japan
Summer Sonic Festival is an annual music festival held on one weekend in August simultaneously in both Chiba near Tokyo and Osaka, with revolving lineups. Fan favourites such as Maneskin, Bring Me The Horizon, Aurora, Major Lazer, OneRepublic, Gen Hoshino (星野源), Jon Baptitse and Greta Van Fleet took over the 2024 stages, so 2025 is sure to be unmissable.
This festival is a perfect opportunity to explore either Osaka or Tokyo and the numerous must-visit locations nearby! Chiba is best known for Japan’s Disney Parks but also offers the stunning Kujukuri Beach with 66 kilometres of coastline and the towering Mt. Nokogiri with its renowned ‘Hell Peek Point’. For hidden gems in Osaka, Hozenji Yokocho has delicious food unique to Osaka (try the okonomiyaki!) while the Katsuo-ji Temple in the Minoh area is famous for its Daruma figurines (lucky charms) and Osaka Maishima Seaside Park is a floral 4.4-hectare park with stunning views of Osaka Bay.
South Korea
The skyrocketing popularity of K-pop continues to make South Korea turn musical heads. In fact, the world’s biggest boy and girl groups are K-pop artists BTS and BlackPink respectively.
Ultra Korea descends upon South Korea every June and is part of the wider global phenomenon ‘Ultra Music Festivals’. South Korea’s offering drew around 165,000 people in 2023, making it a must for fans of spectacular productions, legendary EDM artists and thumping bass!
Afterwards, get away from the crowds of Seoul and visit Nami Island, which is beautiful in all seasons and well worth the short journey; or bike along the Gangchon Rail Bike as the largest rail bike course in Korea. Just 2 hours from Seoul or 50 minutes from Busan, Gyeongju is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which was once the capital of the Silla Dynasty, ruling over the Korean Peninsula for nearly 1000 years. Other must-visit sights include Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Daereungwon Royal Tombs, Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond.
If you’re a fan of electronic music, don’t miss Sunburn Festival in Goa, in December, which attracts around 1 million people and the world’s best DJs.
For feel-good music and fewer crowds:
Rainbow Spirit, Australia, January-February
this community-focused party is just a 2-hour drive from Melbourne.
Wonderfruit, Thailand, December
a celebration of art, culture, music and nature.
Clockenflap, Hong Kong, usually aorund November-December
Hong Kong’s biggest outdoor music festival with local and international talent.
EPIZODE Festival, Vietnam, December-January
a chance to celebrate electronic music in paradise.
Djakarta Warehouse Project, Indonesia, December
dance music descends upon Balinese capital Jakarta.