ION

Dhërmi, Albania
September 4 - September 11

The gorgeous Albanian seaside resort of Dhërmi is arguably the perfect place for a destination festival: balmy weather, idyllic coves, seafront dancing and fresh seafood washed down by cheap local beers. At ION festival, the paradisiacal setting is married with hard-edged club sounds, featuring artists like Zenker Brothers, DJ Fuckoff, Helena Hauff, rRoxymore and SHERELLE. If you like your days sun-kissed and your dance floors moody, this is the festival for you. On a sustainability tip, the ION ticket includes the cost of carbon offsetting in the total price.

RA Pick: Chaos in the CBD at The Canyon, a stage at the bottom of the towering red cliffs behind Gjipe beach.

Draaimolen

Tilburg, Netherlands
September 6 - September 7

Tilburg festival Draaimolen has gradually built a reputation as one of the best independent festivals in Europe, so much so that weekend tickets for this year's sold out long before any lineup announcements (don't fret, there are still Friday tickets on sale.) All of this has been built without compromising on the ambitious, forward-thinking spirit at the heart of the festival. Across this year's two-day edition, you'll find legends paired with rising talents (DJ Paulette back-to-back ISAbella, Fadi Mohem back-to-back Moritz Von Oswald), spotlights on emerging talent (LUXE, KYRUH, FAFF), site-specific art installations and stage design that will blow your socks off.

RA Pick: upsammy and Valentina Magaletti's debut live show will explore the unusual sonic properties through experimental percussion and multidisciplinary art.

Sustain-Release

New York, United States
September 12 - September 15

September marks the tenth anniversary of one of the East Coast's premier camping festivals, and the lineup befits the occasion. Multiple back-to-backs will take place across the beloved Camp Kennybrook site, including Shyboi's hard techno saddled up to Josey Rebelle's idiosyncratic sheen, while Priori and Cousin will close out the festival, delivering their signature pneumatic beats. The main Sustain-Release events also return for the big birthday: this year's basketball game will be soundtracked by Beautiful Swimmers, and the pool party will feature the technicolour house of Rose Kourts and Colored Craig.

RA Pick: Nick León brings his live show to The Grove, the festival's mystical outdoor ambient stage.

Waterworks

London, United Kingdom
September 14

Since its 2021 debut, West London festival Waterworks has proven its commitment to high-fidelity sound and production, delivering some of the best the capital has to offer. Taking place in Gunnersbury Park, Waterworks welcomes in-the-know club music heads from London and beyond for one day of dancing across seven stages—each with a distinctive identity and palette. Resident Advisor will host the SIREN stage again, inviting Mantra, Mixtress, Nikki Nair and more. The wider lineup includes Objekt, Tash LC, KI/KI and recent Breaking Through subject EMA. Waterworks has also published its first Sustainability Report, looking at its social and environmental impact and identifying areas to improve.

RA Pick: BLUMITSU, AKA Bluetoof and Jossy Mitsu, promise a slew of techno and electro.

unda

Tartu, Estonia
September 19 - September 22

Tartu's National Museum provides a strikingly unconventional backdrop for the first edition of unda. Highlighting club scenes from across Europe, the two-day programme promises a torrent of boundary-pushing electronic music, from the wonderfully punk DJ Marcelle and Berlin's Fandango crew to the Tresor stage, all while showcasing local Estonian talent. The festival's commitment to progressive club culture doesn't stop there: you can also attend a thoughtful series of educational talks and panels covering issues from sustainability to rave fatigue.

RA Pick: Gritty, lo-fi techno from The Trilogy Tapes affiliates Rezzett.

District X

Naas, Ireland
September 21

The brainchild of prominent club promoters District 8 and Index, District X Festival is set to be one of the biggest days in Ireland's dance music calendar. Taking place in the rural grounds of the Palmerstown House Estate, roughly 35 kilometres from Dublin, the 20,000-capacity event has tapped some huge names for its debut edition, from hard dance titans like Azyr and Marlon Hoffstadt through to UK garage favourites Sammy Virji and Girls Don't Sync.

RA Pick: His name might look out of place amongst a distinctly Gen Z-focused lineup, but Kerri Chandler's timeless house grooves always bring the party.

Making Time ∞

Philadelphia, United States
September 20 - September 22

The Philadelphia party Making Time is always on point, but its annual festival of the same name takes things up a notch. Taking place over three days and featuring more than 100 acts, Making Time ∞ brings some of the biggest names in dance music to Philadelphia's historic Fort Mifflin. Big room powerhouses like Bicep and Floating Points will play alongside live acts like Mabe Fratti and Jessica Pratt. On a DJ tip, there'll be sets from the likes of LYDO, CCL, Carista, Gabrielle Kwarteng and Ayesha.

RA Pick: Nia Archives, the poster child for the jungle music revival.

Festival Não Existe

São Paulo, Brazil
September 28

This 12-hour party brings together a suite of electronic music's brightest minds to the vibrant metropolis of São Paulo. The fourth edition of Festival Não Existe will take place in Fabriketa, an abandoned industrial estate-turned-rave cave that hosts some of the most dynamic lineups in the city. This year's victory lap will see Não Existe build on its tradition of audiovisual innovation, with performances from Miami's crown prince Nick León—who will present the Brazil debut of his audiovisual show—as well as Nene H's transcendental, muscular techno and live debuts from homegrown talents Paloma and Gigios. A feast for all the senses.

RA Pick: Dopplereffekt's mind-expanding techno and electro—complete with a live audiovisual show.

FFKT

Shirahama, Japan
September 28 - September 29

FFKT returns to the white shores of Shirahama Beach. The Japanese two-dayer, overlooking the panoramic vistas of the Izu Peninsula, offers a rave oasis that caters to every kind of partygoer. Some might want to escape the city thrum for poolside lounging, soundtracked by elegant house and minimal charmers like Ukrainian DJ Olga Korol, or the soulful sounds of producer and vocalist dreamcastmoe. Prefer to get lost in the sauce? The brilliantly-curated Hall stage will provide heads-down dance floor escapism, with sets from the likes of Saitama-based techno luminary Shinichi Atobe, Incienso label head Anthony Naples and Kyoto-born selector Chanaz.

RA Pick: dreamcastmoe's heartfelt, future-facing R&B.

Margins United

London, United Kingdom
September 28

Launched in 2018, Eastern Margins is a record label and collective that aims to create a space for music from East and Southeast Asia in London. The brand's first festival—taking place at Hackney venue EartH—will showcase a melting pot of sonics and scenes that encompass the Eastern Margins family, from the gothic glitch of yeule through to Budots pioneer DJ Love and emerging drum & bass talent Gyrofield. Alongside the music, there will be workshops, food stalls and forward-thinking visual art courtesy of Lawrence Lek, Baesianz and others.

RA Pick: Catch a DJ set from yeule, an up-and-coming artist responsible for one of 2023's best albums.

Find our full festival listings for September here

Correction, August 14th: The RA Pick for Waterworks has been updated to better reflect BLUMITSU's sets.