Cue the music: Vrbos for festival goers

Festival season kicks off in April with Coachella drawing hundreds of thousands of music fans outside into the spring sunshine. And while for many, that means packing your tents, there’s no need to rough it with these Vrbo properties—each a top-billing act in its own right.

01

A Coachella chillout in the desert

The party hits Palm Springs in April for two weekends at nearby Coachella, with past performers like Lana Del Ray, Tyler, the Creator, and ’90s icons Blur and No Doubt descending on the desert. This serene two-bedroom house, minutes from Downtown, is just the place to escape the heat between headliners. Its tactile decor draws on the desert palette—tan, sand, terracotta—and there’s a shady Mediterranean-style garden with an outdoor bar.

Two weekends in April; coachella.com

02

A beachside sanctuary for Splendour in the Grass

This weekender is Australia’s answer to Coachella: killer headliners, good-time crowds, and wild fashion, all against the rolling green pastures of North Byron Parklands. Down the coast in Byron Bay, this cedar cabin is a step up from even Splendour’s ritziest bell tents. The main cabin has two bedrooms, with another in a separate guest cabin, each done up with linen, rattan and plants. Roll out of bed and it’s just a 10-minute stroll to Byron’s main beach to start each day with a surf, before rinsing off in the cabin’s outdoor shower among the palms—ready to face the music and dance.

Mid-July; splendourinthegrass.com

03

All back to ours from Glastonbury

Glastonbury’s famous mud can be just as epic as its line-ups, so dodge the fickle British weather by decamping to this grand Georgian pile just north of nearby Shepton Mallet. There’s a dedicated room to stash your rain boots (a Worthy Farm essential), and a huge Aga to whip up hearty full English breakfasts, as well as eight deeply comfortable bedrooms. And once the lights go down on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night, stay on at your Vrbo to laze in the outdoor pool or play your own headline slot on the piano in the drawing room.

Late June; glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

04

Primavera fun and frescos

Barcelona is the kind of city where a night out starts at midnight and ends at sunrise, and during Primavera Sound the action shifts to the beachfront for one of the biggest parties in Europe. Just a short walk from Las Ramblas, this historic three-bedroom apartment adds a more refined dose of art to the festival weekend: Original frescos on the walls here date back to the 1800s. The centuries-old woodwork and exposed brick is in contrast to the rest of the cool, contemporary decor, with a sleek modern kitchen and low-slung sofas, just the spot for putting up your feet after dancing into the early hours.

Late May to early June; primaverasound.com

05

Scandi cool for Way Out West

Gothenburg is ridiculously handsome, all grand neoclassical architecture, tranquil canals and historic cobbled neighborhoods. This sustainably minded festival lands in the city’s leafy Slottsskogen park in August, with its 50/50 gender split line-up, all-veggie food and upcycled festival merch. Tucked away in Mölndal, a short drive away, is this five-bedroom, traditional red-roofed house, decorated in a minimal Scandi palette of white and gray. The pretty private garden is the place for post-festival barbecues, or you can hike to one of the prepared grill sites in the neighboring Safjället nature reserve. This is a green break in every sense.

Early August; wayoutwest.se