Music festivals can be some of the most life-changing experiences in the world.

To be surrounded by so many people, many of them just as much in love with the band you’re watching as you are, feeling the music and the psychic vibrations of happiness (or beautiful melancholy, depending on your taste) wash over you… there’s not much like it. So we weren’t surprised when our Readers’ Poll this year gave us some very passionate votes numbering in the hundreds. There were quite a few we attended as well, so if you saw any of us there then we’d like to apologize for our behavior. We’re just really into Hunter S. Thompson.

What were your favorite festivals this year? Read on…

1. Melt!

One of Germany’s most celebrated annual festivals, Melt! always presents a very diverse lineup—no matter your taste, you’ll find something to make your ears smile. This year saw them hosting, among many others, Diamond Version, Zebra Katz, Tricky, The Knife, and  Mykki Blanco.

2. EB Festival 

Hey, you voted for it, not us! Thank you, by the way—we love that you love it, and we’re glad that we have a whole new year soon to deliver you even more of the bands we love. We think you’re going to be very happy with the surprises we have in store for you…

3. Sziget 

Hungary’s Sziget festival takes place entirely on an island encompassed by the Danube and Budapest’s downtown. From stages and tents hosting world music and electro-bass party tents to heart-tugging performances by groups like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Bat For Lashes, it’s a vacation holiday and a multi-sensory experience rolled into one.

4. Unsound 

If most music festivals are for people who like to get drunk and scream in a large crowd, then Unsound is for music insiders—heads, musicians, industry, and the sort of people for whom music is straight-up a way of life. Between the beautiful setting of Krakow, friendly and relaxed atmosphere, and insane lineups, Unsound remains one of the most exciting and intelligent festival experiences we know—trust us, we were there.

5. Sonar 

There’s always a vast amount of things to discover at Sonar, but it’s the reliability that brings people back year after year: the stunning city of Barcelona, vast line-ups, consistently good sound, and—at night—what must be the largest rave on earth. After so many years and so many big names, Sonar is a festival that knows how to deliver. ~

Click here for more results from our 2013 Readers’ Poll.

Published January 01, 2014.