Ten breathtaking festival locations

Moon Valley, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Day Zero takes place amid the Mexican jungle in Playa del Carmen, on the grounds of a Mayan-inspired theme park that never opened to the public.

Consisting of three Mayan temples, two cenotes, various swimming pools and a stack of other structures inspired by Mayan culture, the site is the closest you'll ever get to raving in one of the oldest civilisations on earth.

Crosstown Rebels head Damian Lazarus runs the 24-hour shindig, which all started to mark the beginning of a new human era, back when the Mayans believed it to be the end of the world in 2012. Obviously it didn't end. But the Mayans still return here to host multiple ceremonies to celebrate their ancient practices and Damo brings along some of the biggest techno stars on the planet.

Day Zero takes place early January

Niigata, Japan

Set on the cusp of a lake just a few hours from Tokyo, The Labyrinth began as a Goa trance-fuelled rave back in the late 90s, however it's come a long way since its inception and is now revered by techno enthusiasts across the world as one of the places the throw down.

There is only one stage, a giant tepee, as organisers believe in a shared experience across all attendees. The valley where it sits makes most British vales look like not much more than a divot, and its simplistic set up really comes to life at night, when the high-stacked soundsystem and tepee is illuminated to look like something from the imagination of H. G. Wells.

The Labyrinth takes place in mid September

Mayrhofen Austria

Skiing really is a superb past time but as we all know: raving is even better. Historically, there's always been little in the way of combining the two. That was until Snowbombing came along 15 years ago and introduced a week of partying to the Alps. It has since moved to the Mayrhofen resort in Austria, which boasts around 50 pools and saunas, a backdrop of alpine peaks and pine forests as well as a nightclub made of snow. You'd be hard pushed to find a more unique festival location in the world.

Snowbombing takes place in early April

Tankwa, South Africa

AfrikaBurn is the official African outpost of the Black Rock Desert's Burning Man and it takes place on Stonehenge Farm in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, South Africa. It is the largest of the 130 regional Burning Man events that take place across the globe, with 10,000 people attending this year's festival.

Every year it sees a barren section of the Karoo Desert transformed into a temporary town called Tankwa for the five-day party, with a series of elaborate sculptures resulting in what looks like the cast of Mad Max partying on the desert planet of Tatooine.

Convoys of 'mutant vehicles' (cars made up as things like giant snails and pirate ships) make the journey down an unpaved road, landing at the moon-like point, 160 miles between Calvnia and Ceres is the Northern Cape Town Province. Punctures are rife en route, with the track littered with signs telling passers that it eats rubber for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Once there, festivalgoers – famed for their elaborate fancy dress – have to face searing daytime temperatures (the festival was actually moved to Autumn in 2010 as the summer months proved too hot) and freezing desert nights.

AfrikaBurn takes place in late April

Barrakud, Corfu, Greece

Not content with being placed on an idyllic island slap bang in the centre of the European summer, Barrakud is actually not one of the best festival locations in the world, but seven of them. Dubbed the 'party trip', attendees travel across Corfu to a series of day and night events that run in succession across the eight days of the festival. It's something of a techno pilgrimage, with parties running through to 10am at golden beaches, pools with panoramic views, sunrise boat parties and clubs – Scuba playing the opening party in a seafront club. Check. Tom Trago playing a panoramic view pool party. Check. Lone playing a live show in a beach bar set into a rock filled bay. Check.

Now in its second year in Corfu – with its sister event on Zrće Beach in Croatia now in its fourth year – Barrakud hosts a small but refined line-up, which means the parties mentioned above will be joined by the likes of Rødhåd, Midland, Ellen Allien and DJ Koze, all creating a week-long soundtrack to some of the most unique parties on the continent. It all culminates in an eight-hour boat party that traverses tiny islands, offers punters offshore swims and docks at local beaches, before the sun sets for the last time on this festival in bohemian paradise. Check out the after video from last year if you don't believe us.

Barrakud, Corfu, takes place in late July

Dalhalla, Rättvik

Into the Valley lands in Sweden for the first time this year, taking place in Dalhalla, an abandoned limestone quarry in the middle of the ancient Dalarna Forest, just outside the small town of Rättvik.

Its natural amphitheatre has to be one of the unique party spaces in the world. Usually used for opera performances; it has also seen performances from the likes of Kraftwerk, Arcade Fire and Sigur Rós.

The Segrén Hedlund collective, responsible for some of Stockholm's best party spaces, are moving in for the two-day event, converting it into a series of clubs surrounded by trees, an open air main stage that backs onto a glorious pool and the natural amphitheatre, which is illuminated at night and reaches up to the skyline all the way round the outskirts of the festival.

Into the Valley takes place in late July

Tassoultante, Morrocco

Another first for 2015, Oasis Festival takes place in the Fellah Hotel, in the usually tranquil area of Tassoultante, a stones throw from Marrakech.

The result is essentially a festival on a honeymooners resort. Its stages and parties exist throughout the hotel's pools and villas, where art installations are nestled between palm trees and cacti, all set amidst desert landscapes against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains.

Festivalgoers can move between sun-drenched sets from the likes of DJ Harvey and Derrick Carter to a dip in the pool or daily yoga. Morocco is not famed for its music events, but has all the right parts for a great weekend of raving. With a glorious climate, easy access from Europe, low food and beer prices and the landscape of paradise, Oasis could be the beginning of Morocco's move towards becoming the festival season's next Croatia.

Oasis takes place mid September

Gottwood Anglesey, Wales

Gottwood is the independent Welsh festival nestled in the woods by the Welsh coastline, hidden away by a lake on the private Carreglwyd Estate in Anglesey. The area won the accolade of Lonely Planet's 'Greatest Region on Earth 2012', and the setting is a world away from the corporate sponsorship of many UK festivals. Attendees can immerse themselves in the raves that take place across a combination of seven indoor and outdoor stages, or get away from it all in one of the most ambient surrounds of the British countryside. It also boasts sunsets and sunrises that are something of legend.

Capacity at the event is kept to just 5,000 to ensure the festival feels intimate and the site as environmentally sustainable as possible. With all seven stages made from materials found on site, one of Gottwood's cofounders has since been signed up to consult on the green credentials of Secret Garden Party and Festival No. 6. Those founders self describe the festival as a "mystical little party hidden in the middle of the woods", but that only goes a short way to capturing the magic of the Gottwood experience.

Gotwood takes place in mid June

Magnetic Fields Rajasthan, India

Magentic Fields is set in a 17 ^th Century palace that is now used as the decadent Alsisar Mahal hotel in Rajasthan, India. The venue is a series of elaborately paved courtyards, lush gardens and luxury pools which the festival use as the backdrop to their elaborate stage set-ups.

From secret parties on rooftops soundtracked by artists from the vibrant Indian underground, through stargazing workshops and sunset kite flying, the festival is a culturally immersive experience amidst the Rajasthani desert.

Last year, acid house originator Charanjit Singh played – before passing away at the age of 75 in July – alongside the likes of Robert Koch and Shiva Soundsystem. Attendees can also opt to either stay in a palace suite, or the Bedouin Tent Village, home only to luxury tents. No repeat of a weekend spent in the dodgy £20 two-man pop up you forever regret buying here.

Magnetic Fields takes place in mid December