The music festival season is right around the corner, so get ready to exchange your winter jacket and mittens for a tank-top and a pair of hipster sunglasses. There are plenty of music festivals to check out this upcoming new year. If you are not familiar with music festivals, here is a little guide to help you pick what festival is just right for you!
Snowball Music Festival - Vail Valley, Colorado
- March 2 - March 4, 2012
- The Snowball Music Festival is a three-day long event held in Vail, a resort near Avon, Colorado. In its second year, it consists of back to back performances across three outdoor stages. The organisers claimed that the festival incorporated the "ultimate marriage: mountains and music."
- Click HERE for a full roster of performers which include Snoop Dogg, Bassnectar, and TV on the Radio.
- Get your tickets HERE because they are going fast!
South By Southwest [SXSW] - Austin, TX
- March 13 - March 18, 2012
- SXSW Music is one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more than 2,000 performers playing in more than 90 venues around downtown Austin stretching over four days, in March. SXSW is dedicated to showcasing up and coming artists from all over the world, but don't be suprised if you happen to see a well-known act playing a set inside a local Austin pub.
- Click HERE for 2012 Lineup
- First-timer's Festival Guide
.jpg)
Coachella - Indio, CA
- April 13 - April 15, 2012 & April 20 - April 22, 2012
- The Coachella Music and Arts Festival is a multi-day annual festival that showcases some of the top artists from all over the world. The festival features all genres of music, as well as, large sculptural art. Located in the California Desert, Coachella has several stages/tents set-up throughout the grounds, each playing live acts continuously.
- 2012 Lineup: The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Arctic Monkeys, Feist, Florence & The Machine, Fitz & The Tantrums, The Shins, AWOLNATION, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds & many more! Click HERE for full festival lineup
- How to Purchase tickets
- Travel and Lodging Info
McDowell Mountain Music Fest - Phoenix, AZ
- April 13 - April 15, 2012
- The McDowell Mountian Music Festival exists to integrate and support the community, the arts and the underpriviliged. All the proceeds go to charity. The Festival is dedicated to brining real music to Arizona, while getting the community together for a great cause: our children.
- 2012 Headliners: Galactic, Ozomatli, Keller Williams. Click HERE for full festival lineup.
- Festival Guide
- PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!
The Hangout Festival - Gulf Shores, AL
- May 18 - May 20, 2012
- The Hangout Music Festival is the first and only festival of its kind. Located on white sandy beaches surrounded by palm trees, the Festival treats guests to a unique festival experience and consistently features a diverse selection of top touring artists.
- 2012 Line-up: Dave Matthews Band, Jack White, String Cheese Incident, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franit & Spearhead, Chris Cornell, G. Love & Special Sauce and many more! Click HERE for the full festival line-up!
- Ticket and travel info click HERE.
Sasquatch! - The Gorge, WA
- May 25 - May 28, 2012
-
Sasquatch was an idea born on a hunch that there was untapped demand for a certain kind of festival that catered to the eclectic tastes of music enthusiasts. It started in 2002, which was shortly after a number of the touring festivals had petered out and the beginning of the wave of regional festivals that started with Coachella and now is a dominant force on the music landscape. Sasquatch! Music Festival is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It is presented by the House of Blues. There is an emphasis on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, although there are also alternative rock, hip hop and comedy acts. The festival features four separate stages.
- 2012 Headliners: Jack White, Beck, Feist, The Shins, Metric, Tenacious D and more! Click HERE to see the full 2012 Lineup.
- Click HERE for tickets!
Summer Camp Music Fest - Chillicothe, IL
- May 25 - May 27, 2012
- The first Summer Camp Music Festival was held in 2001 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL. About 1,000 attended the festival that year, and enjoyed over 20 bands on 2 stages over the course of 2 days. Since then, Summer Camp Music Festival has grown to more than 15,000 attendees, hosting more than 100 bands on 6 stages over 4 days. Click HERE for more information about Summer Camp Music Fest.
- 2012 Headliners: moe., Primus, Gogol Bordello. Click HERE for the full lineup.
- Click HERE for ticket information.
Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN
- June 7 - June 10, 2012
- 2012 Lineup: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish, The Beach Boys, The Avett Brothers, The Shins, Foster the People, Feist, Ben Folds Five, City and Colour, Needtobreathe, Fitz & The Tantrums, and many more! Click HERE for a full festival line up!
-
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee every June. Bonnaroo brings together some of the best performers in rock and roll, along with dozens of artists in complementary styles such as jazz, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and just about any contemporary music you can think of. In addition to dozens of epic performances, the festival's 100-acre entertainment village buzzes around the clock with attractions and activities including a classic arcade, on-site cinema, silent disco, comedy club, theater performers, a beer festival, and a music technology village. For its peaceful vibe, near-flawless logistics, and unrivaled entertainment options, Rolling Stone magazine named this revolutionary entertainment experience one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll.
- Click HERE for Tickets and other important information.
- KEY FACTS to know before you go!
The Govenor's Ball - Randall's Island, NYC
- June 23 - June 24, 2012
- The Governors Ball Music Festival is a one day music festival held on Governors Island in New York City.
- 2012 Lineup has not been announced. Click HERE for 2011 lineup.
- Click HERE for ticket information
Summerfest (World's Largest Music Festival) - Milwaukee, WI
- June 27 - July 1, July 3 - July 8, 2012
- Also known as "The Big Gig," Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at 75-acre Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually including the 4th of July holiday.Summerfest attracts between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people each year, promoting itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival," a title certified by the Guinness World Records in 1999. Summerfest is run by the non-profit organization Milwaukee World Festival, and features both local and nationally known music talent from a variety of music genres. The event also provides the opportunity to sample a wide variety of food from many Milwaukee-area restaurants. Other Summerfest attractions include comedy acts, shopping vendors, fireworks, other special attractions, family activities and more.
- 2012 Headliners: Neil Diamond and Lady Antebellum.
- Click HERE for tickets!
Electric Forest - Rothbury, MI
- June 28 - July 1, 2012
- Electric Forest, previously known as the Rothbury Festival, is a four day music festival at the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, MI. The festival first occurred in 2008 during the Independence Day holiday weekend. In addition to music and arts, the festival is intended to promote sustainability and promote overall improvements to the environment.
- Click HERE to see the full 2012 Lineup.
- Click HERE for a look at some of Electric Forest's main attractions.
- Click HERE for travel instructions.
- Get your 2012 tickets HERE!
Common Ground Music Festival - Downtown Lansing, MI
- July 9 - July 12, 2012
- Common Ground happens in downtown Lansing, along the banks of the Grand River in Adado Riverfront Park. This annual celebration features an outstanding line-up of musical acts, focusing on top-level, national, contemporary music performers, scores of food vendors, and a dynamic display of outdoor interactive activities for kids. With an attractive, intimate venue, state-of-art production and a comprehensive array of patron amenities, the festival is the premier special event of the summer in the greater Lansing region. Common Ground features an impressive array of headline, national-level entertainment each night. The event's core components include: popular music, delicious food and fun activities. These core components are designed with the goal of entertaining and satisfying people of all ages and backgrounds. Click HERE for more festival info.
- The 2012 lineup for Common Ground has not been finished. Click HERE for a full list of past perfomers which have included ZZ Top, Journey, Rick Springfield, and Buckcherry.
- Get your 2012 tickets for Common Ground Music Festival HERE.
Capitol Hill Block Party - Seattle, WA
- July 20 - July 22, 2012
- The Capitol Hill Block Party is an annual three-day music festival held each July in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. In the past, the festival has included various famous acts including Macklemore, Atmosphere, MGMT, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, The Presidents of the United States of America, Blue Scholars, and The Hold Steady. Founded in 1997 by Jen Gapay, the festival was originally a one-day event with just one stage. Gapay continued to produce the party until 2000, when David Meinert and Marcus Charles took over, adding a second stage and then a second day in 2001. In 2010, Meinert and Charles added a third day to better accommodate more bands and an increased public interest. Attendance at the 2010 party was estimated at 20,000 people.
- Click HERE for your 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party tickets!
Kanrocksas - Kansas City, Kansas
- August 3 - August 5, 2012
- Kanrocksas is a three-day music festival located at the 1200-acre Kansas Speedway. The music stages and viewing areas are located on the grass infield. The three day event features free camping, free parking, and no service fees for concert-goers. 2011 was the first year for Kanrockas and had concert-goers from 47 of the 50 states, plus Australia and Ireland. The total attendence of the event was over 60,000 people.
- Click HERE to see the full 2012 Lineup!
- Click HERE for general event info for Kanrocksas.
Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL
- August 3 - August 5, 2012
- Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a three day period. Conceived and created in 1991 by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for his band, Lollapalooza ran annually until 1997, and was revived in 2003. From its inception through 1997, and its revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. In 2004, the festival organizers decided to expand the dates to two days per city, but poor ticket sales forced the 2004 tour to be cancelled. In 2005, Farrell retooled it into its current format as a weekend destination festival in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois.
-
Activities: Lollapalooza is first and foremost a music festival, but that doesn't mean you can't take a break on your way from stage to stage. Many of the festival sponsors have set up havens all throughout Grant Park, dedicated to hooking you up with ways to get by each day, and not to mention all the free swag. Check out all the new activities waiting for you in 2012 and make sure to stop by each one during Lolla weekend!
-
The 2012 lineup for Lollapalooza has not been finalized. Click HERE for a look at the full lineup for 2011's Lollapalooza.
-
Tickets for 2012 Lollapalooza go on sale in the Spring of 2012. Click HERE for more ticket information.
Bumbershoot - Seattle, WA
- September 1 - September 3, 2012
- Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival is now in its 41st year. Since 1971, Bumbershoot has drawn artists representing the best in music, film, comedy, spoken word, dance, theatre, performance, and visual arts to the Seattle Center over Labor Day weekend. North America’s largest urban arts festival, Bumbershoot takes place in the heart of the city at the 74-acre Seattle Center. Over 100,000 visitors from near and far spend the weekend reveling in the world of Bumbershoot, experiencing everything from regional favorites to international superstars across all arts disciplines.
- The 2012 lineup for Bumbershoot will be posted in the Summer of 2012. Click HERE for a look at 2011's Bumbershoot lineup which included Fitz and the Tantrums, Butthole Surfers, and Hall and Oates.
- Get your Tickets for 2012's Bumbershoot HERE!
Austin City Limits - Austin, TX
- October 12 - October 15, 2012
- The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park. Each year, in addition to food & art, most from local vendors, ACL Festival brings together more than 130 acts from all over the world to play rock, indie, country, folk, electronic and more on eight stages. Over 70,000 fans attend the festival each day.
- The 2012 lineup for ACL Festival has not been finalized. Click HERE for a full lineup for 2011's ACL Festival, which included Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, and Coldplay.
- Activities: Check out some of the excellent activities HERE that the ACL Festival has to offer.
- Get your Service Fee Free tickets NOW!
VooDoo Music Experience - New Orleans, LA
- October 26 - October 28, 2012
- Voodoo Fest is a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana. It was first held on Halloween weekend in 1999. The Voodoo Experience has hosted over 450 artists and close to a million fans over its 10-year tenure.
- The 2012 lineup for VooDoo Fest has not been finalized. Click HERE for a full list of past performers including The Raconteurs, Mates of State, TV on the Radio, Eagles of Death Metal, City and Colour, and MANY MANY MORE!
- Click HERE for important information to make your Halloween Weekend one to remember!
Fun Fun Fun Fest - Austin, TX
- November 2 - November 4, 2012
- F3F is an annual music festival held in Austin, Texas. Started in 2006, the festival brings together many progressive and underground musicians with a focus on indie rock, punk rock/hardcore, and hip hop/DJ. In 2011, Fun Fun Fun Fest was moved to Auditorium Shores - a change from previous years in which the event was held at Waterloo Park. In addition, 2011 saw the addition of a third full day and FFF Nites, a set of free aftershows in downtown Austin music venues.
- The 2012 F3F lineup has not been posted. Click HERE for a look at past performers including Passion Pit, Spoon, MGMT, Black Milk, and Many More...
- Click HERE for a look at some improtant information including FAQ's, travel info, and lodging.
- Stay updated on F3F news like Early Bird Tickets by clicking HERE!
.jpg){kind=small}
