Ten new festivals for 2024

Every year, intrepid promoters and event organisers roll out new concepts and innovative ideas to launch music festivals around the world – and 2024 is no different, with dozens of gatherings set to be added to the calendar. Looking towards the coming months, IQ previews ten of the most talked about new festivals that artists and fans can look forward to attending during 2024…

SUMMER SONIC (TH)
Location: Impact Challenger Hall, Bangkok
Promoter: Creativeman
Dates: 24-25 August
Capacity: 25,000-40,000 per day

One of Japan’s biggest international festivals is expanding to Bangkok this year. Summer Sonic, which will be held over the 17-18 August weekend in its traditional twin homes of Tokyo and Osaka, will add a further weekend a week later in the Thai capital, where it will host a mix of Japanese, Asian, and international talent.

“Nowadays, overseas festivals are spreading to various regions and achieving success, and Korean artists are active all over the world, so we are starting Summer Sonic Bangkok as a way for Japan to connect with the world through music,” comments Creativeman CEO Naoki Shimizu. “We will aim for a more attractive and powerful lineup by booking great artists in both countries.”

The last edition of Summer Sonic that took place outside of Japan was Summer Sonic Shanghai in 2017. It featured a lineup headlined by Luna Sea, followed by The Kooks, Placebo, Nothing But Thieves, Sum 41, Travis, The Fratellis, and more. Korean operation ICA has partnered with Creativeman to programme the inaugural Thai edition and is aiming for a mix of acts that can attract a split of 60% local Thai fans and 40% international visitors.
summersonic.com

ROLLING LOUD EUROPE (AT)
Location: Racino in Ebreichsdorf, Vienna
Promoter: Live Nation
Dates: 5-7 July
Capacity: 60,000

Hip-hop festival franchise Rolling Loud will launch in Austria this summer as the only European edition of the US-based festival brand.

The inaugural Austrian edition, dubbed Rolling Loud Europe, will take over the Racino open-air venue in Ebreichsdorf, on the outskirts of capital city Vienna, with organisers promising that “some of the most outstanding and hottest representatives of US, British, and European rap will perform”.

Launched in 2015, the Miami-hailing festival has also run events in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Toronto, and is also plotting a debut event in Thailand this year. In Europe, most recently Rolling Loud has been staged in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Munich in Germany, and Portimão located on Portugal’s Algarve.
europe.rollingloud.com

IN THE MEADOWS (IE)
Location: The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
Promoters: Aiken Promotions and Pod Concerts
Date: 8 June
Capacity: 15,000

Dublin will be the host of a new one-day festival called In The Meadows, organised by Aiken Promotions and Pod Concerts.

Mercury Award-nominated Irish folk music group Lankum are due to headline the inaugural event at The Royal Hospital in Kilmainham – a 17th century complex that now houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art and in the past has played host to artists including Leonard Cohen, Bon Iver, Blur, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, High Flying Birds, boygenius, and The War On Drugs.

The historic hospital site is also home to Forbidden Fruit, a festival that Aiken and Pod have also been partners in producing for the last 12 years.
pod.ie/events/2024/lankum

WILD FIELDS (UK)
Location: Raynham Estate, Norfolk
Promoters: ATC Group and Wild Paths
Dates: 15-18 August
Capacity: 10,000
ATC Group and the team behind Norwich-based multi-venue festival Wild Paths are partnering to create a new event on the Raynham Estate in North Norfolk.

Wild Fields will “showcase the best music from across the genre spectrum, pairing it with woodland dining, immersive performance, and wellness experiences,” according to the organisers, who have confirmed Ezra Collective, SBTRKT, Los Bitchos, and Nightmares on Wax among the more established names on the bill. The lineup will also offer “a truly diverse range of festival performers,” as the event has signed up to Keychange’s 50/50 pledge.

Festival director Ben Street says, “Wild Fields will be a truly unique event with a varied and progressive musical lineup paired with renowned wellness practitioners, festival banquets, and immersive performance. From dawn to dusk and deep, deep into the night, there’ll be a plethora of groundbreaking bands and DJs to keep even the most seasoned festival reveller entertained and inspired.”

Wild Fields reportedly has a five-year deal with the site owner and will aim to grow its capacity year-on-year.
wildfields.co.uk

MINNESOTA YACHT CLUB FESTIVAL (US)
Location: Harriet Island Regional Park, Saint Paul
Promoter: C3 Presents
Dates: 19-20 July
Capacity: 30,000-35,000 per day

The first-ever Minnesota Yacht Club Festival will bring fans together for two days of performances across two stages with no overlapping sets between the 20 artists: organisers claim there will be “no schedule conflicts on this riverbank!”

Using Harriet Island Regional Park in the heart of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, alongside the Mississippi River, promoters C3 Presents are planning a variety of premium ticket options to incorporate historic riverboat rides, comfortable lounges, exclusive food options, air-conditioned restrooms, and more.

Launching the event, C3’s Tim Sweetwood stated, “When you consider that the Twin Cities [Minneapolis–Saint Paul] is a big enough market to support five major-league sports teams, I don’t see why it can’t support one major music festival, too.”

He added, “We’ll just have the two stages in the first year, and so you can only do so many genres, but we’ll cover adult-contemporary, rock, pop, some blues, a cool mix like that.”
minnesotayachtclubfestival.com

TOMORROWLAND PRESENTS CORE MEDELLÍN (CO)
Location: Medellín
Promoter: Breakfast Club/Tomorrowland
Dates: 11-12 May
Capacity: 10,000

Tomorrowland is taking its brand to the Colombian city of Medellín, with the help of local promoter Breakfast Club.
The EDM giant will transport its newly created CORE stage to Medellín’s botanical garden for the two-day event on 11 and 12 May. Built over the course of a year, the fully transportable stage is 17 metres high and 30 metres wide, and incorporates strobes, fog machines and fireworks fountains, among other features.

The state-of-the-art stage debuted in January at Tomorrowland Presents Core Tulum in Mexico, and is slated to ‘pop up around the globe’ over the coming year. In addition to Belgium, Colombia, and Mexico, Tomorrowland has also been exported to France and Brazil.

At Tomorrowland Presents Core Medellín, the structure will house performances from “the leading names” in house and techno. The new festival is supported by Breakfast Club, the decade-old promoter behind Medellín festivals Ritvales and La Solar Festival.
core.world/medellin

BESAME MUCHO (US)
Location: Circuit of the Americas racetrack, Austin
Promoters: Tropicália and La Tocada
Date: 2 March
Capacity: TBC

Latin music festival Besame Mucho is expanding to the Texan music city of Austin, following two successful years in Los Angeles.

Tapping into a growing interest in Latin music, Besame Mucho’s first editions (both at Dodger Stadium) reportedly sold out in minutes. Capitalising on that demand, organisers have hired the Circuit of the Americas race circuit for its Texan debut, where more than 60 acts will perform across four stages.

Confirmed talent includes Los Tigres del Norte, Banda MS, Grupo Frontera, La Ley, Caifanes, El Tri, Alejandra Guzmán, Gloria Trevi, Café Tacvba, and Molotov.

With tickets priced between $275 for general admission and $950 for platinum, organisers revealed that the first Texan edition of the festival sold out within hours of going on sale on 3 November.
besamemuchofestival.com/austin

MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL MIAMI (US)
Location: Hangar at Regatta Harbour, Miami
Promoter: Montreux Jazz International
Dates: 1-3 March
Capacity: 1,500 per day

As one of the most recognised festival brands in the world, Montreux Jazz Festival has been taking its identity overseas since 1978, but will this year make its debut in Florida with a lineup that will include band leader Jon Batiste & Friends, Daryl Hall, and Brazilian sensation Daniela Mercury.

To recreate the intimacy of Montreux, the inaugural edition of Montreux Jazz Festival Miami will be hosted in the 1,500-capacity Hangar venue in the city’s upscale Coconut Grove district. The historic seaplane hangar will be the centrepiece of the three-day event, which will also offer guests curated dining options from some of Miami’s best chefs and restaurants.

A second stage in the outdoor VIP area will be used for sunset concerts by emerging artists, while the parent festival’s legendary Montreux Jam Session will be recreated each night, bringing together some of the talent for unique collaborations.

Single-day tickets are priced at $219 for general admission, while three-day VIP passes start at $1,999.

Montreux first went international in 1978 with the São Paulo Festival in Brazil, and has since granted licences for Detroit (1980), Atlanta (1986), Tokyo (1998), Monaco (2001), Rio de Janeiro (2019), and Hangzou (2021).
montreuxjazzfestivalmiami.com

UNTOLD (UA)
Location: Expo City Dubai
Promoter: Untold
Dates: 15-18 February
Capacity: 70,000 per night

Dubai is set to gain its own edition of Untold, which is being touted locally as the biggest festival the city has ever seen.

Launched in Romania in 2015, the event has become one of the largest festivals in Europe, with a capacity of around 100,000, thanks to performances from artists including Imagine Dragons, Robbie Williams, Major Lazer, J Balvin, The Script, Jason Derulo, and Ellie Goulding, while DJs including David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, Axwell, and Hardwell have also delivered sets.

Superstar DJ Armin van Buuren is partnering with the festival’s promoters to bring the event to the Gulf state, while more than 100 acts are apparently being lined up to populate the schedule across at least five stages.

Festival co-founder Edy Chereji says, “Dubai is one of the top tourism destinations in the world. We have an amazing site over there, and by working with our stakeholders, we hope to create something that will be the next big icon for Dubai and bring more tourists to this great city.”
untold.ae

LOVIN’ LIFE(US)
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Promoter: Southern Entertainment
Dates: 3-5 May
Capacity: 25,000-30,000

Post Malone, Stevie Nicks, and Noah Kahan are slated to headline the inaugural edition of Lovin’ Life music festival in North Carolina this May.

The three-day event will take place in the city’s downtown N Brevard Street site, adjacent to the Spectrum Center arena, with 40 artists performing across three stages.

Lovin’ Life is being organised by Southern Entertainment – a Charlotte-based promoter behind music festivals such as Carolina Country Music Fest in South Carolina and the Barefoot Country Music Fest in New Jersey.

“After producing events all over the East Coast, we’ve dreamt of bringing a major music festival to Charlotte, and the Lovin’ Life Music Fest is our passion project,” says Bob Durkin, co-founder and partner of Southern Entertainment.

“We’re thrilled to support the ongoing effort to make our hometown of Charlotte a music city in such a big way.”

Tickets for the festival range from $269 for three-day general admission to $1,199 for three-day Super VIP. lovinlifemusicfest.com

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