Rock festival

A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue.^[1] Some festivals are singular events, while others recur annually in the same location. Occasionally, a festival will focus on a particular genre (e.g., folk, heavy metal, world music), but many attempt to bring together a diverse lineup to showcase a broad array of popular music trends.^[2]

Woodstock Rock Festival (1969)

History

Initially, some of the earliest rock festivals were built on the foundation of pre-existing jazz and blues festivals, but quickly evolved to reflect the rapidly changing musical tastes of the time. For example, the United Kingdom's National Jazz Festival was launched in Richmond from 26 to 27 August 1961. The first three of these annual outdoor festivals featured only jazz music, but by the fourth "Jazz & Blues Festival" in 1964, a shift had begun that incorporated some blues and pop artists into the lineup. In 1965, for the first time the event included more blues, pop and rock acts than jazz, and by 1966, when the event moved to the town of Windsor, the rock and pop acts clearly dominated the jazz artists.^[3]

A similar, though more rapid, evolution occurred with Jazz Bilzen, a solely jazz festival that was inaugurated in 1965 in the Belgian city of Bilzen. The 1966 festival still featured mostly jazz acts. However, by the time of the third festival from 25 to 27 August 1967, rock and pop acts had edged out most of the jazz bands and become the main attraction.^[4]

In the United States, rock festivals seemed to spring up with a more self-defined musical identity. Preceded by several precursor events in the San Francisco area, the first two rock festivals in the US were staged in northern California on consecutive weekends in the summer of 1967: the KFRC Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival on Mount Tamalpais (10–11 June) and the Monterey International Pop Festival (16–17 June).^[5][6][7]

 

The Nambassa Festival in New Zealand

The concept caught fire and spread quickly as rock festivals took on a unique identity and attracted significant media attention around the world. By 1969, promoters were staging dozens of them. According to Bill Mankin, in their dawning age rock festivals were important socio-cultural milestones: "… it would not be an exaggeration to say that, over a few short years, rock festivals played a unique, significant – and underappreciated – role in fueling the countercultural shift that swept not only America but many other countries [during the 1960s]. It seems fitting… that one of the most enduring labels for the entire generation of that era was derived from a rock festival: the 'Woodstock Generation'."^[8]

Reflecting their musical diversity and the then-common term 'pop music', for the first few years, particularly in the US, many rock festivals were called 'pop festivals'. This also served to distinguish them among the ticket-buying public from other, pre-existing types of music festivals such as jazz and folk festivals. By the end of 1972, the term 'pop festival' had virtually disappeared as festival promoters adopted more creative, unique and location-specific names to identify and advertise their events. While it was still in vogue, however, over-zealous promoters eager to capitalize on the festival concept made the most of it, with some using the term "Pop Festival" or "Rock Festival" to advertise events held on a single day or evening, often indoors, and featuring only a handful of acts.^[9]

Today, rock festivals are usually open-air concerts spread out over two or more days and many of the annual events are sponsored by the same organization.^[10]

Features

Production and financing

Several of the early rock festival organizers of the 1960s such as Chet Helms, Tom Rounds, Alex Cooley and Michael Lang helped create the blueprint for large-scale rock festivals in the United States, as well promoters such as Wally Hope in the United Kingdom. In various countries, the organizers of rock festivals have faced legal action from authorities, in part because such festivals have attracted large counterculture elements. In 1972, Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Manatí, Puerto Rico attracted an estimated 30–35,000 people, and an arrest warrant was issued for promoter Alex Cooley, who avoided arrest by leaving the island before the festival was over.^[11] British Free Festival organizers Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle were imprisoned for attempting to promote a 1975 Windsor Festival.^[12][13] The British police would later outright attack free festival attendees at the 1985 Battle of the Beanfield.

Festivals may require millions of USD to be organized, with the money often gathered through fundraising and angel investors.^[14][15]

Stages and sound systems

While rock concerts typically feature a small lineup of rock bands playing a single stage, rock festivals often grow large enough to require several stages or venues with live bands playing concurrently.^[16] As rock music has increasingly been fused with other genres, sometimes stages will be devoted to a specific genre and may in turn become known and large enough to be seen as festivals themselves, such as was The Glade at the famous Glastonbury Festival in England.

Advances in sound reinforcement systems beginning in the 1960s enabled larger and larger rock festival audiences to hear the performers' music with much better clarity and volume.^[17] The best example was the pioneering work of Bill Hanley, known as the "father of festival sound", who provided the sound systems for numerous rock festivals including Woodstock. Other examples included the Wall of Sound invented in the 1970s to allow the Grateful Dead to play to larger audiences.

Camping and crowd control

Many festivals offer camping, either because lodging in the area is insufficient to support the crowd, or to allow easy multi-day access to the festival's features.^[18] Festival planning and logistics are frequently a focus of the media, some festivals such as the heavily commercialized Woodstock 1999 were crowd control disasters, with insufficient water and other resources provided to audiences.^[19] Many early rock festivals successfully relied on volunteers for crowd control, for example individuals like Wavy Gravy and biker groups such as the Hells Angels^[20] and Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club.^[21] Gravy in particular called his security group the "Please Force," a reference to their non-intrusive tactics at keeping order, e.g., "Please don't do that, please do this instead". When asked by the press — who were the first to inform him that he and the rest of his commune were handling security — what kind of tools he intended to use to maintain order at Woodstock in 1969, his response was "Cream pies and seltzer bottles."^[20] Other rock festivals hire private security or local police departments for crowd control, with varying degrees of success.^[22]

Historic rock festivals

1950s–1960s

Sample of rock festivals of historical significance, with an emphasis on multiple-day, outdoor events

Name	Years	Location	Notes
Historic jazz festivals	1950s–1960s	US/Europe	Some early jazz festivals and blues festivals were showcases for rock and roll artists, primarily in the US and the UK
Swamp Pop Music Festival	1950s–1960s	Louisiana, U.S.	"Swamp pop" is a distinctive style of music that began in the 1950s when Louisiana teenagers first heard new rock-n-roll idols like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Fats Domino on the radio. The Festival's most popular period was between 1958 and 1964, when nearly two dozen swamp pop recordings reached the national charts.^[23]
Newport Jazz Festival	1954–present	Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.	It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard. While initially focused on acoustic jazz, the festival's 1969 program was an experiment in fusing jazz, soul and rock music and audiences.
Beaulieu Jazz Festival	1956–1961	Beaulieu, Hampshire, UK	Lord Montagu of Beaulieu holds an annual traditional and modern jazz festival in the ground of Beaulieu estate, in the New Forest. Attracts beats and jazz eccentrics, called 'ravers', and both pop and jazz music.^[24]
National Jazz and Blues Festival	1961–1980s	United Kingdom	Though dedicated mostly to jazz and blues in the beginning, this annual festival has become a showcase for progressive rock as well, featuring groups such as the psychedelic rock group Cream.
Reading and Leeds Festivals	1961–present	England	The line-up settled into a pattern of progressive rock, blues and hard rock during the early and mid 1970s^[25] then became the first music festival to embrace punk rock and new wave in the late 1970s.^[26]
Festival Omladina	1961–1990 2012– present	Subotica, Serbia (Yugoslavia 1961– '90)	Established in Subotica in 1961, Festival Omladina (Youth Festival) was originally a competition of young composers of popular music. Their compositions were initially performed by pop singers, but soon the performers of competing compositions became rock bands. In 1970s, the non-competitive part, featuring established rock acts, was added to the program, and in the 1980s the festival became a competition of young rock bands. During the years, some of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav pop and rock scene performed on the festival.^[27]
Big Sur Folk Festival	1964–1971	Big Sur, California	Esalen Institute with Joan Baez and Nancy Carlen.^[28]
Parada ritma / Vatromet ritma	1964–1965	Yugoslavia	Parada ritma (Parade of Rhythm) / Vatromet ritma (Fireworks of Rhythm) was a series of concerts featuring Yugoslav rock bands, held in Belgrade and Novi Sad during 1964 and 1965. The first edition is considered the first rock festival in Yugoslavia and arguably the first rock festival in a communist country.^[27]^[29]
Vilar de Mouros Festival	1965–1968 1971 1982 1996 1999–2006 2014 2016–2019 2022–present	Portugal	Usually recognized in Portugal as the precursor of all the music festivals, the Vilar de Mouros Festival became a cultural icon, counting with the first edition in 1965. In that year it was organized a folk festival that by the large impact it had, reached immortalization in 1971, most of all because of rock music nature and the presence of bands with great international projection. Held with long interregnums and therefore named as the festival of several generations, it has been creating a certain eclecticism, which attracts musical styles that lead people with the most different musical tastes.
Jazz Bilzen	1965–1981	Bilzen, Belgium	First festival on the continent where jazz and pop music were brought together. Sometimes called the "mother of all (European) festivals," Bilzen started out jazz, but soon blues, folk, rock and soul, later even punk and new wave, came to be incorporated as well.
Gitarijada (Belgrade)	1966–1967	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	Gitarijada (Guitar Fest) was a festival held in Belgrade, featuring performances of Yugoslav rock bands. The festival was one of early rock festivals in Yugoslavia and considered one of the milestones in the history of Yugoslav rock music.^[30]^[31]^[32]^[33] The first edition of the festival was attended by more than 15,000^[32] and the second by more than 13,000 spectators.^[34]
Gitarijada (Zaječar)	1966–present	Zaječar, Serbia (Yugoslavia 1966— '91)	Established in Zaječar in 1966, Gitarijada (Guitar Fest) is one of the longest lasting festivals in Serbia and in South Eastern Europe and the largest festival of young and unaffirmed bands in South Eastern Europe.^[35] Currently, it consists of competitive part and of non-competitive part featuring well-known Serbian and foreign acts.
Trips Festival	1966	San Francisco, California, U.S.	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.^[36] Ten thousand people attended this sold-out event, with a thousand more turned away each night.^[37] On Saturday 22 January, 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.^[38] Grateful Dead sound engineer Ken Babbs notably created a new sound system for the festival, building sound amplifiers that didn't distort when turned up to high sound levels.^[citation needed] The Trips Festival was followed by the 6 October 1966 Love Pageant Rally, held in San Francisco to protest the banning of LSD.
Mantra-Rock Dance	1967	California, U.S.	Occurring several weeks after the Human Be-In event on 14 January 1967, the 29 January Mantra-Rock Dance was a precursor event to the large outdoor festivals that debuted in the summer of 1967. The dance was held in San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom, featured three bands including Grateful Dead, and was organized by followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to introduce its founder to a wider American audience.
Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival	1967	Marin County, California, U.S.	Over 36,000 people attended the two-day concert and fair on 10 and 11 June, that was the first of a series of San Francisco area cultural events known as the Summer of Love. Influenced by the popular Renaissance Pleasure Faire, which was founded in Irwindale, California in 1963 as the first large renaissance fair. Fantasy Fair became a prototype for large scale multi-act outdoor rock music events now known as rock festivals.
Monterey Pop Festival	1967	Monterey, California, U.S.	Major one-time cultural event on 16–18 June, with genres including rock, pop and folk, including blues-rock, folk rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock styles.
Schaefer Music Festival	1967–1976	New York City, U.S.	First held in the summer of 1966 in Central Park as the small event the Rheingold Central Park Music Festival, the first lineup in July 1967 with the new name included only The Young Rascals; The Jimi Hendrix Experience; and Len Chandler. The lineup afterwards grew exponentially, with diverse genres related to blues and pop. On 21 July 1969 Led Zeppelin were the headliners of the Schaefer Music Festival at New York City's Wollman Rink, along with B.B. King.^[39]
1968 Pop & Underground Festival	1968	Hallandale, Florida, U.S.	An estimated 25,000 people attended the May event, which was promoted by Richard O'Barry and Michael Lang, later famous as promoter of Woodstock. This event would later come to be known colloquially as the "Miami Pop Festival", though it was unrelated to the December 1968 "Miami Pop Festival".
Northern California Folk Rock Festival I	1968	San Jose, California, U.S>	18–19 May 1968. The first festival featured notable bands such as Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Janis Joplin, The Youngbloods, The Electric Flag, Kaleidoscope, Taj Mahal, etc.
Summerfest	1968–present	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.	Billed as "The World's Largest Music Festival" by the Guinness World Records since 1999,^[40]^[41] this 11-day event is held between late June and early July, encompassing all genres of musical styles.
Newport Pop Festival	1968–1969	Costa Mesa, California, U.S.	3–4 August 1968. The first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees. Also held the following year.
Isle of Wight Festival	1968–1970 2002– present	Isle of Wight, England	31 August and 1 September 1968. Progressive rock counterculture event. The 1970 event was by far the largest of the early ones, and 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.
Sky River Rock Festival	1968–1970	near Sultan, Washington, U.S.	First held 31 Aug – 2 September 1968 (as well as 30 Aug – 1 September 1969; 28 Aug-Sep...1970), it was the first multi-day outdoor hippie rock festival at an undeveloped site.^[42] Included the Lighter Than Air Fair.
Internationale Essener Songtage	1968	Essen, Germany	September 1968. Krautrock arose at this first major, weeklong, indoors German rock festival.^[43]
Hyde Park Free Concerts	1968–1976	Hyde Park, London	UK—single-day events
San Francisco Pop Festival	1968	Pleasanton, California, U.S.	Held Saturday 26 October & Sunday 27 October 1968. The groups playing at the festival included The Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc.
Los Angeles Pop Festival	1968	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	The dates were 22 and 23 December 1968, with groups such as Blue Cheer, The Box Tops, Canned Heat, etc.
Miami Pop Festival	1968	Hallandale, Florida, U.S.	28–30 December 1968. This event drew an estimated 100,000 people, was the first major rock festival on America's east coast, and was produced by Tom Rounds, who had previously produced the seminal Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival. Performers included Chuck Berry, Joe Tex, Marvin Gaye, Flatt and Scruggs, The Turtles, Procol Harum, The Amboy Dukes, Steppenwolf, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Palm Springs Pop Festival	1969	Palm Springs, California, U.S.	Held 1–2 April 1969,^[44] it was actually two separate one day events. The first was at the Sunair Drive-in in Cathedral City and was called the Palm Springs Pop Festival. Lee Michaels, Procol Harum and John Mayall were the closing acts that day. Day 2 was called the San Andreas Boogie held at the LA Angels summer training baseball field. There was a prediction of an earthquake that day (didn't happen). Buddy Miles Band, Savoy Brown and Canned Heat were the closing acts. The situation went sour when policing efforts militarized the event and there were riots,^[22] and a young concert-goer was shot and killed by a nearby store clerk. Concert permits were not issued in Palm Springs afterwards for many years.^[45]
Big Rock Pow-Wow	1969	West Hollywood, Florida, U.S.	Took place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 23, 24 and 25 May 1969, at the Hollywood Seminole Indian Reservation in West Hollywood, Florida. Artists who performed at the festival included Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Rhinoceros, Muddy Waters, the Youngbloods, with Timothy Leary speaking from the stage.
Northern California Folk-Rock Festival II	1969	San Jose, California, U.S.	23–25 May, the festival featured The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, etc.
First Annual Detroit Rock & Roll Revival	1969	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	30–31 May 1969, held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Local artists such as Sun Ra played, as well as Chuck Berry, MC5 and The Stooges.^[46]
Newport 69 Pop Festival	1969	Northridge, Los Angeles, U.S.	20–22 June 1969
Toronto Pop Festival	1969	Toronto, Canada	21–22 June 1969. Toronto Pop was the first large music festival ever held in Canada. Held at Varsity Stadium (a football stadium on the grounds of the University of Toronto) over two days of 21 and 22 June 1969, crowds averaged 35–40,000 each day. Scheduled performers included Saturday, 21 June - Eric Anderson, Al Kooper, The Band, Bonzo Dog Band, Johnny Winter, Velvet Underground and Sly & the Family Stone. Sunday, 22 June - Ronnie Hawkins, Chuck Berry, Kensington Market, Tiny Tim, Nucleus, Dr. John & the Night Tripper, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Steppenwolf
Bath Festival of Blues	1969	Somerset, England	Saturday 28 June 1969. Developed by Freddy Bannister and Wendy Bannister, it had a lineup of British blues bands, including Fleetwood Mac (the headliners), John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Ten Years After, Led Zeppelin, The Nice, Chicken Shack, Jon Hiseman's Colosseum, Mick Abrahams' Blodwyn Pig amongst others.^[47]
Denver Pop Festival	1969	Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Three-day music festival promoted by rock promoter Barry Fey (Feyline) on 27 – 29 June 1969 which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock two months later. With the full support and local resources of Denver, the peak attendance was estimated at 50,000.
Harlem Cultural Festival	1969	Harlem, New York, U.S.	29 June – 24 August 1969. The Harlem Cultural Festival (also known as Black Woodstock) was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the continued politics of black pride. Notable participants included Nina Simone, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone,^[48] Chuck Jackson, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach, the 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, and Moms Mabley, among many others.
Mississippi River Festival	1969–1980	Edwardsville, Illinois, U.S.	MRF consisted of a variety of popular rock, folk, bluegrass, and classical music performers.^[49] The more popular groups, such as The Who, Yes, Chicago, Eagles, and Grateful Dead shows were heavily attended. Some shows attracting crowds in excess of 30,000.^[50] In July 1969, Bob Dylan did a short surprise gig, together with The Band. It was his first performance since his notorious motorcycle accident in 1966.
Atlanta International Pop Festival I	1969	Hampton, Georgia, U.S.	The first Atlanta festival was held 4–5 July 1969, at the Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta, and drew a crowd of around 100,000.^[51] Performers included Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, and Chicago Transit Authority.
The Stones in the Park	1969	Hyde Park, London	Free outdoor concert by The Rolling Stones held on 5 July 1969, also featuring Third Ear Band, King Crimson, Screw, Alexis Korner's New Church, Family and The Battered Ornaments,^[52] in front of a crowd estimated at between 250,000^[52] and 500,000 fans.^[53]^[54]^[55]
Laurel Pop Festival	1969	Laurel, Maryland, U.S.	A music festival held at the Laurel Race Course in Laurel, MD on 11–12 July 1969. The festival featured Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, Edwin Hawkins and Led Zeppelin (on 11 July); and Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, The Mothers of Invention, Savoy Brown and Guess Who (on 12 July).^[56]
Summer Pop Festival	1969	United States	Had Led Zeppelin at the Summer Pop Festival on 12 July,^[57]
Midwest Rock Festival	1969	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S>	A music festival held at the State Fair Park on the 25–27 July 1969. The festival featured Led Zeppelin, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The First Edition, Sweetwater, Pacific Gas & Electric, SRC and Shag (25 July); Blind Faith, etc.
Seattle Pop Festival	1969	Woodinville, Washington, U.S.	Twenty-six musicians and groups performed at the festival, including Chuck Berry, Black Snake, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Chicago Transit Authority, Bo Diddley, The Doors, etc. 25–27 July.
Singer Bowl Music Festival	1969	United States	The Singer Bowl Music Festival on 30 August featured Led Zeppelin.^[58]
Atlantic City Pop Festival	1969	Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	took place in 1969 on 1, 2 and 3 August at the Atlantic City race track, two weeks before Woodstock Festival. Attended by some 100,000+ people, the festival featured the following performers: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana, etc.
Woodstock	1969	Bethel, New York, U.S.	This historically and culturally notable festival 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, progressive rock, and psychedelic rock. 15–18 August, audience of over 400,000 young people.
Vancouver Pop Festival	1969	Squamish, British Columbia, Canada	Canadian rock festival held on 22, 23 and 24 August 1969, Paradise Valley Resort, Squamish. It was produced by Candi Promotions. The groups playing at the festival included The Chambers Brothers, Chicago, Alice Cooper, etc.
Texas International Pop Festival	1969	Lewisville, Texas, U.S.	It occurred two weeks after Woodstock. The site for the event was the newly opened Dallas International Motor Speedway. The festival was the brainchild of Angus G. Wynne III, son of Angus G. Wynne, the founder of the Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park. Artists performing at the festival were: Canned Heat, Chicago, James Cotton, Led Zeppelin, etc. The Merry Pranksters, Ken Kesey's group, was in charge of the free stage and camping area. Attendance at the festival remains unknown, but is estimated between 120,000 and 150,000.
New Orleans Pop Festival	1969	Prairieville, Louisiana, U.S.	On 30 August – 1 September at the Louisiana International Speedway, the festival featured 26 bands, including seven veterans of Woodstock which was held two week prior such as Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane. Peak attendance was estimated at 35,000.^[citation needed]
Toronto Rock and Roll Revival	1969	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	One-day, twelve-hour music festival held on 13 September 1969. With a number of popular rock & roll acts from the 1950s and 1960s, it also featured an appearance by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and The Doors.
Palm Beach Pop Festival	1969	Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.	28–30 November 1969, the event featured artists such as Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones.^[59] Held only one year. the event met with a number of logistical difficulties, including rain and lack of supplies. The local police also heavily militarized the event, and the promoters were bankrupted.^[60]
Altamont Free Concert	1969	Altamont Speedway, California, U.S.	Genres included Rock and folk, including blues-rock, folk rock, jazz fusion, Latin rock, and psychedelic rock styles. Actually a free Rolling Stones gig, it featured, in order of appearance: Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, etc. 6 December 1969. One audience member was stabbed to death by the Hell's Angels, who were hired as security for the concert.
Miami Rock Festival	1969	Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.	27–29 December 1969, held at the Hollywood Speedway Park near Miami. The lineup included acts such as Motherlode, Sweetwater, and Canned Heat performed. Police searched fans, making 47 arrests, and a young audience member died after falling from a spotlight tower.^[61]

1970s

Name	Years	Location	Notes
Redwood 70	1970	West Auckland, New Zealand	The first major multi-day music festival held in New Zealand, held on 31 January and 1 February 1970. Headlining act Robin Gibb of the BeeGees was pelted with cans and tomatoes by a disgruntled crowd.^[62]^[63]
Festival of Political Songs	1970–1990	East Germany	Generally held in mid to late February, this festival was a major cultural event for the Free German Youth organization, featuring select political music.
Hollywood Music Festival	1970	Staffordshire, England	23 and 24 May 1970, it was notable for the first performance of the Grateful Dead in the UK. This was the first of the major festivals held in the summer of 1970 and part of the festival was to have been filmed by the BBC.^[64]^[65]
The Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival	1970	Heyworth, Illinois, U.S.	The Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival was held on Memorial Day Weekend in May 1970 near Heyworth, Illinois. The Grim Reapers provided the festival security. Approximately 60,000 people attended the festival.^[21]
World Popular Song Festival	1970–1989	Japan	With a pop music focus, it was also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held from 1970 until 1989.
Atlanta International Pop Festival II	1970	Byron, Georgia, U.S.	The second and last Atlanta Pop Festival was held 3–5 July 1970, slightly east of Byron, Georgia, 100 miles south of Atlanta, and drew a crowd of over two hundred thousand. Jimi Hendrix was the headliner.
Super Concert '70	1970	Berlin, Germany	A one-day music festival on 4 September 1970. The festival was headlined by Jimi Hendrix, and was his next to last performance. He appeared on stage once more at the Open Air Love & Peace Festival in Fehmarn, Germany, on 6 September 1970.
Aachen Open Air Pop Festival	1970	Germany	The "Soersfestival", as it is most commonly called, was the initiative of three local students. Some 50,000 visitors attended.
Piedra Roja	1970	Chile	between 10 and 12 October 1970 in the eastern area of Santiago. Among others, the following bands performed in the festival: Aguaturbia, Los Blops, Lágrima Seca and Los Jaivas.
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music	1970	Shepton Mallet, Somerset, UK	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.
Phun City	1970	Worthing, Sussex, UK	Featuring alternative rock and rock, it was organised by the UK Underground anarchist Mick Farren, the festival was notable for having no fences and no admission fees.
Kralingen Music Festival	1970	Rotterdam, Netherlands	Performing bands included The Byrds, T. Rex, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and the headlining Pink Floyd. Approximately 150.000 attended.
Strawberry Fields	1970	Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada	Although accounts vary, the audience has been estimated at between 75,000 and 100,000 people. Bands such as Jethro Tull and Alice Cooper performed.
Ruisrock	1970–present	Turku, Finland	Second oldest rock festival in Europe and the oldest in Finland. The all-time attendance record was set in 1971, when there were about 100,000 visitors, with artists such as Canned Heat playing.
Pinkpop Festival	1970–present	Landgraaf, Netherlands	A large, annual pop music festival initially held at Geleen, the Netherlands. Incorporates many genres, and early on was known for focusing on progressive rock. The oldest, still running rockfestival of the world.
Powder Ridge Rock Festival	1970	Middlefield, Connecticut, U.S.	Scheduled for 31 July – 2 August 1970, the event was cancelled at the last minute, though thousands of concert-goers still showed up at the venue.
Goose Lake International Music Festival	1970	Michigan, U.S.	7–9 August 1970,^[66] the Goose Lake promoters wanted better planning and facilities than Woodstock.^[67] The stage was built on a revolving turntable with two performance spaces. At the end of each performance, the stage would rotate 180 degrees, and the next act would begin performing almost immediately.^[68] An estimated 200,000 rock music fans attended the festival. The initial attitude of the "young, hip police force"^[67] to fans was to "leave them alone",^[69] though there were 160 arrests of those leaving after the event, mostly on drug charges.^[70]
Man-Pop Festival	1970	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Held 29 August 1970, Led Zeppelin was the headlining act at the event. Other artists performing at the festival included The Youngbloods, The Ides of March, Iron Butterfly, Chilliwack, plus local bands, including Dianne Heatherington and The Merry Go Round.^[71]
Glastonbury Festival	1970–1971 1978–present	Pilton, Somerset, UK	In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. It is organized by Michael Eavis on his own farm land. The first ever opening act was the English progressive rock group Stackridge.
Vortex I	1970	Oregon, U.S.	A week-long rock festival sponsored by the Portland counterculture community with help from the U.S. state of Oregon. The music at the festival was primarily performed by local acts. It is the only state-sponsored rock festival in United States history.
White Concert	1971	Monterrey, Mexico	in February 1971 in Monterrey, a collective band called Sierra Madre and a state-of-the-art lights spectacle named "Music and light show" faced repression after a failed attempt to hold a three-day concert, called Concierto Blanco (white concert) inside the State government palace in Monterrey's main square. The violent incidents after the White concert, which were extensively covered by the media, seriously damaged then Nuevo Leon governor Eduardo Elizondo's political career.^[72]
Festival Buenos Aires Rock	1971	Argentina	Major hippie festival held in Argentina.^[73]
Festival de Ancon	1971	Colombia	Major pop festival held in Colombia, held 18 to 20 June
Roskilde Festival	1971–present	Roskilde, Denmark	Denmark's first real music-oriented festival, originally towards counter-culture music such as psychedelic rock. 2013 had more than 180 bands and around 130,000 festival goers.
Myponga Pop Festival	1971	Myponga, South Australia	Over three days in the summer of 1971. The festival was headlined by heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. Other performers included Australian acts Daddy Cool, Spectrum, Fraternity, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Chain.^[74]
Celebration Of Life		McCrea, Louisiana, U.S.	An 8-day festival without proper facilities for the 60,000+ attendees. This debacle is the subject of a documentary, McCrea 1971, which can be seen at http://www.mccrea1971.com
Bumbershoot	1971–present	Seattle, Washington, U.S.	One of North America's largest annual international music and arts festivals, held in Seattle, Washington every Labor Day weekend. It features a large amount of rock and experimental artists and genres, which in 1990s included the local grunge genre, and recently has included indie rock.
Ilosaarirock	1971–present	Joensuu, Finland	The second oldest rock festival in Finland still active, and one of the oldest in Europe. Progressive rock bands featuring electronic features frequently perform.
Weeley Festival	1971	United Kingdom	27–29 August 1971, Weeley, UK
Festival Rock y Ruedas de Avándaro	1971	Valle de Bravo, Mexico	11–12 September 1971, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Sunbury Pop Festival	1972–1975	Australia	26 January, held at Diggers Rest, Victoria.
Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival	1972	Bull Island, Griffin, Indiana, U.S.	A crowd estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 attended the concert, four times what the promoters estimated. Food and water were in short supply, and the gathering descended into relative anarchy. After the show was finished, remnants of the crowd burned the main stage.^[75]
Bickershaw Festival	1972	Bickershaw, England	Held in Bickershaw (Wigan, Lancashire), England, between 5 and 7 May 1972.^[76] Except for the 1976–79 Deeply Vale Festivals, Bickershaw was the only major north-west multi-day festival with camping.
Concert 10/Mt. Pocono Rock Festival	1972	Long Pond, Pennsylvania, U.S.	8 and 9 July 1972. The event attracted an estimated 200,000 people who were met with cold inclement weather, replete with rain and mud.
Mar Y Sol Pop Festival	1972	Manatí, Puerto Rico	An estimated 30–35,000 people attended the festival. An arrest warrant was issued for promoter Alex Cooley, who avoided arrest by leaving the island before the festival was over. Performers included the Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Faces, Alice Cooper, The Allman Brothers Band, Billy Joel, Cactus, Osibisa, B. B. King, and others.
Windsor Free Festival	1972–1974	Windsor Great Park, England	A 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.^[77]
BOOM Festival	1972–1978	Yugoslavia	A rock music festival, held in several cities of Yugoslavia: three editions of the festival were held in Ljubljana, one in Zagreb, one in Belgrade and two in Novi Sad. The festival featured numerous prominent acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene, and five various artists live albums were recorded on various editions of the festival.^[30]
The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival	1973	New Zealand	the first large outdoor music festival in New Zealand. It was held on a farm at Ngaruawahia on the Waikato River for three days from 6 to 8 January 1973.^[78]
Aquarius Festival	1973	Australia	A counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. The first NUAUS festival was held in Sydney ca 1966,^[79] while the second, Melbourne, third in Canberra and last (Aquarius) was held in Nimbin, New South Wales in 1973.^[80] Estimated turn-up at Nimbin was from 5,000 to 10,000 people. It is often described as Australia's equivalent to the Woodstock Festival and the birthplace for Australia's hippie movement.^[81]
Day on the Green	1973–1991	Oakland, California, U.S.	First held 5 August 1973, it was a recurring concert in Oakland, California presented by promoter Bill Graham and his company Bill Graham Presents. Held at the Oakland Coliseum, these events began in 1973 and continued into the early 1990s. The last Day on the Green overseen by Graham took place the same month as his death in a helicopter crash in 1991. Headliners the first year included bands such as Elvin Bishop, Merry Clayton, while the Grateful Dead appeared the second.
Summer Jam at Watkins Glen	1973	Watkins Glen, New York, U.S.	Once received the Guinness Book of World Records entry for "Largest audience at a pop festival." An estimated 600,000 rock fans came to the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway outside of Watkins Glen, New York on 28 July 1973, to see the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band perform.
Hurricane Festival	1973–present	Scheeßel, Germany	In June 1973, the first festival was held in Scheeßel, the place where today's Hurricane takes place. It was called "Es rockt in der Heide" at that time (literally translated: It's rocking in the heath) and was attended by 52,000 people.
Stonehenge Free Festival	1974–1984	Stonehenge, England	Important free festival that happened during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on 21 June. A celebration of countercultures, with New Age Travellers and the Wallys attending. Hosted bands including Hawkwind, Gong, Doctor and the Medics, Flux of Pink Indians, Thompson Twins, etc.
Ashton Court Festival	1974–2007	Bristol, England	Held annually in mid-July, starting as a small one-day festival in 1974, the festival grew during succeeding years and was said to be Britain's largest free festival until changes brought on by government legislation resulted in compulsory fees and security fencing being introduced.
Knebworth Festival	1974	England
Village Fair	1974–present	Bathurst, Australia	Annual community festival that began in 1974 with increasingly expanded performances such as local indie music acts and Australian headliners. New venue in 2007, and a music festival almost double in size of any previous years.^[citation needed]
Zaire 74	1974	Kinshasa, Zaire	A three-day live music festival that took place on 22 to 24 September 1974 at the '20th of May Stadium' in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). The concert, conceived by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and record producer Stewart Levine, the Zaire 74 event was intended to present and promote racial and cultural solidarity between African American and African people, with performers such as B.B. King. 80,000 people attended.
Ozark Music Festival	1974	Sedalia, Missouri, U.S.	Held 19–21 July 1974 on the Missouri State Fairgrounds, some estimates have put the crowd count at 350,000 people.
Rock Werchter	1974–present	Werchter, Belgium	Can host 88,000 guests daily since 2018. From 1975 until 1998 named as 'Torhout-Werchter' since the festival was both hosted in Werchter and Torhout in the same weekend.
California Jam	1974	Ontario, California, U.S.	Co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, held at the Ontario Motor Speedway on 6 April 1974.^[82] It attracted 250,000^[83] paying fans. The festival set what were then records for the loudest amplification system ever installed, the highest paid attendance, and highest gross in history.
Watchfield Free Festival	1975	Watchfield, England	On 23–31 August 1975, a former military site at Watchfield became the location of the People's Free Festival which had been held during the previous three years, despite opposition, in Windsor Great Park. The Windsor Free Festivals had been violently terminated by the police in 1974. This new site was offered as an alternative venue due to government embarrassment at previous police actions and was attended by several thousand people. Musicians who performed there included Hawkwind and Vivian Stanshall. Watchfield Free Festival was the only Free festival to be government sponsored (with assistance by then-Home Secretary Roy Jenkins), or be given official recognition.
Michigan Womyn's Music Festival	1976–2015	Michigan, U.S.	Called "the Original Womyn's Woodstock"^[84] and often referred to as MWMF or Michfest, is an international feminist music festival held every August in a small wooded area known as "The Land." The event is completely built, staffed, run and attended by women.^[85]
European Punk Rock Festival	1976	Mont de Marsan, France	In August 1976, the self-described "First European Punk Rock Festival". Eddie and the Hot Rods, a London pub rock group, headlined. The Sex Pistols, originally scheduled to play, were dropped by the organizers who said the band had gone "too far" in demanding top billing and certain amenities; The Clash backed out in solidarity.^[86] Organised by Zermati, took place at Mont-de-Marsan on 21 August 1976, and featured French bands Bijou, Il Biaritz and Shakin' Street, as well as The Damned.^[87]
Midtfyns Festival	1976–2003	Ringe, Denmark	In the festival's heyday it was competing with Roskilde Festival to be the biggest music event in Northern Europe, mostly due to Phish's appearance at the festival in 1998.
Cropredy Convention	1976–present	Cropredy, England	Annual festival of folk and rock music held second week of August. Attracts up to 20,000 people each year, with ancillary events, such as morris dancing in the streets and live music at the village's two pubs.
100 Club Punk Festival	1976	Oxford Street, London	A two-day event held at the 100 Club, a typically jazz-oriented venue in Oxford Street, London, England, on 20 and 21 September 1976.^[88] The gig showcased eight punk rock bands, most of which were unsigned. The bands in attendance were each associated with the evolving punk rock music scene and movement of the United Kingdom. The concert marked a watershed for the movement, as punk began to move from the underground and emerge into the mainstream music scene.
Paléo Festival	1976–present	Nyon, Switzerland	1976–2005 had 3.5 million spectators in total
Deeply Vale Festivals	1976–1979	England	The Deeply Vale Festivals were unique free festivals held near Bury in northwest England in 1976 through 1979. They are regarded as significant events that united punk music into the festival scene.
Nambassa	1976–1981	New Zealand	A series of hippie-conceived festivals held between 1976 and 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. The January 1979 three-day event attracted over 75,000 patrons making it the largest arts, multiple cultural and popular music event of its type in the world.^[89]
Waikino Music Festival	1977	New Zealand
California Jam II	1978	Ontario, California, U.S>	18 March 1978 and produced by Leonard Stogel, Sandy Feldman, and Don Branker.^[90]^[91] More than 350,000 people attended. The event was promoted by Wolf and Rissmiller Concerts.
Texxas Jam	1978–1988	Dallas, Texas/Houston, Texas, U.S.	Annual summer arena rock concert called the Texxas World Music Festival (1978–1988). It was held in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, and in Houston, at either the Astrodome or the Rice Stadium on the campus of Rice University. Inspired by California Jam II, Texxas Jam was created by Louis Messina and David Krebs. Over 100,000 attended the first Texxas Jam on 1 July 1978, the hottest day of the decade (the temperature reached 104 degrees). It was the first southern stadium rock show since ZZ Top played to 80,000 people at UT Austin on 1 September 1974 and tore up the field.
Canada Jam	1978	Canada	Held on 26 August 1978. The festival was produced by Sandy Feldman and Leonard Stogel, who produced California Jam and California Jam II, and was sponsored by Carling O'Keefe. It attracted over 110,000 fans, making it the largest paying rock event in Canadian history at that time.^[92]

1980s–2020s

Selected historically notable rock festivals held since the 1980s

Festival name	Location	Years	Details
Heatwave	Canada	1980	Important event for new wave and punk
Spring Rhythms. Tbilisi-80	Soviet Union	1980	First official rock festival in the Soviet Union
Elephant Fayre	England	1980-1986	Lineup blended reggae/rock with major punk acts
US Festival	California, U.S.	1982-1983	Meant to fuse rock and technology
Super Rock '84 in Japan	Japan	1984	The lineup included Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Scorpions, Michael Schenker Group and Anvil
Live Aid	London, UK/Philadelphia, U.S.	1985	13 July 1985, held in two countries
Battle of the Beanfield	England	1985	Police action against free festival
Rock in Rio	Brazil	1985–present	1.5 million people attended the first event
Super Rock '85 in Japan	Japan	1985	The lineup included Dio, Foreigner, Sting, Mama's Boys and Rough Cutt
Street Scene	California, U.S.	1986–2009	One of the largest annual US music festivals
Rendez-vous Houston	Texas, U.S.	1986	Largest ticketed event in North America, 1 to 1.5 mill. attendees
Moscow Music Peace Festival	Soviet Union	1989	Important event for glam metal
Livid	Australia	1989–2003	Alternative rock festival for international and local bands
Wacken Open Air	Germany	1990–present	Large metal showcase
International Pop Underground Convention	Washington, U.S.	1991	Punk and indie rock festival
Big Day Out	Australia	1992–2014	Multiple stages and genres
Sziget	Hungary	1993–present	Large Woodstock style event
Woodstock '94	United States	12–14 Aug 1994	First real Woodstock Festival since the 1969 Festival. 350,000+ in attendance,much like the original Woodstock as it rained that weekend and there was mud and fun. Several of the original artists from the 1969 Festival performed. Peaceful crowd and no problems. Widely known as Generation X's Woodstock.
Whitby Goth Weekend	England	1994–present	Large goth/industrial festival
Przystanek Woodstock	Poland	1995–present	Ticket-free festival with crowds up to 625,000
Vans Warped Tour	United States	1995–2018	Punk rock showcase
V Festival	England	1996–present	Two concurrent stages
Fuji Rock Festival	Japan	1997–present	In 2005, more than 100,000 people attended
Vive Latino	Mexico City, Mexico	1998–present	Is an annual music festival held in Mexico City. It is one of the most important music festivals in Mexico
Nashestvie	Russia	1999-2019	One of largest Russian rock open-air festivals. Cancelled due to government interference.
Woodstock 1999	Rome, New York, U.S.	1999	Known as a commercial and crowd control disaster
Summer Sonic Festival	Japan	2000–present	Major commercial festival
Rock in Roma	Italy	2002–present	Several groups perform over a month
Download Festival	England	2003–present	Hard rock, heavy metal and punk
Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto	Canada	2003	Largest outdoor ticketed event in Canada (~half a mill.)
Soundwave	Australia	2004–2015	Alt rock and metal/punk focus
Oxegen	Ireland	2004–2013	One of largest rock/pop festivals in Ireland
Live 8	Many	2005	Ten simultaneous benefit concerts in 8 countries
Wanee Festival	Live Oak, Florida	2005-2018	Annual event held 2005 - 2018 at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, in Live Oak, Florida. The festival was hosted by the Allman Brothers Band until 2014.
WaveAid	Australia	2005	Benefit Concert in Sydney for 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
Live Earth	Worldwide	2007	Widely broadcast worldwide
Sound Relief	Australia	2009	Benefit Concert in Sydney and Melbourne
Corona Capital	Mexico City, Mexico	2010–present	Annual music festival held in Mexico City, taking place in the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. It debuted in 2010 and is organized by Grupo CIE. It primarily features rock and alternative music.
El Abrazo 2010	Santiago, Chile	2010	Festival that brought together rock musicians from Chile and Peru to celebrate the bicentennial of both countries.
Fire Fight Australia	Australia	2020	Benefit Concert in Sydney for 2019–20 Australian bushfire season
Peach Music Festival	Scranton, Pennsylvania	2012–present	Annual music festival started by the Allman Brothers Band and Live Nation Entertainment that has been held annually since 2012 at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Traveling festivals

A recent innovation is the traveling rock festival where many musical acts perform at multiple locations during a tour. Successful festivals are often held in subsequent years. The following is an incomplete list.

• Anger Management Tour
• Australian Made
• Crüe Fest
• Curiosa
• Deconstruction Tour
• Family Values Tour
• Festival Express
• G3
• Gigantour
• Rock Boat
• Hard Electric Tour
• Lilith Fair
• Knotfest
• Mayhem Festival
• Magic Circle Festival
• Monsters of Rock
• Nintendo Fusion Tour
• Ozzfest
• Projekt Revolution
• Persistence Tour
• Rock Never Stops Tour
• Sad Summer Festival^[93]
• ShipRocked^[94]
• Sonisphere Festival
• Sounds Of The Underground
• Soundwave
• Summer Sanitarium
• Taste of Chaos
• The Unholy Alliance Tour
• Uproar Festival
• Warped Tour

Current rock festivals

The following is a list of festivals that predominantly feature rock genres that take place on a regular basis. Most are held at the same location on an annual basis. Some, like Farm Aid are held at different venues with each incarnation.

Africa

Botswana

• Overthrust Winter Metal Mania Festival (Ghanzi)^[95]

Asia

China

• Beijing Pop Festival (Beijing)
• Midi Modern Music Festival (Beijing)
• Modern Sky Festival (Beijing)

India

• Bangalore Open Air (Karnataka)
• Thunderstrock Festival (Ranchi, Jharkhand)

Indonesia

• Brotherground (Surabaya)
• Hammersonic Festival (Jakarta)
• Hellprint (Bandung)
• Rock In Celebes (Makassar)^[96]
• Rock In Solo (Surakarta, Central Java)

Japan

 

Fuji Rock Festival 2007

• BLARE FEST (Nagoya)^[97]
• Download Festival (Chiba City)
• Fuji Rock Festival (Naeba)
• Loud Park Festival
• Rising Sun Rock Festival (Ishikari)
• Rock In Japan (Hitachinaka)
• Summer Sonic Festival (Chiba and Osaka)

South Korea

• ETPFEST (Seoul)
• Jisan Valley Rock Festival (Icheon)
• Pentaport Rock Festival (Incheon)

Rest of Asia

• Hohaiyan Rock Festival (Gongliao, Taiwan)
• Noise Metal Fest (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
• Rock The World Festival (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
• Silence Fest (Kathmandu, Nepal)

Europe

Austria

• Donauinselfest (Vienna, Austria)
• FM4 Frequency Festival (Salzburg, Austria)
• Kaltenbach Open Air (Styria, Austria)
• Nova Rock (Nickelsdorf, Austria)

Belgium

 

Graspop Metal Meeting

• Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival (Kortrijk)^[98]
• Blast from the Past Festival (Kuurne)
• Graspop Metal Meeting (Dessel)
• Huginns Awakening Fest (Oostende)
• Headbanger's Balls Fest (Izegem)
• Ieperfest (Ypres)
• Metalworksfest (Kuurne)

Czech Republic

• Brutal Assault (Jaroměř)
• Fluff Fest (Rokycany)
• Masters of Rock (Vizovice)
• Metalfest (Plzeň)
• Mighty Sounds (Tábor)
• Obscene Extreme (Trutnov)
• Rock for People (Hradec Králové)
• Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (Trutnov)

Denmark

• Aalborg Metal Festival (Aalborg)
• Copenhell (Copenhagen, Zealand)
• Metal Magic Festival (Fredericia, Jutland)
• Royal Metal Fest (Aarhus, Jutland)
• Viborg Metal Festival (Viborg, Jutland)

Estonia

• Hard Rock Laager (Vana-Vigala, Märjamaa Parish)
• Howls of Winter (Tallinn)
• Barbar Feast (Saula, Kose Parish)

Finland

 

Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Finland

• Dark River Festival (Kotka)
• Down By The Laituri (Turku)
• Ilosaarirock (Joensuu)
• Jalometalli Metal Music Festival, (Oulu)
• John Smith Rock Festival (Laukaa)
• Kuopiorock (Kuopio)
• Nummirock (Kauhajoki)
• Provinssirock (Seinäjoki)
• Qstock (Oulu)
• Ruisrock (Turku)
• Saarihelvetti (Tampere)
• Sauna Open Air Metal Festival (Tampere)
• Steelfest Open Air (Hyvinkää)
• Tammerfest (Tampere)^[99]
• Turku Saatanalle (Turku)
• Tuska Open Air Metal Festival (Helsinki)
• Puntala-rock (Lempäälä)

France

• Eurockéennes (Belfort)
• Hellfest (Clisson)
• Motocultor Festival (Brittany)
• Plane'R Fest (Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans)
• Rock en Seine (Saint-Cloud)
• Sylak Open Air (Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans)

Germany

 

Wacken Open Air in 2005

• Bang Your Head!!! (Balingen)
• Chronical Moshers Open Air (Heinsdorfergrund)
• Dong Open Air (Neukirchen-Vluyn)
• Download Festival (Baden-Württemberg)
• Elbriot (Hamburg)
• Euroblast Festival (Cologne)
• Full Force (Löbnitz)
• Hurricane Festival (Scheeßel)
• In Flammen Open Air (Torgau)
• M'era Luna Festival (Hildesheim)
• Metal Frenzy Open Air Festival (Gardelegen)
• Party.San Metal Open Air (Thuringia)
• Ragnarök Festival (Lichtenfels, Bavaria)
• Rhön Rock Open Air (Hünfeld-Oberfeld)^[100]
• Rock am Ring and Rock im Park (Nürburgring)
• Rock Hard Festival (Gelsenkirchen)
• Rock um zu helfen (Freiberg, Saxony)
• Southside (Neuhausen)
• Summer Breeze Open Air (Dinkelsbühl)
• Wacken Open Air (Wacken)

Italy

• Agglutination Metal Festival (Chiaromonte,Italy)
• Rock in Roma (Rome, Italy)

Lithuania

• Devilstone (Anykščiai)
• Kilkim Žaibu (Varniai)

The Netherlands

• Amsterdam Metalfest (Amsterdam)
• Dynamo Open Air (Eindhoven)
• Fortarock (Nijmegen)
• Into the Grave (Leeuwarden)
• MidsummerProg (Valkenburg)
• Netherlands Deathfest (Eindhoven)
• ProgPower Europe (Baarlo)
• Roadburn Festival (Tilburg)
• Zwarte Cross (Lichtenvoorde)

Norway

• Bukta Tromsø Open Air Festival (Tromsø)
• Garasjefestival (Reinsvoll)
• Inferno Metal Festival (Oslo)
• Karmøygeddon Metal Festival (Kopervik)

Poland

• Pol'and'Rock Festival (Kostrzyn)
• Siekiera fest (Wrocław)

Portugal

• HARDMETALFEST (Mangualde)
• Laurus Nobilis Music (Vila Nova de Famalicão)
• MEO Marés Vivas (Vila Nova de Gaia)^[101]
• Paredes de Coura Festival (Paredes de Coura)
• Rock in Rio (Lisbon)
• SWR Barroselas Metalfest (Barroselas)
• Vagos Metal Fest (Calvão (Vagos))
• Vagos Open Air (Lisboa)
• Vilar de Mouros Festival (Vilar de Mouros)

Romania

• Artmania Festival (Sibiu)
• Festivalul Celtic Transilvania (Beclean)^[102]
• Maximum Rock Festival (Bucuresti)
• Metal Gates Festival (Bucharest)
• Metalhead Meeting (Bucharest)
• Posada Rock Fest (Câmpulung)
• Rockstadt Extreme Festival (Rasnov)

Russia

 

Nashestvie 2008, Tver

• Big Gun (Moscow)
• Dobrofest (Yaroslavl Oblast)^[103]
• Metal Over Russia (Moscow)
• Nashestvie (Tver Oblast)

Spain

• Resurrection Festival (Viveiro)
• Rock Fest Barcelona (Barcelona)
• Leyendas del Rock (Villena)

Sweden

• Gefle Metal Festival (Gävle)
• High 5ive Summer Fest (Stockholm)
• House of Metal (Umeå)
• Huskvarna Metal Fest (Jönköping)
• Sweden Rock Festival (Sölvesborg)

United Kingdom

• ArcTanGent Festival (Compton Martin, Somerset, England)
• Bloodstock Open Air (Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, England)
• Damnation Festival (Leeds, West Yorkshire, England)
• Download Festival (Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England)
• Fairport's Cropredy Convention (Cropredy, Oxfordshire, England)
• Hammerfest (Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales)
• Hard Rock Hell (Pwllheli, Gwynedd, Wales)
• Incineration Festival (London, England)
• Knebworth Festival (Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England)
• Rebellion Festival (Blackpool, Lancashire, England)
• Stonedead Festival (Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England)

Rest of Europe

• Eistnaflug (Neskaupstaður, Iceland)
• Gitarijada (Zaječar, Serbia)
• Hills of Rock (Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria)
• Metaldays (Tolmin, Slovenia)
• Paléo Festival (Nyon, Switzerland)
• Rockmaraton (Dunaújváros, Hungary)
• Rockwave Festival (Athens, Greece)
• Slane Festival (Slane, Ireland)
• Zobens un Lemess (Bauska, Latvia)

North America

Canada

• Hyperspace Metal Festival (Vancouver)
• Osheaga (Montreal)
• Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa (Manitoba)^[104]
• Rock the River (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)^[105]

Mexico

• Cumbre Tajín (Veracruz)
• Hell & Heaven Metal Fest (Mexico City)
• Vive Latino (Mexico City)
• Corona Capital (Mexico City)
• Pal Norte (Nuevo León)

United States

 

Welcome to Rockville in 2012

• 70000 Tons of Metal (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
• 98RockFest (Tampa, Florida)
• Aftershock Festival (Sacramento, California)
• AURA Fest (Savannah, Georgia)^[106]
• Blue Ridge Rock Festival (Alton, Virginia)^[107]
• Central Florida Metal Fest (Orlando, Florida)^[108]
• Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea (Miami, Florida)
• Earthday Birthday (Orlando, Florida)
• Farm Aid (United States)
• The Fest (Gainesville, Florida)
• Florida Folk Festival (White Springs, Florida)
• Foreign Dissent (Orlando, Florida)^[109]
• Full Terror Assault (Cave-In-Rock, Illinois)^[110]
• Furnace Fest (Birmingham, Alabama)
• INKcarceration (Mansfield, Ohio)^[111]
• Kerrville Folk Festival (Kerrville, Texas)
• Louder Than Life (Louisville, Kentucky)
• Mad With Power Fest (Madison, Wisconsin)^[112]
• Maryland Deathfest (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Mass Destruction Metal Fest (Atlanta, Georgia)^[113]
• Moondance Jam (Walker, Minnesota)
• Mountain Jam (Hunter, New York)
• Pointfest (St. Louis, Missouri)
• ProgPower USA (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Riot Fest (Chicago, Illinois)
• Rock Fest (Cadott, Wisconsin)
• Rocklahoma (Pryor, Oklahoma)
• Treefort Music Fest (Boise, Idaho)
• Upheaval Festival (Grand Rapids, Michigan)^[114]
• Welcome to Rockville (Daytona Beach, Florida)

Oceania

Australia

• Blacken Open Air (Hale, Northern Territory)^[115]
• Byron Bay Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
• Golden Plains Festival (Meredith, Victoria)
• Good Things Festival (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
• Unify Gathering (South Gippsland, Victoria)
• Woodford Folk Festival (Queensland, Australia)

South America

 

RockOut Fest in São Paulo, Brazil

 

Rock al Parque in Bogota

Argentina

• Cosquín Rock (Córdoba)
• Quilmes Rock (Buenos Aires)

Brazil

• Armageddon Metal Festival (Joinville)
• Rock in Rio (Rio de Janeiro)
• RockOut Fest (São Paulo)

Chile

• The Metal Fest Chile (Castro, Chiloé Island)^[116]
• Rock en Conce (Concepción, Chile)

Rest of South America

• ReciclArte (San Bernardino, Paraguay)^[117]
• Rock al Parque (Bogotá, Chile)
• Vivo x el Rock (Lima, Peru)^[118]
• Montevideo Rock (Montevideo, Uruguay)

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6. Browne, David. (5 June 2014). "The Birth of the Rock Fest". Rolling Stone.
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