by James GraceySummer has become synonymous with festivals. Every year, thousands of music fans make pilgrimages across vast spaces and time zones to commune in celebration of music. From Woodstock to Glastonbury, Oxygen to Pigstock; all you need is a tent, some spends and an ‘anything goes’ attitude to get into the festival spirit. The Big List has trawled the globe to pick out five of the biggest, most splendiferous festivals, ever. Held in the south of one of the main cities on Zealand, an island off the coast of Denmark, Roskilde is one of the biggest music festivals in Europe. Originally organised by a couple of students in 1971, it’s now a non-profit organization for the development and support of music, culture and humanism. Roskilde festival is so big it has its own daily newspaper and 24-hour live radio station. It is also home to an annual "Naked Run", where tickets for next year's festival are up for grabs. Moving further east and taking its name from Mt. Fuji, the breathtaking site of the first festival in 1997, Fuji Rock is Japan’s biggest outdoor festival. Considering the disastrous first year – in which the festival was engulfed by a typhoon – it is no mean feat that Fuji Rock has gone on to become so popular. Now set amidst the forests and mountains of the Naeba ski resort, over 100,000 people trek through the mountains each year to attend. Gondolas transport people to the stages along picturesque forest trails, sealing Fuji Rock’s reputation as the most picturesque festival in the world. If the epic scale of the likes of Fuji Rock and Roskilde isn’t to your liking, there’s always the intimate, non-corporate and fan-friendly ethos of All Tomorrow’s Parties. Founded by Barry Hogan in 1999, British holiday camp based All Tomorrow's Parties features a line-up chosen by a significant band or artist, resulting in unpredictable and exciting events each year. It combines performances by legendary and influential acts, with appearances by the latest upcoming experimental artists from a wide range of genres. One of the most highly regarded festivals in Europe, Exit takes place in a 17th Century Petrovaradin fortress on the Danube river, boasting over 600 performances over 20 stages, all interconnected by cobbled streets, ramparts and atmospheric underground tunnels. Situated in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, Exit was established in 2001. Known as the "Gibraltar of the Danube", one of the main draws is the Dance Arena, regarded as the best in Europe. Those who have danced with 20,000 people as the sun rises over the fortress walls, rarely forget it. Moving back across the Atlantic, while not strictly a music festival, the ominous sounding Burning Man (pictured) unfurls every year in the stifling depths of the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. The festival is named after the eponymous wooden effigy ritually set alight on the last night of the festival. Participants describe the event as an experiment in “radical self-expression.” Beginning as a humble bonfire on a San Francisco beach in 1986, Burning Man is regarded as one of the ultimate ‘counter-culture’ festivals. Essentially a makeshift city/experimental community established in the desert for a week, attendees indulge in all manner of creative practices, making art and self-expression the event’s raison d'être. While there's no official ‘line-up’ - if you're looking for an intense and potentially liberating experience, this could be it. For more information visit Roskilde - roskilde-festival.dk/uk. Fuji Rock - www.smash-uk.com/frf11, All Tomorrow's Parties - www.atpfestival.com, Exit - eng.exitfest.org, Burning Man - www.burningman.com.
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