The Festival Index 2022
These are the most popular festivals according to Google!
Are you a festival fan? Holidu has your back! Holidu, the search engine for holiday rentals, decided to seek out the most searched festivals! Using Google searches, we ranked the festivals by their annual searches to create the ultimate festival guide for the upcoming season! Are you ready to rock your heart out, or immerse yourself in art? If so, grab your hottest festival gear and get ready to book your next summer adventure at one of the most popular festivals.
The Most Popular Festivals in the USA
Coachella credit Andrew Ruiz via unsplash
1. Coachella in Indio, CA | 3,646,800 annual Google searches
Next Event: April 14-16 and April 21-23, 2023*
It’s Google official – Coachella is the most popular music festival in the United States! Located in Indio California this town is flooded with music fans during the month of April. With over 3.6 Million searches for Coachella in the last year, no surprise having headlines in the past such as Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Kanye West, to name a few, everyone will be eagerly awaiting the Coachella 2023 lineup. dates are not confirmed*
2. Burning Man in Black Rock, NV | 2,197,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: August 28 – September 5, 2022
Located in Black Rock, Nevada, since 1991, Burning Man, prides itself on being a community and global cultural movement rather than a festival. As it has become such a large event for like-minded individuals and is featured on Festivals United, we felt this ranking would not be complete if we were to omit. Burning Man provides no set acts or entertainment, but is rather up to the participants, making it very a unique event! Known for its strong community of art and self-expression, Burning Man gets its name from the peak of the festival in a ceremony, where they burn a large sculpture of a man made of wood. If you are looking for a group of free-spirits, this is the adventure for you!
3. Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN | 1,339,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: June 16-19, 2022
Coming in 3rd with 1,339,200 annual Google searches is Bonnaroo located in Manchester, Tennessee. Bonnaroo is a hub for art, music, and food packed with activities! “Bonnaroo” is slang for “Good Stuff” in Creole, and they pride themselves on having just that! Having been cancelled the past two years, there is much excitement for the 2022 festival, with previous acts such as Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Phish and The Lumineers, there is a strong mix of artists that participate in Bonnaroo. Grab your camping gear and get ready to experience a magical few days!
4. Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL | 1,087,320 annual Google searches
Next Event: July 28-31, 2022
Coming in with over a million annual searches, Lollapalooza is located in Downtown Chicago in Grant Park. With headlines like Green Day, Big Sean, Glass Animals, and Charlie XCX, it is easy to see why so many flock to this music festival. This event has even gone international with an expansion of spin-off events in France, Germany, Brazil, and Argentina to name a few. While Lollapalooza is mainly a music focused festival, it also claims to have some of ‘Chicago’s best eats.’ This is one you won’t want to miss!
5. Stagecoach in Indio, CA | 952,800 annual Google searches
Next Event: April 2023*
Coming in at 5th place with over 950k annual Google searches is Coachella’s sister Stagecoach. Also thrown in Indio, California at Empire Polo Club, Stagecoach is a sister event to Goldenvoice’s Coachella, but is considered a country music festival and houses more bluegrass and folk music than you would see at Coachella. If country is your jam, you are sure to want to make Stagecoach your next festival stop! dates are not confirmed*
Music Festival credit Antoine via unsplash
The Most Popular Festivals in Europe
1. Tomorrowland, Belgium | 1,411,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: 15 July – 1 August 2022
Tomorrowland is the most popular festival in Europe this year! This Belgian festival has been on the go since 2005 and is one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals around. Fans of Tomorrowland are in luck, as 2022 marks the first year in which the festival will take place over three weekends, a one-off to make up for lost time over the past few years. The line-up includes Alesso, Martin Garrix and many more big names!
2. Awakenings Festival, The Netherlands | 1,411,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: 29 – 31 July 2022
Awakenings is a series of festivals around the Netherlands, and is the second most popular festival in Europe this year! If you’re a lover of techno, then this is the choice for you. Awakenings is the largest outdoor techno festival in the world. The 2022 festival will host nine areas, including outdoor stages and tents. This year will be the 25th-anniversary celebrations, so expect the event to be bigger and better than ever!
3. Rolling Loud, Portugal | 1,411,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: 6 – 8 July 2022
Heading to the beach of Praia da Rocha now to the third most popular festival of the year – Rolling Loud Portugal! Named the ‘world’s largest hip-hop festival’, Rolling Loud was first launched in Miami in 2016, and this year makes its European debut in the city of Portimão in Portugal. This is the festival for you if you fancy seeing J. Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future whilst in the sun and on the beach!
The Most Popular Festivals in the UK
1. Glastonbury, Somerset | 1,411,200 annual Google searches
Next Event: 22-26 June 2022
It’s Google official – Glastonbury is the most popular music festival in the United Kingdom! First held in 1970, Glastonbury welcomed over 200,000 revellers to its grounds in 2019. Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar have been announced as this year’s headliners for the much-anticipated return of the festival after a few years of cancellation due to the pandemic.
2. Reading Festival, Reading | 726,000 annual Google searches
Next Event: 26-28 August 2022
The second most popular festival this year is Reading! With its roots as a rock music festival back in the 70s, Reading is now one of the most-loved festivals in the country every year and offers music that covers a wide range of genres from hip hop to rock. A popular choice for young festival-goers looking to enjoy their first festival experience, Reading and its sister festival Leeds will be welcoming Arctic Monkeys, Dave and Wolf Alice to their stages this year.
3. Parklife Festival, Manchester | 628,800 annual Google searches
Next Event: 11-12 June 2022
Heading to Manchester now, where Parklife is the third most popular festival this year! Tens of thousands of music fans gather in the fields of Heaton Park every year for one of the most loved events on Manchester’s cultural calendar. This year, attendees can expect to see the likes of 50 Cent, Tyler the Creator and Chase & Status.
Methodology
The study was conducted using US Google Search Volume to find the most searched festivals in the United States, and UK Google Search Volume to find the most searched festivals in the UK and the rest of Europe. From the Festivals United database (festivalsunited.com) we included all the festivals in the United States, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. We then compiled three separate rankings based on the festivals that have been searched for the most on Google in the past year.