals were appearing all over the world, bringing alternative music to increasingly mainstream audiences. Isle of Wight Festival1968–1970, 2002–present Seaclose Park, EnglandThe Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest and most famous of these early festivals and the unexpectedly high attendance levels with estimates of over 600,000 led, in 1971, to Parliament passing the "Isle of Wight Act" preventing gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special license.Woodstock Music & Art Fair1969White Lake, New YorkThis historically and culturally notable festival is known to have served as a defining moment for baby boomers. Performers included Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix and Santana among many others, with genres such as acoustic music, folk music, and psychedelic rock. From 15 to 18 August, Woodstock had an audience of over 400,000 young people.
1970s: Computer music
NameYear Location Notes PictureBath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music1970Shepton Mallet, EnglandA DJ played records for early arrivals starting Friday evening, and continued to do so between many of the sets until the end. The festival featured a line-up of the top American west coast and British bands of the day, including Santana, The Flock, Led Zeppelin (headlining act), Pink Floyd, etc.Expo '701970Osaka, JapanThe first World's Fair held in Japan, which featured a number of electronic music exhibits. The West German pavilion, designed by Fritz Bornemann, featured the world's first spherical concert hall.Kurtz (1992), p 179. Inside, the audience was surrounded by 50 loudspeaker groups at different "latitudes"Föllmer [n.d.]; Föllmer (1996); Kurtz (1992), p 166. while classical music was played from multi-track tape.Kurtz (1992), p 178; Wörner (1973), p 256. Also in the course of the exhibition, often experimental performers gave concerts for over a million visitors.Föllmer [n.d.]. Early Japanese computer music compositions include a piece by Kenjiro Ezaki presented during Osaka Expo '70. Since then, Japanese research in computer music has largely been carried out for commercial purposes in popular music. Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Festival1972–presentBourges, FranceHosted by the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges in France. Composers submit works which are assessed by an international jury.Windsor Free Festival1972–1974Windsor Great Park, EnglandA British free festival organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle. The event was brutally suppressed by the police, which led to a public outcry about the tactics involved. In 1975, both Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle were imprisoned for attempting to promote a 1975 Windsor Festival.International Computer Music Conference1974–presentVariousA yearly international conference for computer music researchers and composers. It is the annual conference of the International Computer Music Association (ICMA).Printemps de Bourges1977–presentBourges, FranceA festival encompassing some 60 shows, with over 200 artists on 13 stages within a week. The shows represent diverse genres, often experimental and electronic. The ever-growing public is composed primarily of young people (91% are under 35), and over 200,000 people attend the festival each year.
1980s: Birth of techno