Cool Underground Fests Around the World

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It can be quite refreshing and intellectually stimulating to attend, from time to time, some less conventional manifestation. In the modern world, we name these less formal events “underground festivals”. Underground fests are a good opportunity to get familiar with some new ideas, meet some interesting people and see today what will be tomorrow’s trend. However, underground is not a synonym for ‘esoteric': yes, it might address a certain audience or focus on some unorthodox topic, but everyone can join or contribute. With each edition, these fests are becoming trendier and trendier (although it’s hard to say when an underground fest has gone mainstream). So far, we managed to make selection of the most popular alternative fests, no matter what their theme is.

Boston Underground Film Festival

The Boston Underground Film Festival, or what is now known as BUFF, was started in 1998 as an all-night movie marathon by a group of film buffs lead by David Kleiler. Little by little, BUFF has made a tradition from screening the weirdest movies ever made. If you like oddities and you have a stomach for horrors, plan an early spring trip to Boston for the BUFF 2010 edition.

Glastonbury Festival

The history of Glastonbury Festival goes like this: on the 19^th of Sptember 1970, when music lovers all around the world were still mourning Jimi Hendrix, Michael Eavis organized a small blues festival at the countryside. With years, Glastonbury has surpassed the borders of an underground fest and was transformed into an international celebration of summer, nature and youth, taking place every year around the summer solstice. The 2009 edition featured celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Pendulum, Nick Cave or Cirque du Soleil, who managed to revive that Woodstock atmosphere so dear to underground festival goers (which is why Glastonbury, despite its celebrity, made it to the list).

New York Underground Comedy Festival

The city that sets the trends, NYC couldn’t have missed from our list of cool fests. When it first started in 2003, NYC underground comedy festival had one sole purpose: to discover and promote the newest and most talented comedians. After only six years, not only has the festival something to say in the entertainment industry, but it has also become international. With names like Chris Rock, Rick Overton or Charlie Moreno, this comedy festival is a perfect reason to see the Big Apple in the most favorable light: a golden autumn afternoon.

Antimatter Film Festivals

The world on animation and experimental cinema just wouldn’t be the same without the existence of Antimatter Film Festival, held each autumn in Victoria, British Columbia. Antimatter meets all the expectations of an underground festival: it’s non-commercial, non competitive and highly innovative. Since its first edition in 1998, it has grown to host not only low budget and short films, but also some really ground-breaking multi-media, multi-platform experiments, video installations and performances.

The Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre

The name tells it all: this theater festival has been reuniting innovative theater companies and directors from all over the world for 21 years now.  Located in the picturesque capital of Egypt, CIFET represents a good opportunity to see the latest trends in terms of performance arts and meet the world’s youngest and most promising artists.

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