Holy Ship!, Caribbean

Take a huge cruise ship, fill it with young hedonists, pump in dance music and pray no one falls overboard … Holy Ship! turns cruising on its head, with clubbing at sea, burlesque entertainment, beach stop-offs and more (its online video gives a good idea). Who said cruising was for oldies?

• January 2013, holyship.com/prebook/index.php, join a waiting list online, dates and prices TBC

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, Morocco

Performers from Lebanon, Hungary, Rajasthan and Pakistan play alongside Björk and Joan Baez at this celebration of world music with a spiritual bent. It includes poetry nights in the medina, discussions, and activities for kids.
• 8-16 June 2012, fesfestival.com, from £238, individual gigs from £12.50

Electric Zoo, New York, US

David Guetta, A-Trak, Ferry Corsten, Sasha, Tiesto, Bloody Beetroots (DJ set) and more come to New York's Randall's Island Park (reached by ferry, subway or bus from Manhattan or the Bronx) for this outdoor electronic festival.
• 31 August-2 September, madeevent.com, $299 including transport

Festival au Désert, Mali

The festival, inspired by traditional Tuareg gatherings but made famous by Damon Albarn, draws around 1,000 westerners for its amazing world music line-up. The Foreign Office warned people not to travel to the last event because of local unrest, but a few hundred tourists couldn't resist the thrill of seeing Tinariwen, Amadou and Mariam, Toumani Diabate and others in this amazing desert setting. Other familiar faces at next year's event will include Robert Plant and Manu Chao, but it's the lesser-known Malian and Tuareg acts that really excite. It's best to join a tour or hire an expert driver or guide, as reaching the site independently is difficult.
• 10-12 January, festival-au-desert.org, tickets go on sale in June/July, full-board packages including a bed in a Tuareg tent, all meals and three litres of water a day, are also available (last year this cost €235pp)