The legendary trance DJ-producer Paul van Dyk is famous for saying, “When I started DJing, I was just the freak in the corner.”

Those days are gone, and DJs are now front, center and full-blown international superstars. Electronic dance music (EDM) comes in many flavors. There is mainstream EDM and underground. There are festivals for the masses and other ones for the devout. Some festivals offer all genres: house, trance, techno, drum and bass, breakbeats and dubstep, while others zone in on one. From June 28 to July 1, Luminosity Beach Festival in Bloemendaal, The Netherlands is four days of trance and trance subgenres.

There are so many options and decision to make when you rave—here are some quality options.

ASOT 850, A State of Trance Utrecht | The Netherlands | February 17
Armada Music is arguably the most powerful label in electronic dance music. In fact, the Amsterdam-based label “Armada” is an acronym of its founders. The “AR,” stands for Armin van Buuren, the “MA” is for Maykel Piron and the “DA” is for David Lewis. Together these three come together to make and distribute music and produce some of the best events in the industry.

Headlined by Armin van Buuren, A State of Trance 850 is one of the biggest events of the year. Its list of performing DJs is a who’s who in trance with artists such as: John O’Callaghan, Bryan Kearney, Ben Nicky, David Gravell, Purple Haze AKA Sander van Doorn and Gareth Emery to name a few.

Ultra Music Festival | Miami, Florida | March 23-25
What started as just a little party on the sand in Miami Beach is now a global festival powerhouse. Coinciding with Winter Music Conference, this three-day electro-party now happens in a skyscraper cove in downtown Miami. To the east is the bay and to the west in an office building backdrop—indeed one of the best venues in the world. This year’s edition is the festival’s 20th—certainly the brains behind the operation will have a few ultra-surprises. UMF has someone for everyone: the main stage bends for the mainstream, while other stages speak to the underground. Hardwell, Tiesto, Steve Aoki, Kaskade, The Chainsmokers, David Guetta and many others are confirmed. It was here that Avicii cancelled his main stage set due to severe abdominal pain, nausea and fever from a blocked gall bladder. He retired from touring shortly thereafter—perhaps he makes an appearance in 2018?

Tomorrowland | Boom, Belgium | July 20-22 and July 29-31
Since 2005, Tomorrowland’s growth has been staggering. From one-day with 9,000 attendees to 400,000, over back-to-back three-day weekends—it’s miraculous. To boot, these tickets typically sellout in around 30 minutes. Essentially every noteworthy DJ in the world is on the lineup—more than 250 DJs over three days. Armin van Buuren labeled it the “Woodstock of today,” and Markus Schulz calls it, “the most intranational festival out there.” There were 16 stages at the 2017 edition, and every year the party gets bigger—this year will not be an exception.

Check out ManScore’s guide to Tomorrowland 2018

Untold Festival | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | August 2-5
Go east! To Eastern Europe and experience the fruits of Romania. This four-day event has developed a reputation in recent years for being one of the best. This indoor-outdoor event has its main stage in the 30,000 seat Cluj Arena stadium and in the nearby Polyvalent Hall. All the usual suspects will be in Romania: Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Afrojack, Axwell Λ Ingrosso and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike to name a few. Like Tomorrowland, Untold also tells a story of “real life fantasy.” And here’s the best part about Untold: a ticket is less than $150.

Also Receiving Votes:

• EDC Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada | May 18-20
• Movement Electronic Music Festival | Detroit, Michigan | May 26-28
• Electric Forest Festival | Grant Township, Michigan | June 21-24 and June 28-July 1

Happy raving in 2018 from your friends at ManScore!