We all feel a little adventurous when we set off in our packed cars for festivals like Falls, Splendour or Rainbow Serpent, but in terms of getting out of your comfort zone, none can really hold a candle to the festivals below. From radical self-expression to spending the weekend in the same rooms as your favourite artists, these festivals are much more than a musical exercise.

Burning Man, Nevada:

The people that head to Black Rock Desert at the end of August don't really classify Burning Man as a 'festival', nor do they 'attend' it. Rather they choose to actively 'participate' in the Burning Man 'community'. Participants join theme camps or villages and enjoy a "contemporary community dedicated to radical self-expression and radical self-reliance". You're encouraged to create your own mutant vehicle, which must be mutated into something unrecognisable as a street vehicle (Mad Max-style). It's also commerce-free, so if you were hoping to make a quick buck or buy anything there, you're out of luck. The purity of the experience is taken very seriously - everyone is on an equal footing and welcome to participate. They even got rid of the main stage a few years ago because it created division between the audience and performers. It's phenomena like Burning Man that reminds us how cool people can be.

Gathering of the Juggalos, Illinois:

WTF is a Juggalo? Well, my friend: "a Juggalo is someone who's down with the clowns 'til they're dead in the ground." AKA, fans of Insane Clown Posse or any other of their Psychopathic Records label mates. Characterised by their enjoyment of the cheap drink Faygo, horror-themed rap music and clownish facepaint, those that identify themselves as a Juggalo (including Charlie Sheen, Chuck D, Coolio, Vanilla Ice, Kung Fu Vampire, Kane Hodder...) call it a family and the Gathering of the Juggalos is their home. I'm sorry - horror-themed rap and family values? Well, Juggalos view the often violent lyrics as catharsis for aggression (kind of how you should see OFWKTA). The Gathering therefore is a family-fun-times-underground-hardcore-hip-hop music festival where some of the biggest names, underground or otherwise, drop by to play. Weirdly enough it's also famed for its wrestling. Check out juggalowrestling.com. Guess that's cathartic too?

Lost Events, Sydney:

Have you ever bought a mystery flight? That's what Lost Events' parties sound like. Centering around the 'life' of an intriguing gorilla Bollo and his adventures with the Lost Boys, they only reveal the location of their parties at the last minute. The first event was called 'Lost on Shark Island' (sounds more and more like Peter Pan) with everyone dressing up as castaways and jumping on a ferry to an island. This has been followed by other themed getaways, including 'Lost at the Alter', 'Lost in the Badlands', 'Lost in the Blitz', and 'Lost in Boomtoom'. Our favourite though was 'Lost on the Trans Siberian' where they asked attendees to dress like part of the Cold War, hired a 500-seater train, packed it full of speakers and headed for the mountains. Some of the bestest Sydney DJs are brought in to play too.

Camp A Low Hum, near Wellington:

A Low Hum was started by one dude, Blink, who upon realising that his photocopied music zines were redundant because there was no way most of the bands he featured could be heard, started taking bands on tours across New Zealand. Following this Blink started up Camp A Low Hum, which he describes as "how you always imagined a festival could be, but never is." It's all ages, BYO and there is no 'all access areas' type of separation. You come and go as you please, won't be bombarded with advertising and over the three days you can catch around 50 bands that have been invited by Blink himself. Send him links to your stuff and you might even be invited. But if you aren't contacted and still want to join in, you're welcome to play a renegade show with dedicated PA and all. In summation, it's the kind of festival that Blink himself would enjoy attending.

Camp A Low Hum highlight: In 2009, Liam, Elroy and Neil Finn surprised the crowd by playing a special set together, covering everything from Crowded House to Split Enz.

Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Leipzig:

Wave-Gotik-Treffen is a dark music festival with the kind of attendees that will put any of your past costume efforts to shame. Ranging from Victorian Gothic, Steampunk to horror and more, imagine gothic Harajuku style, but about ten times more hardcore. The music featured includes Industrial Noise, Darkwave, Neofolk, Medieval, Neoclassical and everything in between. More than 150 bands play venues across the city of Leipzig, Germany during the weekend of Pentecost. Could a dark music festival be held on any other weekend? Attendees can also head along to renaissance, pagan and viking cultural fairs. Our tarot cards tell us that this festival is pretty amazing. Google Wave-Gotik-Treffen to see where Marilyn Manson gets all his outfit ideas.

Snowbombing, Austria:

The annual music and sports festival Snowbombing is held at the Austrian Ski Resort Mayrhofen. Started by a group of English nightclub promoters, it's pretty much Ibiza in the snow... plus winter sports. Acts are held in unusual locations around the resort including an igloo village, a forest clearing and a remote alpine farmstead. The traditional Austrian culture is fully embraced, so expect to see plenty of lederhosen, sausages and Oompah bands. The raddest part though is the Snowbombing Road Trip. It's just a leisurely drive from the UK to Mayrhofen with a bunch of cool collecting points, pitstops and the arrival procession that declares the event open. And with 50 pools and saunas we weren't joking about it being Ibiza in the snow.

Past acts include Fatboy Slim, 2manyDJs, Zane Lowe, Mylo, Madness, Dizzee Rascal, Dirty Pretty Things, Grandmaster Flash and Foals.

All Tomorrow's Parties, East Sussex:

Barry Hogan started All Tomorrow's Parties (do we need to mention it's named after a Velvet Underground song?) as an alternative to the larger festivals that seem to have gotten too big for their boots. It's sponsorship-free and all the organisers, artists and fans stay together in the Camber Sands Holiday Camp. The line-up is curated by artists each year, and as Barry Hogan describes it, "ATP is like an excellent mix tape compiled by your favourite musicians". It's a rare opportunity to take a trip through an artist's record collection, and has featured all the legends and obscure and left-of-field artists you could imagine. Check out the ATP documentary. You. Will. Want. To. Go.

In the last couple of years Hogan has started up another festival called I'll Be Your Mirror. Just like the song itself, it's a B-side to ATP festival. IBYM is similar to ATP but sans the holiday resort accommodation.

Past curators of ATP: Mogwai, Pavement, Belle & Sebastian, Animal Collective, Mudhoney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Devendra Banhart, Dinosaur Jr, The Shins, Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth, The Dirty Three, Portishead.

NOTABLE MENTIONS:

Serbian Exit Festival: notable for its medieval fortress location and the fact that it started out ten years ago as a three-month protest against then Yugoslavian president Milosevic.

Rainforest World Music Festival: In the heart of the Borneo jungle you can take part in workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming session and mini concerts with international musicians and the indigenous locals of Borneo.

Shambhala Music Festival: A four-day progressive electronic music festival in British Columbia's Kootenay Mountains. Features six uniquely themed stages, plus the popular 'Acid Friday'. Yep.

Expecto Patronum: A Harry Potter-dedicated festival (!) in 2009, not strictly musical but they did feature a bunch of Harry Potter-themed Wizard Rock (Wrock) bands: Draco and the Malfoys, the 8^th Horcrux, Harry and the Potters, Solitary Snape and Swedish Shortsnouts.

70,000 Tons of Metal: 40 heavy metal bands and 2000 fans take a luxury cruise around the Caribbean. I suppose metal heads want a tan too.

Words: Anna Horan