If your image of music festivals is walking long distances from remote parking lots and standing in a muddy field, welcome to the 21st century. Today music festivals have VIP seating and amenities that make enjoying the music a luxury experiences. Events365.com is a company that specializes in tickets for sports and live entertainment, and below is their calendar highlighting key festivals and dates you will want to mark on your calendar.
COACHELLA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
Empire Polo Fields, Indio, CA
April 13 – 15 and April 20 – 22
Coachella is the most popular music festival in the US, so popular in fact, that the festival takes place on two weekends in April. Located in the heart of Southern California’s Coachella Desert Valley, this festival maintains a history of surprise performances and heavy attendance by celebrities. Coachella goes beyond the music by offering massive art installations and interactive experiences, plus great food and drink.
STAGECOACH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Empire Polo Fields, Indio, CA
April 28 – 30
Taking place after the second weekend of Coachella, Stagecoach offers the same high quality music festival experience, but caters to country music fans. Like Coachella, Stagecoach goes beyond the music and features a BBQ contest, a record shop, karaoke and more.
OKEECHOBEE MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sunshine Grove, FL
March 1 – 4
This four-day Florida festival features top musicians from around the world, plus art installations and water activities. Located between Orlando and West Palm Beach, attendees can expect near perfect weather and whole lot of fun.
ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Bayfront Park, FL
March 23 – 25
The most popular music festival out of Florida, Ultra is purely an electronic music festival taking place in the heart of beautiful Miami. The artist line-up is released in three phases, which has nothing to do with which day the artist will perform.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL
New Orleans, LA
April 27 – May 6
Officially named the new Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, this 10-day event gathers musicians, cooks, and crafty folks to celebrate Louisiana heritage from indigenous music and culture all the way to contemporary Jazz and R&B.
HANGOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL
Gulf Shores Beach, AL
May 18 – 20
There are not many music festivals in the south, but Alabama’s Hangout Music Festival is particularly popular. The event is hosted at beautiful and sandy Gulf Shores, AL, and includes a variety of music, including indie rock, hip hop, and electronic music genres.
MOVEMENT ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
Detroit, MI
May 27 – 29
Movement Festival is the US mecca for die-hard techno and electronic music fanatic. Held in Detroit, attendees of this festival are there strictly to catch sets and dance their faces off. Forget arts and other festival add-ons, the focus here is all on the booming bass and laser light shows. It’s three days of nonstop bangers and after parties.
SASQUATCH MUSIC FESTIVAL
George, WA
May 26 – 29
A Memorial Weekend must-do, Seattle suburb’s Sasquatch Festival is set upon the backdrop of the rolling hills of Washington Gorge. There is a small selection of comedy acts layered on top of the standard festival mix of alt rock, hip hop, and EDM and of course plenty of food and beverage to keep attendees.
BOSTON CALLING
Boston, MA
May 24 – 29
Boston’s version of the three-day Memorial Day weekend bash, Boston Calling is held on the Harvard Athletic Complex and features a selection of artists that span across all genres.
GOVERNOR’S BALL
New York, NY
June 2 – 4
New York’s original music festival, Governor’s ball has continued to grow in popularity year after year. Part of the appeal lies in the fact that the organizers go beyond the music and provide entertainment in the form of games and other interactive activities.
DREAMSCAPE
Darlington, MD
June 2 – 4
This Maryland festival prides itself on the following Core Principles: Radical Self Expression, Radical Self Reliance, Participation, Leave no Trace, and Gifting. Beyond providing grounds for music and art, Dreamscape strives to create a community feeling where attendees can truly escape the real world for a more ideal and magical existence.
THE ROOTS PICNIC
Philadelphia, PN
June 3
Founded by the band, The Roots, this single-day festival aims to bring artists and fans together to celebrate music, art, culture, and philanthropic causes. Located at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing, it provides the exciting combination of big city experience, nearby luxury hotels and of course great music.
BONNAROO MUSIC FESTIVAL
Manchester, TN
June 7 – 10
Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music Festival has won over the loyalty and adoration of fans that almost matches that of the Coachella festival-goers of Southern California. The selection of artists spans genres so there’s a set at every hour of the show to please the crowds of nearly every discerning taste.
2018 CMA
Nashville, TN
June 7 – 10
CMA Music Festival is Nashville’s music event of the summer centered around country music. Dating to 1972 as a Fan Fair, the event features over 400 artists and celebrities- far more than your standard music festival. The event runs for four days, and artists are not paid to participate in the festival.
FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Dover, DE
June 14 – 17
This family-friendly festival consistently promises a selection of over 100 of the hottest bands on the festival circuit. This is a four-day campout event located in the Woodlands of the Dover International Speedway.
ESSENCE FESTIVAL
New Orleans, LA
July 5-8
Coming in at the top of Events 365’s most in-demand festivals, Essence festival takes over New Orleans’s Superdome to showcase the most influential African-American artists and entertainers for a weekend of unity and empowerment.
ELECTRIC FOREST
Rothbury, MI
June 22 – 24 & June 27 – June 29
Electric Forest is another mega music festival which grew to the point of expanding to two weekends. As the name implies, the event is hosted in a forest in Michigan. Contrary to what the name implies, the event is not solely focused on electronic music. Past artists include The Black Keys, The Dave Matthews Band, Slightly Stoopid, Snoop Dogg, John Mayer, and much more.
PANORAMA
New York, NY
July 27 – 29
Put on by the same promotion company as Coachella, Panorama at Randall’s Island promises New York a top of the line festival experience with a powerful lineup, well-organized experience on the ground, and cutting edge interactive arts and technology installations.
LOLLAPALOOZA CHICAGO
Chicago, IL
August 2 – 5
Boasting eight stages and nearly 200 bands from around the world, Chicago’s Lollapalooza is one of the top “destination festivals” for music-junkies around the world. Genres of music include alt rock, heavy metal, hip hop, electronic, and more! And beyond the music you will find dance and comedy performances.
BURNING MAN
Black Rock City
August 29 – September 4
Do not make the mistake of calling Burning Man a music festival. As any “burner” will tell you, it is an arts festival and gathering spanning the entire last week of August. Burning Man takes place at the isolated Seven Mile Playa in Nevada’s Black rock desert. Attendees must pack and prepare for a week of no resources (water, power, electricity). Elaborate costumes and campsites are planned for months before people descend upon Playa. The festival concludes with the ceremonial burning of the festival’s massive Man structure.
OUTSIDELANDS
San Francisco, CA
August 10 – 12
It’s a music festival in the heart of San Francisco. Outsidelands is held each year at the Golden Gate Park, where music, the finest of California wines, and art intersect for three days of unforgettable music festival experience.
BUMBERSHOOT
Seattle Center Seattle, WA
August 31 – September 2
Pacific Northwest music hub, Seattle, is another champion in the art of mixing music with arts and interactive experiences to make one epic music festival experience. In addition to witnessing performances by the hottest artists, attendees of last year’s mega-festival were able to enjoy comedy, spoken word, dance, theatre, and more. The festival has taken place every Labor Day weekend since 1971.
MADE IN AMERICA
Philadelphia, PA
August 31 – September 2
Made in America is the brainchild of rapper Jay-Z. The MIA festival is mostly hip hop heavy, but also incorporates popular artists of other genres.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
Austin, TX
October 5 – 7 and 12 – 14
Austin City Limits followed in the steps of Coachella and expanded to two weekends in 2017. The three day all-music festival is located near the heart of downtown Austin, which gives festival-goers plenty of time to rub elbows with artists at local bars, or catch intimate surprise shows at any of the many venues around town.
VOODOO FESTIVAL
New Orleans City Park, New Orleans, LA
October 27-29
Celebrate Halloween weekend in New Orleans, layered on top of all the musings of a major multi-day music festival weekend. The Voodoo Music & Arts Experience is a three-day festival held in City Park, and showcases both local and mainstream artists of all genres.
SNOWGLOE MUSIC FESTIVAL
Bijou Park Lake Tahoe, CA
December 29 – 31
SnowGlobe Music Festival takes place in California powder bowl, Lake Tahoe. It is the ultimate New Year’s Eve music festival of the US. This year’s line-up is jam packed with the hottest artists on the EDM scene.
