In the World Cup of Festivals finals: Burning Man and Glastonbury!

At night, the Mad Max-meets-Alice in Wonderland experience of Burning Man turns into a visual spectacle so surreal you’ll think you’ve regressed to being a 4-year-old experiencing the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland for the first time. However, at its heart, Burning Man is a celebration of artistic self-expression for those who have a utopian vision of the world.

Modeled after the hippie idealism of festivals like Woodstock, the original Glastonbury drew 1,500 attendees and a diverse array of acts. Glastonbury has grown since then, and every year as many as 150,000 people descend upon the 900 acres of farmland. The festival might be volunteer-run, but it’s organized as strictly as any other major festival and raises millions of dollars for charity.

Graphic by Christopher Appelgren

In the second round of the WCOF finals: Burning Man and Tomorrowland!

Burning Man conjures up all kinds of outrageous images for the uninitiated: from naked New-Agers dancing till dawn to polyamorous pursuers fueled by drugs. Yes, the Playa is a culturally curious place, one part hedonistic, one part idealistic. But, amidst the hippies and Silicon Valley CEOs that populate this pop-up town, the common thread is an appreciation of the life-affirming nature of the artistic spirit.

Sure, Tomorrowland is huge (over 400,000 tickets sold for this year). But what really sets it apart from the rest is its storybook setting in Belgium. This is a trippy Technicolor fantasy with the EDM soundtrack to match, and attendees eat it up like fish food.

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In the first round of the WCOF finals: Rock in Rio and Glastonbury!

It's hard to overstate just how huge and storied Rock in Rio is. It's so mammoth it's held in what will be Athlete's Park in the 2016 Olympics. Its impact on the local economy was almost half a billion U.S. dollars last year. Nearly 600,000 attendees in 2013 (scaled down on purpose) took in 160 musical attractions, fueling their exuberance with 530,000 liters of beer, 48,000 pizzas, and 280,000 hamburgers.

Modeled after the hippie idealism of festivals like Woodstock, the original Glastonbury drew 1,500 attendees and a diverse array of acts. Glastonbury has grown since then, and every year as many as 150,000 people descend upon the 900 acres of farmland. The festival might be volunteer-run, but it’s organized as strictly as any other major festival and raises millions of dollars for charity.

Vote for your favorite on Facebook!

In round four of the World Cup of Festivals: Burning Man and Boom Festival!

Burning Man conjures up all kinds of outrageous images for the uninitiated: from naked New-Agers dancing till dawn to polyamorous pursuers fueled by drugs. Yes, the Playa is a culturally curious place, one part hedonistic, one part idealistic. But, amidst the hippies and Silicon Valley CEOs that populate this pop-up town, the common thread is an appreciation of the life-affirming nature of the artistic spirit. 

In the festival's own words, "Boom is not only a festival, it is a state of mind. Inspired by the principles of Oneness, Peace, Creativity, Sustainability, Transcendence, Alternative Culture, Active Participation, Evolution and Love, it is a space where people from all over the world can converge to experience an alternative reality.” And they do: festival-goers come from around the world to enjoy the progressive arts and music movement that Boom fosters. 

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For the third match of the World Cup of Festivals: Tomorrowland and Mysteryland!

Sure, Tomorrowland is huge (over 400,000 tickets sold for this year). But what really sets it apart from the rest is its storybook setting in Belgium. This is a trippy Technicolor fantasy with the EDM soundtrack to match, and attendees eat it up like fish food. 

The Netherlands is a huge player in the world of electronic music, so it doesn’t come as a big surprise then that Mysteryland, one of the oldest dance music festivals, originated here. Not only does this festival have history, it has flash. If anyone’s going to give Tomorrowland’s fantastical stages a run for their money, it’s Mysteryland.

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In the second match of the World Cup of Festivals: Rock in Rio and Rock am Ring!

Rock in Rio is a behemoth, week-long celebration of rock music (with a little pop, blues, rap and Música Popular Brasileira sprinkled in for good measure) with offshoots in three countries. It attracts big name performers like Metallica, AC/DC and Bruce Springsteen.

Rock am Ring is actually one of two events—its twin, Rock im Park is held over the same weekend. Both events are often regarded as one festival: all the acts play one day at Rock am Ring and another day at Rock im Park. Combined, these two events create the largest music festival in Germany, attracting over 150,000 people.

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Going head-to-head in the the first match of the World Cup of Festivals: Glastonbury and Roskilde!

Launched in 1970, Glastonbury is the granddaddy of modern music festivals. Pack your rain boots, pitch a tent and get ready for the muddiest, most musical weekend of your life.

Roskilde is one of the original large-scale music festivals in Europe, rocking Denmark since 1971. It's such an epic time, attendees come early to camp, swim and run naked.

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