Trance is a sub-genre of electronic music that emerged in the late 1980’s. Trance is a fairly “new” style of music compared to other genres that have been around for what seems like forever – and certainly long before 1989. It’s strange to think that trance music has been around for less than 50 years – not even the average span of a person’s lifetime. Perhaps this is why there aren’t more trance-oriented events or festivals in the United States.
Trance music has a very loyal fanbase, and us fans are willing to travel far and wide to experience trance music live. Of course, there are several electronic music festivals that feature some trance DJ’s, however, trance is usually not the focal point at these festivals.
Most trance fans, like myself, prefer events that are dedicated solely to trance music. Unfortunately, true trance events can be tough to find, especially in the U.S. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that more trance events pop up in the U.S., but for now, let’s explore ones that currently exist. Read on for a breakdown of music festivals in the United States and overseas that specifically feature trance music.
Trance Festivals in the United States
Dreamstate SoCal
Location: NOS Events Center | 689 S E St. San Bernardino, CA 92408
Approx. Number of Visitors: Over 26,000
Event Length: Two days
Trance fans rejoiced when Dreamstate SoCal emerged in 2015 as this is the only festival solely dedicated to trance music in the United States. Dreamstate is an annual trance festival that occurs at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA. The festival features several forms of trance, like psytrance, progressive trance, hard trance, and more. Dreamstate incorporates four stages: The Dream, The Vision, The Sequence, and The Void. Their lineup always features some of the biggest names in trance, like Aly & Fila, Armin Van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, and the list goes on.
Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 7000 N Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89115
Approx. Number of Visitors: 134,000 per day
Event Length: Three days
Electric Daisy Carnival, more commonly referred to as “EDC,” is a massive electronic music festival held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. EDC is put on annually by Insomniac and is the largest music festival in North America. While EDC is not a festival solely for trance music, it is a prominent feature. EDC Vegas is a 3-day event that attracts around 134,000 people per day.
EDC typically features eight stages, as outlined below, exposing you to several different genres and producers. Each region or stage offers a distinctive fusion of technology, music, and nature, where the three come together to stimulate the mind and provide a unique atmosphere.
- kineticFIELD
- cosmicMEADOW
- circuitGROUNDS
- neonGARDEN
- bassPOD
- wasteLAND
- quantumVALLEY
- stereoBLOOM
Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Orlando
Location: Tinker Field | 287 S Tampa Ave. Orlando, FL 32805
Approx. Number of Visitors: 40,000 per day
Event Length: Three days
While EDC Vegas is the “main” and biggest Electric Daisy Carnival event, the festival is also held in Orlando every year. EDC Orlando typically occurs later in the year in November and features four stages similar to those present at EDC Vegas.
- kineticFIELD
- circuitGROUNDS
- neonGARDEN
- stereoBLOOM
Trance Festivals Outside of the United States
Creamfields North
Location: Daresbury, Cheshire, England
Approx. Number of Visitors: 70,000 per day
Event Length: 4 days
Creamfields began in 1998 as a one-day event that attracted around 25,000 people. Since then, it has grown into a multiple-day event that attracts around 70,000 per day. Creamfields North takes place outdoors and consists of multiple stages, art installations, rides, and food and beverage vendors. The Creamfields North lineup is stacked and usually features big names in trance music, such as Ferry Corsten, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Aly & Fila, Ben Nicky, Bryan Kearney, and many more.
A State of Trance
Location: Jaarbeurs | Jaarbeursplein Utrecht, Utrecht 3521 AL Netherlands
Approx. Number of Visitors: 2,000,000
Event Length: 2 days
A State of Trance, or “ASOT” for short, is the largest trance music festival in the world. The event takes place in Utrecht in the Netherlands and is named after Armin Van Buuren’s popular radio show. A State of Trance (the festival) began in 2015 where Armin Van Buuren himself performs, along with many other trance DJ’s and producers from all over the world. The event is made up of multiple stages each featuring various subgenres of trance music. Check out one of my favorite sets from ASOT 2023 here. And another one, because I love them both.
Nature One
Location: Missile Base Pydna near Kastellaun, Germany
Approx. Number of Visitors: 60,000
Event Length: 3 days
With a distinguished history of more than 25 years as a groundbreaking party festival, Nature One is one of the largest and most famous electronic music festivals in Germany. The festival is held on a former NATO missile base in the western part of the nation close to Kastellaun. Nature One is divided into four main floors and nineteen club floors and features more than 350 DJ’s. The festival features trance music, but also several other genres like techno, house, goa, drum and bass, and more.
Luminosity Beach Festival
Location: Zandvoort, Netherlands
Event Length: Four days
What is better than an outdoor trance festival? A trance festival at a beach! Luminosity Beach Festival takes place on the shores of the North Sea in the Dutch coastal town of Bloemendaal aan Zee. The event started in 2007 and has established itself as a pure trance escape. Luminosity Beach Festival offers a unique and beautiful atmosphere that sets it apart from your typical, large-scale trance festivals that all feature similar settings.
Trance In The Woods (TITW)
Location: Elvaston Castle Country Park | Derbyshire, East Midlands, UK
Approx. Number of Visitors: TBD
Event Length: Two days
Trance In The Woods (TITW), a trance-focused party in the woods, will be put on by Goodgreed for the first time in June of 2023. There are camping, glamping packages available including toilets and shower facilities. The event will feature three stages, over 35 artists, and various trance subgenres like classic, uplifting, tech, and more. Several legendary artists will be performing, like Ferry Corsten, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Bryan Kearney, Super8 & Tab, Solarstone, and more. This will undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience, and hopefully one that Goodgreef continues to put on for years to come.
Euphoria Weekender
Location: Malta
Event Length: Four days
Euphoria Weekender is a newer trance music festival that takes place in Malta. The festival was launched in September 2022, and the 2nd edition will take place in May 2023. Their lineup features artists like The Thrillseekers, Factor B, Lange, Will Rees, and others. Euphoria Weekender festival provides the opportunity to not only enjoy trance music but also the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.
Transmission Festival
Location: O2 Arena | Prague, Czechia
Event Length: One day
Transmission Festival (most commonly referred to as Transmission) is an annual trance festival that originated in Prague, Czech Republic. The event was founded by United Music Events in 2014. Transmission has grown significantly since its inception and now takes place in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Trance, progressive trance, tech-trance, and psytrance are the main genres you’ll hear at the festival.
Transmission is regarded as one of the best indoor events in the world and draws thousands of attendees each year. One distinct characteristic of Transmission is the theme-related narrative that takes visitors on an adventure over the course of the event. Distinctive, personalized intros by the Dutch award-winning VJ team, Vision Impossible, are used to introduce each DJ. These unique introductions narrate the story of the performance.
Dreamstate Europe
Location: Arena Gliwice | Gliwice, Poland
Event Length: One day
Dreamstate occurs in Europe every year, in addition to San Bernardino, CA. Dreamstate Europe is currently just a one-day event but is packed full of incredible trance artists like Giuseppe Ottaviani, Paul van Dyk, Liquid Soul, Ben Nicky, and more.
Dreamstate Australia
Location: Flemington Racecourse | 448 Epsom Rd. Flemington, VIC 3031 AU
Event Length: One day
In addition to Southern California and Europe, Dreamstate also takes place in Australia every year. Dreamstate Australia is a single-day trance event but is packed full of incredible trance DJ’s like Infected Mushroom, Cosmic Gate, Ben Nicky, Ciaran McAuley, and others.
Some of the major trance (or trance-oriented) festivals that take place around the world are Dreamstate, EDC, Creamfields, A State of Trance, Nature One, Luminosity Beach Festival, Trance In The Woods, Euphoria Weekender, and Transmission. Have you been lucky enough to attend any of these popular festivals? As a major trance fan, I am hopeful that more trance events emerge. It is clear to see from the numbers above that there is a demand and these festivals attract thousands of visitors each year, many of which travel from far distances to attend.