The best techno festivals in the world in 2027

Techno festival dates for 2027 at a glance.

The 2027 calendar opens in March, and Verknipt, Time Warp and MAYDAY are all indoors. The open-air season peaks in July, when Awakenings and Stone Techno fall on the same weekend, 9 to 11 July, so you have to pick one.

What is the biggest techno festival in the world?

No body counts techno festivals across the world, and festivals count in different ways, so read these as reported figures. Kappa FuturFestival has the largest, with 125,000 attendances over three days in 2026. Awakenings reported 119,000 visitors over three days the same year, and Nature One says more than 60,000 people across four days, with 350 DJs and 20 floors. In DJ Mag's poll, Kappa FuturFestival is eighth and Time Warp is 14th.

Nature One, Germany

Nature One has run since 1995 on the Raketenbasis Pydna, a former missile base at Kastellaun in the Hunsrück. The 2027 edition is on 29 July to 1 August. Its floors range well beyond techno, so it suits people who want a very large camping weekend with techno at its core. It ranks 94th in DJ Mag's list.

Awakenings, Netherlands

Awakenings began in Amsterdam in 1997, and its summer festival is now held at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, near Tilburg. The 2026 edition sold out with 119,000 visitors, the largest in its history. The 2027 festival is on 9 to 11 July, and it ranks 34th in DJ Mag's list. Its separate Upclose festival is on 15 and 16 May at Houtrak, near Amsterdam. The Awakenings guide covers the differences between them.

Which are the best techno festivals in Europe?

Of the techno festivals Europe offers, Time Warp, Kappa FuturFestival, Stone Techno and Dekmantel are the best for a city trip, and DGTL, Horst and Monument each offer something different in setting. Europe is where most of this list lives, and for a wider view across every electronic style there is the guide to the best electronic music festivals in Europe.

Time Warp, Germany

Time Warp was established in 1994 and runs for 19 hours on five floors at the Maimarkthalle in Mannheim. The 2027 edition is on 3 April. It is a single indoor night and day, so it fits easily into a weekend. See the Time Warp guide.

Kappa FuturFestival, Italy

Kappa FuturFestival takes over Parco Dora in Turin from noon to midnight, on stages named Solar, Lab, Futur, Voyager, Nova and Kosmo. The 2027 edition is on 2 to 4 July, for ages 18 and over. It finishes at midnight, so you dance in daylight and still have the night in the city.

Stone Techno, Germany

Stone Techno is held at Zollverein in Essen, a former coal mine and coke plant that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 2027 edition is on 9 to 11 July, for ages 18 and over. The site is a large part of the reason to go.

Dekmantel, Netherlands

Dekmantel plays the Amsterdamse Bos, the woodland park on the south edge of Amsterdam, and goes wider than techno. It ranks 17th in DJ Mag's list. The 2027 edition is on 29 July to 2 August, and the Dekmantel guide covers the tickets and the programme.

This is Freddy K on the Radar stage at Dekmantel Ten in August 2024, from the festival's own channel.

DGTL Amsterdam, Netherlands

DGTL was founded in 2013 by Apenkooi Events and is held at NDSM Docklands, a former shipyard area in the north of Amsterdam. The 2027 edition is on 26 to 28 March, which makes it one of the first big dates of the year. It ranks 37th in DJ Mag's list.

Horst, Belgium

Horst describes itself as an arts and music festival, and held its 2026 edition on 14 to 16 May at Asiat Park in Vilvoorde, north of Brussels. Presale for 2027 has opened, but the dates have not been published. It suits anyone who wants design and architecture alongside the music.

Monument, Norway

Monument is a forest festival near Veggli in Numedal, run by the Oslo organisation MNMT, with a deep, hypnotic sound. The 2027 edition is on 29 July to 1 August, for ages 23 and over, and it is reported as sold out. It is the most remote choice here.

Where are the best techno festivals in the USA?

Movement in Detroit leads the techno festivals USA fans can reach, and ARC in Chicago and CRSSD in San Diego are the other two to look at. All three mix techno with house, and the wider picture is in the guide to the best EDM festivals in the US.

Movement, Detroit

Movement began in 2000 as the free Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and Paxahau has produced it since 2006. It uses six stages on Hart Plaza, on the Detroit riverfront, and it books Detroit artists beside visitors. The 2027 edition is on 29 to 31 May, the Memorial Day weekend, and it ranks 35th in DJ Mag's list. See the Movement guide.

ARC, Chicago

ARC is an 18-plus house and techno festival in Union Park, held over Labor Day weekend. The 2027 dates have not been announced. See the ARC guide.

CRSSD, San Diego

CRSSD is a 21-plus festival held twice a year at Waterfront Park in San Diego, and it books house, techno, electro and indie dance. The spring 2027 dates have not been announced.

Which techno festivals go hardest?

MAYDAY in Dortmund is the one built for hard techno, and Verknipt in the Netherlands is the other name to know. Terminal V in Glasgow, on 4 to 6 June 2027, is the third, and it is covered in the UK guide.

MAYDAY, Germany

MAYDAY goes back to December 1991 in Berlin. The 2027 edition is at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund on 30 April, from 19:00 to 07:00, on four floors of hard techno, raw, bounce, acid and classic techno. It is one long night, and it falls on the eve of the May holiday.

Verknipt, Netherlands

Verknipt plays the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on 5 March 2027, and is listed for Strijkviertel in Utrecht on 5 and 6 June 2027.

Not on this list, and why.

These are festivals people ask about that fall outside the tests above.

• Tomorrowland. It has techno stages and ranks first in DJ Mag's list, but the festival as a whole is far broader.
• Creamfields. It has a large techno following, and it is a wide dance festival. It sits in the UK guide with Junction 2 and Houghton.
• Ultra. Its Resistance stages book techno, but Ultra is a big-stage EDM festival first.

How to choose.

Pick the kind of day you want first. For one long indoor run, choose Time Warp or MAYDAY. For open-air daytime dancing and a city at night, choose Kappa FuturFestival or Dekmantel. For camping and scale, choose Nature One or Awakenings. For history, choose Movement.

Then look at the calendar. Awakenings and Stone Techno clash on 9 to 11 July, and Dekmantel, Nature One and Monument all start on 29 July. Time Warp, Movement and Kappa FuturFestival can all fit into one year.

Check dates with the festival before you book travel, because the listed dates above are provisional until the organiser publishes them.