Greatest Rock Music Festivals in the World

1. Download (UK)

The first Download Festival was created by Stuart Galbraith and Andy Copping in 2003 at Donington Park circuit, UK. The name Download was chosen for the festival for two reasons. Downloading was a dirty word in the music industry at the time, due to file sharing, and rock is seen as a rebellious genre of music. Also Download was to be a Monsters of Rock for the 21st century and the internet would provide connectivity with its audience.



2. Rock am Ring (Germany)

The Rock am Ring (German: Rock at the Ring) was originally planned as a one-time festival celebrating the inauguration of a newer, shorter version of the track in 1985, but due to its commercial success (with 75,000 audience members), it was decided to make the concert an annual event. Rock am Ring takes place at the Nürburgring racetrack in Nürburg, Germany. 





3. Reading (UK)

Reading music festival is annual music festival that take place in Reading, England. The Reading Festival originates from the National Jazz Festival, which was conceived by Harold Pendleton (founder of the Marquee Club in London) and was first held at Richmond Athletic Ground in 1961. This festival, in turn, took inspiration from events held in America.




Throughout its first decade the festival changed names and moved around sites several times, being held at Windsor Racecourse, Kempton Park and Plumpton, before reaching its permanent home at Reading in 1971.


4. Soundwave (Australia)

Soundwave is an annual music festival that founded by AJ Maddah, which is held in major cities around Australia. The festival originated in Perth, Western Australia and began travelling to the other Australian capital cities in 2007. It features a number of international and Australian music acts, from various genres including rock, metal and punk.




5. Wacken (Germany)

Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. It was founded by Thomas Jensen and Holger Hübner. The festival was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia.