Occasionally live musicians have been known to perform at raves, in addition to other types of performance artists such as go-go dancers and fire dancers. The music is amplified with a large, powerful sound reinforcement system, typically with large subwoofers to produce a deep bass sound.
Well known locations such as the “Dole House” ( Peckham ), the abandoned bus station and the squatted children’s home in Camberwell known as Groove Park had crowds of over a thousand. Full Moon parties were organised at Groove Park by Pete Marland (who went on to start the dance scene in W
In 2026, underground music festivals feel more like living laboratories than mass events. These small, tightly curated gatherings focus on discovery, risk, and community instead of spectacle. This guide walks through seven standout festivals and shows how they help emerging artists build real careers beyond the algorithm.
Festival season is where tomorrow’s headliners are found, OnesToWatch tracks the breakout sets so you know who to catch first. Meakusma runs September 3–6, 2026, at the Alter Schlachthof, a former slaughterhouse turned events space in Eupen, a German-speaking Belgian city with a population under 20,000.
The four-day program spans 140 acts including live performances, DJ sets, installations, and workshops. Experimental and club music sit on the same continuum here instead of being split into separate categories. Meakusma selects artists through relationships and deep listening rather than booking agents or streaming listener counts.
The team often books acts two to three years before wider European circuits adopt them. Emerging artists on the 2026 bill include Low End Activist and k means, each given a stage that reflects their ambition instead of their follower count.
FIBER Festival 2026 runs May 28–31 across eight Amsterdam venues including de Brakke Grond, Orgelpark, Garage Noord, and TILLATEC. The 2026 theme, Fragile Forces, features close to 60 artists