Spring marks the official start of festival season, when some of the world’s biggest acts and emerging artists hit the road, playing main stages everywhere from classics like Coachella in California and Glastonbury in the United Kingdom to more intimate seaside spots like Ondalinda in Montenegro.
While camping is part of the festival experience for some concertgoers, after a few days of dancing in the desert or on a remote farm, others might prefer a more refined retreat. We've curated the perfect mix of boutique hotels and lush lodgings for when you’re ready to unwind—along with choice spots to eat and drink in style in nearby cities. While united by their undeniably top-notch lineups, these eight festivals each have a distinct personality and style. So, pack your favorite festival wear and get ready to hit the road, following the rhythm of the music wherever it takes you.
Coachella Festival in the hot California sun and a ceviche starter at The Barn Kitchen at Sparrows Lodge. ©A Osbourn/Jonny Valiant, The Barn Kitchen at Sparrows Lodge
1. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, California, USA
April 11-13 & April 18-20In its 25-plus years since debuting, Coachella has witnessed everything from the reunion of Jane’s Addiction to the early days of The White Stripes and Amy Winehouse. This year, the weekend-long events include headliners like Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Green Day, and Megan Thee Stallion, plus large-scale art commissions, silent discos, and the signature Ferris Wheel showing off sweeping desert views over Coachella Valley.
While camping (tent, campervan, safari-style tents, and cabanas) is the most popular way to experience Coachella, Palm Springs isn't far—if you prefer sleeping in the comfort of four (swanky) walls. Parker Palm Springs is one of the most luxurious options, with its mix of private villas, garden suites, and poolside rooms opening onto bougainvillea-covered patios. At The Colony Club, the cooking infuses European influences into classic American cuisine, with nearby farms and producers supplying ingredients for dishes like octopus carpaccio with local heirloom radish and truffle aioli, and dry-aged duck breast with orange-braised fennel. There are a few other Inspector-approved restaurant options in Palm Springs like The Barn Kitchen at Sparrows Club—perfect for cooling off during the summer heat. Coachella.com
The epic stands at Glastonbury Festival in Somerset and a summery dish at the good-value Queen of Cups restaurant nearby. © Anna Barclay, Glastonbury / Ayesha Kalaji, Queen of Cups
2. Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, United Kingdom
June 25-29Arguably Europe’s most glamorous music festival, the announcement of Glastonbury’s annual lineup is almost as much of an event as the festival itself. This year, the event on Worthy Farm in Pilton includes everyone from legends like Rod Stewart and Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts to Olivia Rodrigo, Charli xcx, The 1975, and Alanis Morissette.
After five days of glamping in tipis and bell tents, swap your crochet crop tops and Hunter wellies for something more refined and explore nearby MICHELIN-vetted dining and accommodations. Spend a few extra days soaking up the English countryside’s fresh air at Three-MICHELIN-Key The Newt, whose centuries-old limestone homes-turned-hotel is surrounded by apple orchards and woodland. Soho House’s Babington House, a converted 18th-century Georgian estate, is every bit as charming, with 33 rooms scattered across lakeside cabins and stables. In terms of places to eat, the area brims with options, from good-value Bib Gourmand Queen of Cups in Glastonbury to MICHELIN-Starred Osip, which also has a Green Star for its sustainability credentials, just outside nearby Bruton. Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
3. Tomorrowland, Boom, Belgium
July 18-20 & July 25-27Located between Antwerp and Brussels, this two-weekend event is an easy one to tack onto a trip to one of Belgium’s design-driven cities. One of the world’s largest electronic music festivals, Tomorrowland’s 15 stages feature hundreds of acts, from some of the world’s most renowned DJs like David Guetta, Steve Aoki, and Swedish House Mafia to hard techno artists, deep house, trance, and audiovisual shows.
In Antwerp, sleep in style at Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, an old monastery complex within the city’s botanical gardens, where some of the buildings date back to the 12th century. The hotel’s handful of gastronomic eateries are all standouts, but the intimate One-Starred Fine Fleur by Jacob-Jan Boerma and Thomas Diepersloot is a nice take on more casual fine dining, with whimsical dishes showcasing unexpected textures and flavors. August, in the city’s pedestrian-only Green Quarter, is also encased by walled gardens, with 44 rooms set in a former Augustinian cloister and a light-drenched bar housed in the old chapel. Tomorrowland.com
Ondalinda art and music festival takes place by the water in Montenegro each year. © OffBrand Project/Ondalinda
4. Ondalinda x Montenegro, Portonovi
July 3-6The exclusive, invite-only art, music, and wellness festival Ondalinda, which debuted nearly a decade ago in Mexico’s tucked-away Pacific Costa Careyes enclave, is returning for its second summer to Portonovi, in Montenegro. The multi-sensory event unfolds around the UNESCO-protected Bay of Kotor, each night taking on a new theme inspired by Balkan history (dress code is Burning Man-meets-Brazilian Carnival). Here, DJs spin until dawn at 16th-century medieval amphitheaters and centuries-old fortresses overlooking both the Croatian and Montenegrin coastlines.
While most of the Ondalinda community (this global network collides annually at the two flagship events, with members gathering at smaller events in jetset hubs like Ibiza) arrives via yacht, the One&Only Portonovi acts as the festival’s base to unwind at the resort’s private beach or the plush Chenot spa. After the event wraps up, festival-goers decompress at nearby The Chedi Luštica Bay, designed to resemble a waterfront village, crowned with an infinity pool draped over the Adriatic. Ondalinda.com
5. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Louisiana, USA
April 24-27 & May 1-4The Big Easy is a year-round party, but the spotlight is often on Mardi Gras, when New Orleans erupts into a sea of purple, green, and gold feathers, face paint, and beads. Sure, it may be dubbed “The Greatest Free Show on Earth,” but ask any local and they’ll recommend timing your trip a few months later, when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival brings nearly 400,000 visitors to the two-weekend event at the Fair Grounds Race Course.
The festival fêtes New Orleans and Louisiana’s Indigenous music and culture, spotlighting contemporary and traditional jazz, as well as blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, and more. Even if you’re not the biggest jazz buff, you’ll recognize jam bands like Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam, plus icons like Santana, Gladys Knight, and Diana Krall. It’s not common for large-scale music festivals to take place in the heart of a city, but Jazz Fest is just a 10-minute walk from the French Quarter, the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, where you can rest up in one of 10, 1950s-inspired rooms at The Celestine (One Key), or nearby in the Warehouse District at Maison Métier (also One Key), an art-filled escape designed to feel like a guesthouse. nojazzfest.com
The rooftop pool at Soho House Barcelona, a hideaway during Primavera Sound, and festivalgoers at Rock en Seine festival in Paris. © Soho House / Victor Picon, Rock en Seine
6. Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain
June 4-8In late spring, Barcelona transforms into a stage for some of the biggest names in the music world during five-day Primavera Sound, held on the waterfront in the heart of Catalonia’s capital. This edition includes headliners like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, LCD Soundsystem, and Jamie xx, and since it’s one of the most popular music festivals in Europe, tickets sell out months in advance. You can, however, still snag tickets for the closing event, where artists like Michael Bibi and Bunt spin during the open-air electronic day party.
Barcelona has become a hub for dynamic cocktail bars and restaurants worth traveling for, like Three-Starred Disfrutar—a popular tasting menu spot with an extensive wait list (so plan ahead). Stay in the centrally located Soho House Barcelona (One Key), in the city’s labyrinth-like Gothic Quarter, or explore the creative, former industrial area of El Poblenou at The Hoxton, Poblenou, where you can dine poolside at rooftop Mexican eatery Tope while admiring sweeping panoramas of the city’s iconic landmarks. primaverasound.com
7. Rock en Seine, Paris, France
August 20-24Over five days in late August, Rock en Seine draws nearly 180,000 festival-goers to more than 80 concerts across five stages in the historic Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, just west of Paris. More than just a music festival, Rock en Seine curates a creative community through talks and exhibitions, as well as talent scouting for the next generation of French artists who may have their breakthrough moment performing at the festival.
After catching main stage acts like A$AP Rocky, London Grammar, Queens of the Stone Age, and Chappell Roan, hop on the metro and head into Paris, calling it a night at a boutique hotel like the One-MICHELIN-Key Grands Boulevards Experimental, near the Palais Garnier opera house, or Le Grand Mazarin (also One Key), a maximalist escape exploding with vibrant murals, art nouveau chandeliers, and tapestried canopy beds. If you’re planning one indulgent dining moment, book a seat at industrial-chic One-Star and Green-Star holder Septime (reservations open three weeks in advance) or Table - Bruno Verjus (Two Stars and a Green Star), where the seasonal set menu is dubbed “Color of the Day” and designed around local producers' latest bounty. Rockenseine.com
Cheeky's towering chicken burgers in Palm Springs, close to Desert X festival in Coachella Valley, and the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Hotel also in Palm Springs. © Mollie Kimberling, Cheeky's / Ethan, Ace Hotel & Swim Club
8. Desert X, Coachella Valley, California, USA
March 8-May 11Back for its fifth year, Desert X, which debuted in California and has now expanded to AlUla, in the desert in Saudi Arabia, features a series of outdoor, site-specific artwork placed throughout sites across the Coachella Valley. This edition’s 11 artists from across the world focused on themes around “the transformational effects of nature and humanity” and the “temporality and non-linear narratives of desert time,” with pieces like Sanford Biggers’ duo of sequin tower sculptures and artist and philosopher Agnes Denes’ The Living Pyramid, planted with native vegetation designed to bloom and grow over the course of six months.
Since this is a self-guided experience, make Palm Springs your home base between art scavenger hunts across the valley. Embrace the town’s iconic mid-century modern vibe at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club—a former roadside motor inn transformed into a sleek retreat, complete with an organic spa, a stargazing deck, and community fire pits. In terms of dining, there are a handful of great spots like Workshop Kitchen and Bar, which serves up farm-to-table fare, and Cheeky's, for its tasty towering burgers. DesertX.org
Hero Image: Ace Hotel and Swim Club, Palm Springs, USA
Related articles:
