The Biggest Music Festivals In The World By Attendance

Posted on Oct 14, 2021 By

The Biggest Music Festivals In The World By Attendance

So you're inquisitive, and that's a good thing. You've come here because you're curious about the biggest music festival gist, and you won't be disappointed. We can all agree that a music event with over three million attendees is something remarkable.

With these millions of music lovers visiting festivals each year and more people wanting to be entertained than ever before, the number of music fans can only increase. We've compiled a list of some of the top live music festivals throughout the world, along with their highest-ever attendance figures. Their statistics may fluctuate, but they have already achieved such levels, therefore we will be sure to include the year with their achievement.

Are you ready, here is the list of the world's top 10 biggest music festivals that will stimulate your mind and make you eager to get your sparkle on and have a great time.

1. Donauinselfest

The Biggest Music Festivals In The World By Attendance - Donauinselfest music-festival

The Donauinselfest is an annual free open-air music festival in Vienna, Austria.

Vienna has long been home to musical giants, like Mozart, so it's no surprise that it now holds the world's greatest festival.

This festival is the world's largest open-air music festival, with over 3 million attendees spanning three days. More than 200 bands perform on 11 stages, with a homage to music artist Falco as one of the headliners in 2017.

Location: Vienna, Austria | Moment: Annually in June Attendance: 3.1 million in 2016

2. Mawazine

The Mawazine Festival in Morocco is proof that Africans know how to celebrate. They draw huge acts like Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Rod Stewart, as well as a great number of African luminaries like Amadou & Mariam, and Tinariwen, with a yearly attendance of over 2.65 million. It was founded by King Mohammad IV’s personal assistant as a festival of Moroccan culture and arts, and it continues to be a wonderful monument to African music.

Location: Rabat, Morocco | Moment: Annually in May Attendance: 2.65 million in 2015

3. Summerfest

The government created Summerfest in the mid-1960s to attract money and people into Milwaukee's deteriorating downtown. Summerfest's first two years were a complete failure, with a $164,000 deficit, but Midland National Bank provided a $150,000 loan. Paul McCartney headlined in 2016, while the festival marked its 50th anniversary in 2017 with performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink, and Bob Dylan. Every year, it has a direct and indirect economic impact of around $181.3 million.

Summerfest is not just the largest music festival in the United States, but it's also one of the most affordable, with an all-access day ticket costing only $20.

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA | Moment: Annually in late June to early July Attendance: 804,000 in 2016

4. Woodstock

The Woodstock festival has a reputation of large numbers and a unique ambiance, with headliners such as The Prodigy playing to over 1 million people. Artie Kornfeld, Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman, and John Roberts, all in their twenties, came up with the idea for Woodstock in early 1969. The festival was supposed to be held at Howard Mills Industrial Park in Wallkill, New York, near Middletown. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is currently the original Woodstock location. In honor of the original, consciousness-shifting festival, the festival's motto is 'Love, Friendship, and Music.' The Polish Woodstock pays homage to rock, pop, metal, and folk music.

Location: Kostrzyn nad Odra, Poland | Moment: Annually in August Attendance: 750,000 in 2014

5. Rock In Rio

Brazil is the host country for the massive Rock in Rio music festival. The largest music event in South America is also the world's glitziest. Every year, the event attracts a star-studded lineup, and it is known for squeezing in massive headliners. Katy Perry, Rhianna, Queen, Metallica, Rod Stewart, and Elton John, to mention a few, performed in 2015. Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, and Guns n' Roses, among others, will perform at the 2017 festival in Brazil. In the years that the Brazil event is not taking place, the festival is staged in Madrid and Lisbon.

Location: Rio de Janiero, Brazil | Moment: Every second year. 2017, 2019 and so on. Attendance: 700,000 in 2015

6. Coachella

Coachella is a massive music event held every year in Indio, California. Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen co-founded the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 1999. It began as a two-day event with over 25,000 attendees, but the event failed to generate revenue. However, by 2016, the festival had generated $94.2 million, ranking it one of the most lucrative in the world.

Musical performers from a variety of genres, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop, among electronic dance music, along with art installations but also sculptures, were performed during the event.

Location: Indio, California, USA | Moment: Annually in April Attendance: 594,000 in 2017

7. Sziget

The Sziget Festival is one of Europe's most important music and cultural events. Müller Péter Sziámi, Károly Gerendai, and others started the festival in 1993.

Every August Óbuda Island, a 108-hectare island in the Danube, in northern Budapest, Hungary. Rhianna, Muse, Sigur Ros, and Sia were among the festival's previous headliners. Each year, about 1,000 performances are held, with more than enough people in attendance.

The week-long summer event draws a sizable Hungarian throng, as well as visitors from all over Western Europe and the world.

Location: Budapest, Hungary | Moment: Annually in August Attendance: 496,000 in 2016

8. Essence

The Essence Festival is the country's largest celebration of African-American culture and music. The event began in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Essence, a magazine for African-Americans. Dianna Ross, Solange, and Mary J. Bilge were the headliners at the 2017 event, which included luminaries such as Prince and Lionel Richie.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | Moment: Annually at the end of June Attendance: 450,000 in 2016

9. New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival honors the city's musical and cultural heritage. In 2017, Stevie Wonder was the talk of the town, and who could resist a treasure like Stevie? The festival honors the enormous diversity of jazz, blues, and gospel music while also celebrating African-American culture and history..

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, the USA | Moment: Annually at the end of April Attendance: 425,000 in 2016

10. Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas)

The Electric Daisy Party, or EDC, is North America's biggest electronic dance music festival. Every year, over 300,000 people go to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the festival, which includes art, carnival rides, circus-style performances, including all the world's best EDM DJs. Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, as well as Yellow Claw have all performed as headliners.

Since its inception on June 24, 2011, EDC has grown to become one of the world's largest electronic dance music festivals. Outside of Europe, it is the largest.

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, the USA | Moment: Annually in June Attendance: 400,000 in 2016

Conclusion

With over 3 million attendees, the Donauinselfest is the world's largest music festival. Every year, nearly 2.65 million people attend Morocco's Mawazine Festival. Can you imagine the stats above?

Music festivals must be so enjoyable for such a large crowd to attend? Is your favorite music event among those on this list? Make a comment about it.