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World’s 7 Best Beach Festivals Worth Traveling For

What’s a summer without a good beach festival? There’s nothing better than listening to some sweet tunes while you’re surrounded by picture-perfect oceanfront scenery. If you want to enjoy some of the world’s best beach festivals, consider planning a vacation based around one of these legendary events.

The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival - Gulf Shores, Alabama The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival
Credit: The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival by hangoutmusicfest.com

The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival - Gulf Shores, Alabama

The Hangout Festival is a massive music party at the beach that combines great tunes, athletic competition and fantastic food, particularly delicious local, fresh seafood. Every year this event takes over Gulf Shores in May, featuring a variety of music genres, from electronic dance and hip hop to rock and indie, with artists performing on multiple stages. You’ll find all sorts of vendors and other entertainment too, including a Ferris wheel where you can take in amazing views of the crowd, stages and the beach. You can pop into beach clubs for dancing, play a competitive game of beach volleyball, hop in the psychedelic bus, and hit the rink for roller disco.

Washington State International Kite Festival - Long Beach, Washington Long Beach Peninsula
Credit: Long Beach Peninsula by Bigstock.com

Washington State International Kite Festival - Long Beach, Washington

Long Beach, on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most popular oceanfront towns, and it also features some 28 miles of sand, proclaiming itself to be the world’s longest beach, hence the name. It hosts the legendary Washington State International Kite Festival, which was voted the best of its kind in the world. The week-long kite celebration and competition is held in August every year, filling the skies with colorful kites while hosting festival events like choreographed displays for spectators, kite-making workshops, and illuminated night flights. Kids can try building their own kite and flying it in friendly competition, as well as enjoy the Long Beach boardwalk and the city’s many amusements, like a carousel and carnival rides, game parlors, quirky museums, and candy shops.

Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival - Revere, Massachusetts Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival
Credit: Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival by Eric Kilby via Flickr

Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival - Revere, Massachusetts

Revere Beach, situated just six miles north of Boston, is famously taken over each year by world-famous sculptors that create masterpieces with 10 tons of sand and water. Tourists and locals alike flock to the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival in mid-July to stroll along the boardwalk and view the jaw-dropping sand displays. Here at America’s oldest public beach, you’ll not only see the incredible “Stars and Stripes” themed creatures of the master sand sculptors, but you can even take a lesson in sand sculpting yourself. A variety of other entertainment is hosted too, including a massive fireworks display, amusement rides, food trucks, a community village, live music and more. Even better? It’s all free.

Venice Beach Music Fest - Venice, California Venice Beach Music Fest
Credit: Venice Beach Music Fest by Venice Beach Music Fest

Venice Beach Music Fest - Venice, California

Venice Beach is world-famous as a place to see and be seen, as well as a mecca for the eccentric, which means it’s one of the best destinations for experiencing Southern California beach life and doing some unforgettable people watching. The wide stretch of golden sand is backed by a walkway that’s always loaded with cyclists, skaters, walkers, and joggers, and on its west side there are all sorts of performers, from jugglers and mimes to musicians, break-dancers, and glass walkers, along with hundreds of street vendors. For one day in August, in addition to all of that, you can attend the free Venice Beach Music Festival. This one party that’s truly not-to-be-missed, as it celebrates music, art, literature, and dance at the beach, featuring both top-tier local and international talent.

California Wine Festival - Santa Barbara, California California Wine Festival, Santa Barbara, California
Credit: California Wine Festival, Santa Barbara, California by California Wine Festival

California Wine Festival - Santa Barbara, California

This celebration in mid-July offers the chance to indulge both of your favorite pleasures, sipping wine and enjoying the sea. The California Wine Festival is one of the only beachside wine festivals in the country, hosted at Chase Palm Park on the central coast in Santa Barbara, and boasts the glistening Pacific as its backdrop. Attendees enjoy tasting and sipping as much California wine as they’d like while enjoying hot and cold gourmet appetizers, fresh fruit, artisan bread and cheeses – along with spectacular ocean views and live music. The magnificent sunning setting attracts the state’s very best wineries and hundreds of vintage red and white wines, and if you come with a beer lover, there are even local and regional craft brews for beer fans to enjoy.

Barcelona Beach Festival - Barcelona, Spain Barcelona Beach Festival
Credit: Barcelona Beach Festival by Barcelona Beach Festival

Barcelona Beach Festival - Barcelona, Spain

The Barcelona Beach Festival is Barcelona’s top electronic dance music event, one of Spain’s largest and most notable festivals, which offers a combination of world-class live acts and DJs. While there is always a party going on somewhere in this beautiful city, the Barcelona Beach Festival is one of the only of its kind to be hosted on the beaches of inner-city Barcelona. It takes place on Forum Beach, one of the trendiest areas of Barcelona, and features an impressive lineup. Plus, while you’re here, As if it really needed pointing out, you can enjoy one of Europe’s most beautiful cities which combines magnificent architecture and art with a rich culinary culture and a hip urban edge.

Kaaboo Del Mar - San Diego, California Kaaboo Del Mar
Credit: Kaaboo Del Mar by Kaaboo Del Mar

Kaaboo Del Mar - San Diego, California

You can celebrate the end of summer in style by attending the Kaaboo Del Mar festival, which features an impressive lineup of musicians and comedians, under ever-present sunny skies and palm tree-lined beaches along with endless tasting opportunities. It bills itself as an “art and entertainment mix-perience” with music, comedy, and art taking place across multiple stages. Past festivals have included upscale culinary environments with the chance to taste local and regional delicacies as well as pair limited production wine or craft libation with delicious foods served by top local restaurants and wineries, in addition to craft spirit tastings. Ticket buyers have even received special perks like henna tattoos, massages, and manicures.

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