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12 Music Festivals in South East Asia to Experience Before You Die

Indonesia, Malaysia, Music Festivals, Party, Philippines, Singapore, South-East Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

There might not be as many music festivals in South East Asia as there are in other areas of the world, but that is slowly changing.  With the ever-growing popularity of electronic music, more and more festivals are popping up in this region.  

You might not come to South-East Asia for the music festivals, but if you’re planning a trip out here, maybe one of these could be worked into your itinerary

Also, be sure to read my guide on the Top 25 Music Festivals in Asia for more amazing options around the continent,


1) Wonderfruit Festival

When: Mid – December

Where:  Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Thailand

Website:  http://wonderfruitfestival.com/

Live.  Love.  Wonder.  That’s the motto of this incredible 3-day camping music and arts festival held on the beautiful Pattaya Fields Siam Country Club.  I normally tell people to avoid Pattaya as a city because it really is a horrific place, but this beautiful venue is 15 KM outside the city, and you’ll fall into festival mode.  The camping area is decent and well equipped, the stages are amazing, and the line-up brings a little something for everyone.  

This is one of the best festivals you can attend in south-east Asia.  Read my Wonderfruit Festival 2014 review for more information and pictures.  I was lucky enough to attend the first year, and definitely have plans to make the journey back.   

Wonderfruit Festival - Camping Music Festivals in Thailand

Credit: Wonderfruit Festival


2) HOZO International Music Festival

When: December 8-11, 2022

Where: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

https://hozomusicfestival.com/

“In the daily life of Vietnamese people, music and culture are two values that always complement each other and cannot be separated. “Hò Dô” – a long-standing performance genre in folk music – is a typical example of that parallelism. “Hò” is a unique cultural value, representing the beauty in the working life and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, helping to unite people in all regions.

Starting with the inspiration from the “Hò” melodies, the HOZO – “Hò Dô” International Music Festival will be a place where Vietnamese music and cultural identity reach out to the world, as well as an opportunity for Vietnamese audiences to move closer to international music-cultural trends.”

TEASER HOZO 2022


3) ZoukOut Music Festival

When:  Mid-December

Where:  Singapore

http://www.zoukout.com/

“One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance”

The people behind one of the biggest and well-known clubs in Asia, “Zouk”, have created it’s own music festival, and it’s been one of the more popular festivals out in South-East Asia.  

Located in Singapore, you’ll find the tickets, drinks, and accomodations a bit more expensive, but you can’t complain when they bring A-list talent, incredible stage production, and an overall amazing atmosphere.

ZoukOut Festival Singapore - Music Festivals Southeast Asia


4) Ultra Worldwide Festivals in Southeast Asia

When: Various Dates

Where: Bali, Thailand, Philippines & Singapore

http://www.ultramusicfestival.com/ | https://umfworldwide.com/

Ultra Music Festival seems like they have one goal in mind — global domination.  From Miami, Croatia, Korea, Japan, South Africa — it now looks like they have turned their eyes to South-East Asia, and have added locations in four countries. 

They’ve got star studded lineups, world-class production, and an overall unforgettable experience. Stay tuned to their website for more dates and announcements. 

Ultra Worldwide Festivals Southeast Asia


5) It’s The Ship Festival

It's The Ship Festival Southeast Asia

When: March 8-10, 2023

Where:  Singapore – Phuket – Singapore

http://www.itstheship.com

Asia’s Largest Festival At Sea

Once you go on one music festival cruise, I guarantee you’ll be addicted to them!  It’s truly epic sailing on a luxury ship with an intimate crowd, world-class DJ’s, and with all the comforts of cruising.  Not only do you get to listen to quality music for 3-days, but you’ll get to visit another country! 

It’s The Ship always brings an amazing line-up of electronic artists, epic theme parties, and attracts a really great international crowd.  While it’s definitely one of the more expensive festivals on the list, it’ll be be worth every penny!

IT'S THE SHIP 2018 Official Aftermovie


6) Maya Music Festival

When: February 2023

Where: OASIS ARENA, Rama 9, Bangkok

With past line-ups including heavyweights like Tiesto, Dash Berlin, and Zedd – you know this is a festival for all the big EDM festival fans in Thailand.

They’ve hosted previous editions in Pattaya and Bangkok, and each event seems to get bigger and better than the previous year. Keep an eye on the Maya Music Festival Facebook Page for details on upcoming events!

southeast asian music festivals 2023


7) Shipsomnia

When:  Beginning of January

Where:  Singapore – Phuket – Langkawi – Singapore

http://www.shipsomnia.com/

A MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL MEETS HI SEAS MYTHICAL ADVENTURE.  Unofficially nicknamed, “Tomorrowland At Sea”, Shipsomnia has gotten a lot of positive media attention.  

With the growth of music festivals at sea, like Holy Ship or It’s The Ship (#6), Shipsomnia looks like it could be the next big thing.  Sailing from Singapore – Phuket round-trip, with a quick stop in Langkawi, this looks like a party that can’t be missed.  This all-inclusive music festival is guaranteed to be one epic vacation.

Official 2016 After Movie: Shipsomnia - The Search for Lost Rhythms


8) Big Mountain Music Festival

When: December

Where:  Khao Yai, Thailand

http://www.bigmountainmusicfestival.com

One of the biggest festivals for the Thai music scene, this two day festival is filled with awesome stages, hundreds of live acts, and an incredible atmosphere.  Dates for the upcoming festivals haven’t been announced, but they do have other events, so tune into their Facebook for more information.

Music Festivals in Asia


9) We The Fest 

Best Music Festivals in Asia - We The Fest EDM 2020

When: September 2023

Where: Jakarta, Indonesia 

http://www.wethefest.com/

South East Asia’s #1 Festival for music, arts, fashion, and food!

With the current titans of pop, hip-hop, bass and indie all on show, festival organizers Ismaya Live continue to assert We The Fest’s position as the go-to-festival of choice in the region.  However, We The Fest has always prided itself on offering much more than just artist performances and this year is no different with the return of the festival’s ‘Beyond The Music’ area.

Incorporating an Arts Village, Ismaya Food Town’s Eats & Beats food court, a Cinema Club where old and new movies will be on show, WTF Con where punters can interact with curated brands and media partners, and a Carnifun games section, ticket-holders will be spoilt for choice when they want to take a break from the music.

WE THE FEST 2018 - #WTF18 Official Aftermovie


10) DJakarta Warehouse Project

DWPX - Best EDM Festivals in Asia 2020 .

Credit: Nareend

When: December 9-11, 2022

Where: Jakarta, Indonesia

http://www.djakartawarehouse.com/

South-East Asia’s ultimate festival experience

“Over the past month, fans of Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) have been waiting with bated breath to find out the next additions to the event’s already burgeoning lineup. The wait is now over and the results do not disappoint. Disclosure, one of the most iconic and genre-defining duos of the past decade is now set to join proceedings in downtown Jakarta come 13th December. With a slew of hits across two albums and a mesmerising live show, this performance is certainly not to be missed. 

Bolstering the star-studded headliners are a plethora of newly announced names across dance music’s broad spectrum. Chromeo, another dynamic duo, will be bringing their synth-funk sound to the JIExpo Kemayoran, while Bassjackers, Blasterjaxx and Coone will be sending crowds into a bass-fueled frenzy with their amped-up EDM performances.”

Djakarta Warehouse Project 2017 - #DWP17 - Official After Movie


11) Rainforest World Music Festival

When:  June 23-25, 2023

Where:  Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia

http://rwmf.net/

Just reading the name of the festival, you can get a good understanding of what you are in for during this unique festival.  Lots of acoustic instruments with a rainforest themed, this will definitely be unlike any festival you’ve ever attended.  

Borneo is a beautiful island, and this would be a great way to experience the culture while hearing some great music.

southeast asian music festivals 2018


12) Songkran Water Festival

When:  Mid-April

Where:  All Over Thailand (Chiang Mai recommended)

The Thai Lunar New Year is celebrated by 3 days of absolute madness country-wide.  From personal experience, this was one of the highlight’s of my travels in south-east Asia.  The belief is that “water” washes off all the sins of the previous year, and it’s a fresh start for the upcoming year.  It’s a beautiful festival, but it’s also one crazy party.  There are stages and music playing all over the place, and great clubs and nightlife to go out at night.  The set-up is different every year, but make sure you experience this at least once in your life.  Check out my Songkran 2015 video.

There’s actually an official music festival during Songkran.  I wrote about it in my Top 10 Music Festivals in Thailand article!  Check it out.

southeast asian music festivals 2018


13) Full Moon Party

When:  Once a Month during the Full Moon.  Dates found here.

Where:  Haad Rin, Koh Phangan, Thailand

Website:  http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/

Why:  Last but not least, no South-East Asia festival list is complete without experiencing at least one full moon party.  Although recently it has gotten negative attention recently, it’s definitely a good night if you’re with the right people.  Koh Phangan is one of the craziest party islands in South-East Asia, and there are ton of other parties to attend on the island as well.


While I couldn’t list all the music festivals in South-East Asia, this is a solid list of what I think to the best 12.  All of these festivals bring some great live musicians and DJ’s, and will provide a great festival environment for you to dance until your tired, and meet some amazing people.  Make sure you check out my other blog posts on music festivals.

25 Music Festivals in America To Experience Before You Die

30 Music Festivals in Europe to Experience Before You Die

30 Music Festivals in Australia To Experience Before You Die


Am I missing any great music festivals in South-East Asia?  Let me know in the comments section!


Photo Sources:  Wonderfruit, Quest, Neverland, ZoukOut, Ultra, It’s The Ship, Maya, Shipsomnia, Rainforest, Big Mountain


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November 20, 2022/35 Comments/by Dave
Tags: asia festivals, asia raves, best music festivals in Asia, best raves in Asia, cruise festivals in asia, EDM asia, edm festivals in asia, EDM festivals south-east asia, EDM South-east Asia, electronic music festivals, electronic music festivals in asia, electronic music in asia, Festivals in Asia, its the ship, Its the ship festival, malaysia music festivals, maya music festival, Music Festivals, Music Festivals in Boracay, music festivals in cambodia, Music Festivals in Philippines, music festivals in south east asia, music festivals in thailand, music festivals in vietnam, philippines festivals, Raves in The Philippines, shipsomnia music festivals, singapore music festivals, South-East Asia, South-East Asia Bucket List, south-east asia raves, thailand music festivals, ultra music festival bali, vietnam music festivals, where to rave in south-east asia, wonderfruit music festival, Zoukout Boracay, Zoukout Philippines
https://www.jonesaroundtheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Webp.net-compress-image.jpg 768 1024 Dave https://www.jonesaroundtheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/logotry-1-1-300x106.png Dave2022-11-20 08:17:112022-11-30 07:05:0012 Music Festivals in South East Asia to Experience Before You Die
35 replies
  1. Ellie says:
    July 19, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    Festivals and travelling – what more could you want! Thanks for this, some of these look amazing :)

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      July 19, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      Those are two of my favorite things. : ) Glad you like them! I’m hoping to cross off a few in the upcoming months.

      Reply
  2. Jones says:
    November 25, 2015 at 3:29 am

    I’m in Australia right now, and have seriously contemplated flying back to Thailand just to attend! It’s an epic festival! Definitely go!

    Reply
  3. febrian says:
    December 13, 2015 at 3:06 am

    U don’t know Djakarta Warehouse Project ? hahaha this article not interesting bros…

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      December 14, 2015 at 1:02 pm

      Haha thanks for the kind words mate. I know about DWP, and will be posting about it soon actually, lol.

      Reply
  4. Nina- Where in the World is Nina? says:
    February 25, 2016 at 4:59 am

    You’ve got to add Djakarta Warehouse Party in Jakarta!
    Prob the best music fest I’ve been two. Been twice! <3 :)
    Future Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur is also pretty amazing! (If they don't cancel the last day on you….) looks like they are rebranding and changing this one, but something to keep an eye on.

    http://whereintheworldisnina.com/djakarta-warehouse-party-edm-fest-jakarta/
    http://whereintheworldisnina.com/future-music-festival-2014-kl-photo-video-blog/

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      February 25, 2016 at 7:18 am

      Yeah I added DWP in another post. The Top 10 EDM festivals in South-East Asia. I should just add it on this one as a bonus as well. ;).

      And I was at FMFA in KL in 2014. But they’ve ended it completely. It got kicked out of KL because of all the drug deaths, and Singapore made them cancel it in 2015.

      Reply
  5. Jones says:
    March 16, 2016 at 3:57 am

    Oh it definitely is! I’m a music festival junkie, and it’s the best way to party, meet people, and have a cheeky dance!

    Reply
  6. Jones says:
    March 16, 2016 at 3:59 am

    I’ve been to a good amount of these, but still have quite a few to cross of the list! :-) I’ll make it to all of them one day!

    Reply
  7. David Baker says:
    March 25, 2016 at 7:22 am

    We’re planning to visit our family and friends in the Philippines this September- October but will visit Thailand and Macau wihtin that period too. I hope I can experience this festival in Manila since we’ll be there for a month.

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      March 26, 2016 at 12:47 am

      Enjoy David! I want to go back to the Philippines so bad, and hitting up a festival would definitely make it all better. I’m a huge festival junkie, lol. Cheers mate!

      Reply
  8. Jones says:
    May 1, 2016 at 1:53 am

    Thanks Robin! I’m a big fan of music festivals (obviously), and these are all great ones to experience.

    Reply
  9. Melissa says:
    May 1, 2016 at 9:40 pm

    I went to Envision in Costa Rica this past February. I would love to check out a similar festival in Southeast Asia between December and April. Any ideas???

    Reply
  10. Melissa Nadeau says:
    May 1, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    I’m wondering if the Wonderfruit festival is similar to Envision?

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      May 3, 2016 at 9:43 am

      I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds like something Id love to go to! Any music festival around the world I’m down to check out :-)

      Reply
  11. Jones says:
    May 11, 2016 at 7:05 am

    Yeah Songkran is amazing! You have to go sometime! And completely agree, I’m dying to go on a festival cruise. Hopefully sometime in the next year I can attend one!

    Reply
  12. Shi Mei Chin says:
    May 18, 2016 at 6:46 am

    DWP Jakarta!

    Reply
  13. Lauren says:
    June 2, 2016 at 1:52 am

    Thanks for this! I just moved to Thailand and now have something to do next weekend! I’m coming for you Ultra!

    Reply
    • Jones says:
      June 3, 2016 at 4:06 am

      Glad you are finding it useful! I myself have looked back at this list just to check dates and what’s going down. I wanna go to Quest soo bad, and also Its the Ship looks epic! Hope youre enjoying Thailand so far! I miss it so much!

      Reply
  14. Dave says:
    July 16, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    Thanks Adam :-)

    Reply
  15. david says:
    August 9, 2016 at 3:41 am

    Recently I attended an event in Sarawak – Rainforest World Music Festival. The RWMF is an annual three-day music festival celebrating the diversity of world music, held in Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, with daytime music workshops, cultural displays, craft displays, food stalls, and main-stage evening concerts. The festival has been awarded 25 of the best International Festivals by Songlines for six consecutive years from 2010 to 2015. It’s really a awesome event.

    https://www.facebook.com/rwmf20years/

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      August 9, 2016 at 11:18 am

      Yeah I almost went last year but couldn’t find cheap flights last-minute. It does look amazing. How’d you enjoy it man?

      Reply
  16. FIRSA says:
    August 15, 2016 at 2:53 pm

    Dreamfield Bali more awesome bro

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      August 15, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      I’ve never been! I was so close last year, but my plans fell apart. I’m sure I’ll make it sometime though.

      Reply
  17. Made Ayu says:
    October 18, 2016 at 9:34 am

    Hi Dave! great post!
    I have something for you to add on your bucketlist: Air Festival.
    It’s located in Gili Air, Lombok – Indonesia (little islands next to Bali, which they also offer roundtrip package from Bali by Boat!).

    exotically magical!

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      October 20, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      Oh thanks made! I’ll take a look into it! cheers!

      Reply
  18. Nina says:
    November 29, 2016 at 1:57 am

    The shipsomnia doesnt seem to take place in asia this year :( it looks awesome! Any other tips for some techno festivals in thailand, cambodja or vietnam? :)

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      December 3, 2016 at 5:37 am

      Ohh no!? That’s a bummer. Definitely check out Wonderfruit! I went and had the time of my life. Unfortuntely the festival scene in Asia is just getting started.

      Reply
  19. Christine says:
    January 8, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    Don’t forget Good Vibes Music Festival in Malaysia (The Ranch Genting Highland).. This year (2018) on July…

    Reply
  20. Seema says:
    December 2, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    I thought India was the only one that celebrates so many festivals. Good information

    Reply
  21. Doni says:
    December 17, 2022 at 5:09 pm

    Love music festivals! Thank you so interesting article.

    Reply
  22. Elyfercompany says:
    January 27, 2023 at 12:50 pm

    I had the opportunity to attend HOZO INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, there is a truly legendary atmosphere. Thanks for addressing this issue.

    Reply

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