Subsonic

Monkerai, Australia
November 29 - December 1

Subsonic has been a steady provider of low-slung grooves to New South Wales since launching in 2009. While initially championing minimal, tech house sounds, the three-day event has grown to embrace a broader musical palette while still staying true to its origins. This year, Subsonic returns after a four-year hiatus, bringing together artists at the forefront of Australia's underground—DJ PGZ, Kate Miller, Cousin—alongside top-notch house and techno artists like Radio Slave, Walrus and Polygonia. Highlights for 2024 also include Soluna, a new stage focused on live music. The festival goes down at Barrington Tops National Park, lending Subsonic an enchanting rural backdrop.

RA Pick: Perlon cofounder Zip is a cult favourite.

Magnetic Fields

Rajasthan, India
December 6th - 8th

Desert magic meets hard-hitting club music in a 17th-century palace: this is Magnetic Fields, India's go-to underground festival. This year, the three-day event celebrates a decade's worth of stellar memories, uniting folk musicians from the region of Rajasthan with the best of India's electronic underground and globe-trotting DJs. Set within Alsisar Mahal, a heritage hotel with grand courtyards and equally breathtaking views, Magnetic Fields is a rare spectacle of sights, sound and spirituality.

RA Pick: Modular synthesist Monophonik, whose live sets continue to go from strength to strength.

Meredith

Meredith, Australia
December 6th - 8th

Meredith has only one stage. Situated at the bottom of an amphitheatre, the venue is encircled by towering pine trees that were planted by the founder's grandfather in the '50s—further embedding the festival's sense of community. You can bring your own couch to the amphitheatre if you want to feel really at home, before getting up and dancing to the likes of Olof Dreijer, IN2STELLAR and Ayebatonye. Beyond the music, there's the Ecoplex Outdoor Cinema and tai chi classes, as well as an annual "clean-up song"—every time the track plays, there's a communal clear-up session—that punters vote on at the beginning of the weekend.

RA Pick: Something tells us Princess Superstar and the Meredith vibe will make a perfect match.

Trópico

Acapulco, Mexico
December 6th - 8th

On the golden beaches of Acapulco, you'll find the stunning Pierre Mundo Imperial, a hotel featuring striking Mexican architecture. From December 6th through 8th, the hotel is home to Trópico, a two-day event that's been running since 2013. Last year, as a result of Hurricane Otis, the festival wasn't able to go ahead as planned, and instead, it hosted a one-off edition to raise money for families whose homes were destroyed. This December, Trópico returns to its Acapulco home, inviting the likes of Channel Tres, Aluna and Seth Troxler to play alongside Latin American artists like Mira Mira, Zemmoa and Gia Fu.

RA Pick: Brooklyn's Helado Negro collects 45s from the Caribbean. Listening to his sets is akin to a danceable thesis.

Celebration of Life

Antwerp, Belgium
December 7th

Founded in 2021, Celebration of Life has already become an essential event in Belgium's festival landscape–a beacon championing queer club culture in Antwerp. This year, the one-day event returns to Trix, a venue in the centre of the city usually reserved for live music events. This year's lineup welcomes the likes of Slim Soledad and Nene H, and the festival's commitment to inclusive queer culture runs deeper than the lineup of talent: the team offers low-income and financial hardship support tickets for ravers without the means to buy a full-priced ticket (solidarity tickets are already sold-out, but a limited amount of full-priced tickets are still available).

RA Pick: Modern, twisted techno courtesy of New York's Akua.

Wonderfruit

Chon Buri, Thailand
December 12th - 16th

The Wonderfruit experience is centred around five key pillars: softening the mind; growing with the land; connecting through culture; cuisine as storytelling; and, of course, the power of sound. The Thai festival has been running since 2014, and since then, has expanded into a five-day experience fit for everyone from seasoned ravers to young families. In its commitment to growing with nature in mind, the team compiles the Wonder Report every year, looking at sustainable practices of all the festival's environmental and social aspects. On the music tip, this year's lineup includes sets from Aurora Halal, CCL, Di Linh and Diskonnected, while Kuniyuki, Nisatiwa and Wata Igarashi will perform live.

RA Pick: Kana Molam Don Sawai, a celebration of '60s molam—a style of music local to Laos and Northeastern Thailand.

Headset

Edinburgh, Scotland
December 20th - 23rd

Headset is a staple of Edinburgh's club scene, pushing a musical palette that spans bass, techno, dub, grime and more. The party, record label and collective is set to celebrate its tenth anniversary in style this December, with parties in Bristol and London before a mammoth three-dayer back home at The Mash House. From established names (Slam, Eclair Fifi) to emerging talent (Miss Cabbage, Maveen), it promises to be a riotous family affair–and a welcome antidote to the many corporate festival experiences out there.

RA Pick: Fresh off his release on Parris and Call Super's label, LWS is a local Edinburgh artist with a bright future.

MAREH

Tutóia, Brazil
December 26th - January 2nd

Every two years, MAREH moves to different tropical sanctuaries around the country. From Boipeba to Fortim to Atins, the locations read like an insider's guide to Brazil's best beaches. None are particularly convenient to get to, but the lengthy journey creates "a natural filter," said founder Guga Roselli in one interview. Those up for the challenge tend to be real dance floor enthusiasts, she added. It's no wonder the event is practically an institution in the Brazilian dance music landscape. This year, the two-decade-strong gathering takes place at Vila do Arpoador in the city of Tutóia. Dance among white sand dunes and lagoons–true paradise for true heads.

RA Pick: JKriv, cofounder of Brooklyn's Razor-N-Tape Records, is known for his deep collection of Brazilian records.

Beneath The Baobabs

Kilifi, Kenya
December 31st - January 1st

Nestled in an ancient forest next to the Indian Ocean, Kenya's Beneath The Baobabs is a true multidisciplinary music festival, incorporating art installations, workshops, laser shows and dance performances. Another important element is environmental sustainability: Beneath The Baobabs claims to be the first carbon neutral festival in Africa, banning single-use plastics and encouraging attendees to offset their own emissions. Lineup-wise, the festival champions some of the most exciting artists on the contemporary Kenyan scene, including Blinky Bill, DJ IV and Ghedi.

RA Pick: Kampire's adventurous, genre-traversing selections is a vision of pan-Africanism.

Forever Midnight

Los Angeles, United States
December 31st

This New Year's Eve event sees three vital nightlife institutions—Miami's Club Space, LA's Factory 93 and Take It Outside–team up for a day-to-night dance. The one-day festival begins at 4 PM and will run right through to 4 AM, and the lineup takes pride in homegrown talent. Taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, you can catch artists repping the Midwest, like Detroit's Floorplan and Chicago's Hiroko Yamamura. Coming from further east, D.C.'s Baby Weight will deliver a set of sparkling house to match the midnight fireworks.

RA Pick: Sama' Abdulhadi is a wizard of razor-edged, immersive techno.

Find our full festival listings for December here