10 Best Music Festivals for College Students That Really Bring the Hype

favorite_borderLast updated:2018/5/4

• Music Festival Master / Editor-in-ChiefKeisuke Hane
  Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC and in charge of music festivals. When I attended my first music festival as a freshman in college, I was captivated by its charm—“I can’t believe there’s a place this free and this fun.” I share information about wonderful music festivals every day to help grow the community of festival fans.

KANSAI LOVERS (Kanraba) | Osaka Prefecture

http://www

arm-live.

com/kansailovers/2017

Commonly known as Kanraba, this event is a festival held annually at Osaka Castle Outdoor Music Hall, featuring artists with ties to the Kansai region.

This year again, the lineup includes up-and-coming young artists and popular bands representing the Kansai region. If you go to Kanraba, you’ll get a real sense of the Kansai band scene, don’t you think?

The lineup mainly features guitar rock and vocal-driven rock bands, and I think they’re all groups that university students in particular will really enjoy.

Precisely because you’re trend-savvy college students, we want you to check out Kanraba, where next-generation newcomers and today’s most popular bands are performing!

SOUND GARDEN | Aichi Prefecture

http://soundgarden-kourogi

com/index.

html

Sound Garden held in Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture.

It will be held as a spin-off event of FREEDOM NAGOYA, a free festival that takes place in Nagoya every summer.

The highlight is that many RAD-affiliated bands and idols unique to Nagoya will be performing.

The venue is sure to be buzzing with excitement at the live performances by the artists leading the indie scene.

Another noteworthy point is that the ticket price is just one coin—500 yen!

For university students who have to have lots of fun, isn’t it most delightful of all when something is cheap?

It's definitely worth checking out—being able to enjoy live performances by this many artists for just one coin!

TOKI ROCK NIIGATA (Toki Rock) | Niigata Prefecture

http://www

northern19.

com

Northern19, a three-piece rock band from Niigata Prefecture, hosts a local music festival called TOKI ROCK.

A lineup centered on their signature melodic hardcore will be irresistible for the live-show kids, don’t you think?

It looks like it’s going to be an event you can enjoy in the mosh pit from start to finish.

The venue will be the RED STAGE and BLACK STAGE of the Niigata live house GOLDEN PIGS.

Since it's a two-stage setup, it's hard to decide which band to watch.

This event is perfect for anyone who wants to soak up the festival’s excitement with their whole body and just have fun!

Nagata Grand March | Hyogo Prefecture

http://gagagasp

jp/nagatafes2017

A youth punk band from Kobe, Gagaga SP, hosts the music festival Nagata Daikoushinkyoku.

This is a community-loving event that bears Nagata Ward, Kobe, in its title and uses place names from Hyogo Prefecture for its stage names.

The performers include bands that play youth punk like Gagaga SP, as well as vocal-centric bands and melodic hardcore bands—an appealingly wide-ranging lineup that spans genres and generations.

All the bands are popular acts that shine at other major festivals, so if you join, you’re guaranteed to have a great time!

The venue is a special stage set up in a multipurpose plaza near Kobe Airport, so I think you’ll be able to enjoy spending time comfortably outdoors.

Magurock | Shizuoka Prefecture

http://www

magurockfujisonic.

com/magurock/index.

html

MAGUROCK, an outdoor rock festival organized by the comedy duo Dainoji.

Since this festival is organized by DJ Dainoji, who also perform at festivals around the country, the lineup is packed with bands that are currently gaining popularity.

In addition to bands that are a blast live, like Kyuso Nekokami and Okazaki Taiiku, buzzworthy and cool acts such as Nulbarich and BRADIO are also performing, so lineup-wise, isn’t this a perfect match for university students?

Also noteworthy is Fuji Sonic, which is hosted by Dainoji as well and takes place the day before.

MINAMI WHEEL | Osaka Prefecture

https://minamiwheel

jp/

Minami Wheel, known as Minaho, is one of the premier circuit events in Kansai, held across multiple live music venues in Osaka’s Minami district.

Isn’t it an event that serves as one of the goals for band members active in the Kansai indie scene?

Since it’s an event that so many bands aspire to, every band brings serious energy, and one heated live performance after another unfolds.

One of the biggest appeals of circuit events is not only enjoying the live show of the band you came to see, but also stumbling upon and discovering unfamiliar bands at venues you happen to pass by.

I believe it’s precisely when you’re young that you should encounter as much new music as possible, so I think Minaho is a perfect fit for university students.

With over 350 artist acts performing over three days, it’s exciting to look forward to new discoveries—and it’s also great fun to stroll through Osaka, a city brimming with music lovers.

BoroFesta | Kyoto Prefecture

https://www

facebook.

com/borofesta

Borofesta, a DIY festival held in Kyoto since 2002.

It’s a handmade festival organized by people active in Kyoto’s music scene—such as band members and live house managers—who create it together with volunteer staff.

The main venue is Kyoto KBS Hall, a venue notable for the stained glass behind the stage.Since Kyoto is a student city with numerous universities, isn’t this one of the must-visit events for Kyoto students who love music?

I hope you can feel the passion and spirit behind creating an event of this scale entirely DIY.

Kita-Ōmi FREAKY JAMMiN’ (Kita-Ōmi Freaky Jammin) | Shiga Prefecture

http://kfj-shiga

com

Freaky Jammin’ North Omi, held in Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, is a music festival organized by SKA FREAKS, a ska-punk band from Shiga.

Since the venue is a large indoor hall called the Shiga Prefectural Cultural Industry Exchange Center, wouldn’t it be an event you can fully enjoy in a live-house-like atmosphere?

Since the event is on Saturday, staying overnight at a campsite on Lake Biwa with the friends you go with sounds like it would make for a great memory.

I think it would be wonderful if people who usually only go to live shows at festivals start going to live houses because of events like this.

STORMY DUDES FESTA | Osaka Prefecture

http://razorsedgejapan

com/sdf2017

This is a circuit festival set in Amerikamura, hosted by RAZORS EDGE from Osaka.

The lineup is packed with a solid roster centered on melodic punk and hardcore. While there are some veteran bands, there’s no doubt they’ll deliver a fiery live show that will resonate with younger students as well.

Even though it’s a circuit event, all six live houses are located within a single block of Ame-mura, so the compact layout makes getting around easy.

You can see lots of cool bands that are always rocking the live house scene, so I hope this will be a chance for university students who don’t often go to live houses to get to know the scene.

JOKA FES.

(Joka Fest) | Hiroshima Prefecture

http://jokafes

com/2017/top.

html

Joka Fes, held in the castle town of Fukuyama Castle in Hiroshima Prefecture.

A music festival with a rare and unique perspective, said to be held in a historic, atmosphere-rich castle town.

The lineup mainly features vocal bands and guitar rock bands that play good music, making it a festival I’d especially recommend to college students who like that kind of sound.

The event itself is held across multiple venues in the castle town, making it a new kind of experience where you can enjoy the atmosphere of the town while taking in a music festival.

One of the attractions is its easy access—the castle town of Fukuyama Castle is located right in front of Fukuyama Station.

In conclusion

This time, we introduced music festivals recommended for university students.

In addition to events where you can enjoy yourself with your whole body by singing and dancing, we also introduced events like circuit events where you can look forward to discovering new music.

According to one theory, as we get older, we become less able to listen to new music (see also:Do the doors to fashion close at 23, to music at 35, and to taste at 39?I hope you will be exposed to a lot of music while you are in college.

I hope that during your student years, when you have plenty of free time, you’ll use the articles as a reference and head out to various festivals.