Take in the summer air and let the sun warm your soul—it’s time to groove. This year’s summer music festivals boast eclectic genres and some big names to check off your concert bucket list. Whether you’re more of a laid-back, groovin’ kinda music lover, or a head-banger into double-bass notes, there’s a festival to satisfy you.
Check out our list of the region’s most tempting summer music:
May 26-28
The 6th Annual Dark Star Jubilee
Legend Valley, Thornville, Ohio
Darkstarjubilee.com
Travel time: 3 hours
3-Day Pass Tier 3: $149 (price will go up)
GA RV Truckin’ Pass: $65
3-Day VIP: $295
VIP RV Truckin’ Pass: SOLD OUT
If you’re looking for a chill weekend, in a beautiful setting, this is the festival for you. Set in the picturesque Legend Valley, you’ll enjoy multiple sets (3 full, 2-set shows) from Dark Star Orchestra, Americana notes from Greensky Bluegrass and Rumpke Mountain Boys, as well as a fantastic set from Keller Williams Kwahtro, a new project from Williams as he teams up with some friends for a more jazz-based jam.
May 26-28
Summer Camp Music Festival
Chillicothe, IL
Summercampfestival.com
Travel time: 5 ½ hours
3-Day Pass: $225.50 (price subject to change) and a payment plan is available
RV and VIP Upgrade Passes are available. Visit website.
3 days of moe. 3 days of Umphrey’s McGee. 2 sets from Trey Anastasio Band. All of this with epic sets from Pretty Lights, Primus, Gov’t Mule, Run the Jewels and more. Need we say more?
May 27-29
Movement Electronic Music Festival
Hart Plaza, Detroit
Movement.us
Travel time: 1 hour
3-Day GA Pass: $175 + service fee
Single Day GA Pass: $80 + service fee
3-Day VIP: $300 + service fee
Step into the realm of electronic music in the city where it all began. Movement is more than just a music festival, it incorporates all types of movement—from dancing and eating to yoga and art. This three-day weekend includes six curated stages and more than 100 performances.
June 2-4
Governors Ball Music Festival
Randall’s Island Park, NYC
Governorsballmusicfestival.com
Travel time: 8 ½ hours
Single Day GA: $105 + service fees
Single Day VIP: $255 + service fees
3-Day GA: $305 + service fees
3-Day VIP: $700 + service fees
3-Day Platinum: $2,150 + service fees
The hustle and bustle of the Concrete Jungle takes a time-out as the air is filled with music from some of the biggest names in the biz. From Wu-Tang Clan to Beach House and everything in between, headliners Chance the Rapper, Phoenix and Tool make for an epic weekend of musical beauty.
June 2-4
Bunbury Music Festival
Cincinnati, OH
Bunburyfestival.com
Travel time: 3 ½ hours
3-Day GA: $189
3-Day VIP: $399
3-Day Ultimate VIP: $1,299
Single Day GA (Level 1), $79; (Level 2), $89
Off-site camping, hotels available
Located along the beautiful Ohio River, Bunbury’s 2017 line-up includes something for every music lover. Along with the highly anticipated “comeback” from AFI, downtown Cincinnati comes to life with an eclectic mix of musicians. Take some heavy-hitters like Flogging Molly and Muse, add a bit of alt rock from The Shins and Death Cab for Cutie and top it off with a dose of rap from G-Eazy and Wiz Khalifa, and you have the ingredients for an over-the-top weekend of musical enjoyment.
June 8-11
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
Manchester, TN
Bonnaroo.com
Travel time: 8 ½ hours|
4-Day GA Ticket: $359.50+
Various ticket options are available, visit website.
Campgrounds are on site
Bonnaroo has delivered, yet again, an impressive line-up for its 15th year. Branching away from its original focus of jam bands and folk rock, this year’s headliners include U2, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weeknd and Chance the Rapper—while of course sprinkling in notes from the festival’s roots with 130+ performances on 10+ stages throughout the 4-day event. The Bonnaroo experience is more than just music though, ‘Roo-goers can enjoy laughs in the Comedy Theatre from Hannibal Buress, Natasha Leggero & Moshe Kasher and The Improvised Shakespeare Company (among others), community yoga (Yoga-Roo), the Fifth First Annual 5K Roo Run, fantastic eats, arts, community activism and more.
June 15-18
Firefly Music Festival
The Woodlands, Dover, DE
Fireflyfestival.com
Travel time: 8 ½ hours
GA Weekend Admission: $309+
GA 4-Day (6 passes): $269/person
VIP: $699
Super VIP: $2,499
Single Day Admission: $89+
Campgrounds are on site
It sure is hard to imagine making thousands of new friends—but it can happen! At Firefly, the 4 days, 9 stages and 140+ bands bring the crowd together for the love of music. Each night is just as impressive as the rest. With headliners like Glass Animals, Twenty One Pilots, The Weeknd, Bob Dylan, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Thirty Seconds to Mars and more, we bet that after looking at the rest of the line-up you’ll wish you still had more “Paid Time Off” days left.
June 15-18
Mad Tea Party Jam 6
Four Quarters Farm, Artemas, PA
Themadteapartyjam.com
Travel time: 6 hours
$150+
Campgrounds are on site
Take a weekend and enjoy the things that matter most in life—friends, music and the great outdoors. With 3 sets of Papadosio, 2 sets of TAUX, 2 sets of BIG Something, Electric Love Machine (Led Zeppelin Tribute) and more, this camping-style music festival will surely put your chi into balance.
June 16 + 17
Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival
Foster Farms, Eau Claire, WI
Eauxclaires.com
Travel time: 8 ½ hours
Single Day: $90 + fees
Single Day Chippewa: $199 + fees
2-Day: $169 + fees
2-Day Chippewa: $350 + fees
Campgrounds are on site, hotels also available
Looking for a music festival that doesn’t feel super overwhelming? Well, this is the one. The line-up features some big names in indie like The Autumn Defense, Feist and Bon Iver Presents John Prine and the American Songbook, as well as Chance the Rapper and Danny Brown to get you movin’.
June 7-Sept 3 (select dates)
Meadow Brook Music Festival
Oakland University Campus in Rochester Hills, MI
Palacenet.com
Travel time: 1 ½ hours
Ticket prices and dates vary
While not necessarily your “typical” festival, the Meadow Brook Music Festival is made up of different days throughout the season with big names and full concert experiences. Here are some of our favorites on the schedule: Wilco (June 7), John Legend (June 16), Buddy Guy (July 8), Violent Femmes and Echo and The Bunnymen (July 18), Goo Goo Dolls with Phillip Phillips (August 3)
June 22-25 & June 29-July 2
Electric Forest
Rothbury (off M-31 near Wildcat Lake)
Electricforestfestival.com
Travel time: 3 ½ hours
First weekend is SOLD OUT (but you might be able to find tix online)
Second weekend: 4-Day Camping Wristband, $297.75; GA RV Pass, $250
2-Day GA Wristband: $179+
TWO WEEKENDS! TWO WEEKENDS! This year, Electric Forest introduced a two weekend schedule, with one of the most impressive line-ups it’s ever had. For the first weekend, enjoy listening to String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar and My Morning Jacket (among others), while on weekend #2, String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation and A-Trak take the headlining slots. The rest of the line-up is as eclectic as they come. Electric Forest is unlike anywhere else on the planet, with its lighted forests and beautiful installations, this is a must-attend festival where all of your summer dreams can come true.
July 14-16
Pitchfork Music Festival
Union Park, Chicago
Pitchforkmusicfestival.com
Travel time: 4 hours
3-Day Advance: TBA
One-Day Pass: TBA
No camping, nearby hotels are available
The Chicago summer festival features LCD Soundsystem, Dirty Projectors, A Tribe Called Quest, PJ Harvey, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Solange, RIDE, and others.
July 14-16
The Forecastle Festival
Louisville, KY
Forecastlefest.com
Travel time: 5 hours
Prices and packages vary: (GA) $169.50+, (GA Plus) $244.50+, (VIP) $424.50+
No camping, nearby hotels are available
July 21-23
Faster Horses 2016
Brooklyn, MI
Fasterhorsesfestival.com
Travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes
$199+
Campgrounds are on site
Put on your cowboy boots and flannel shirt —it’s time to get a little bit country! This year’s country-loving weekend is filled to the brim with some of the biggest names in country music. From solo artists like Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert to groups like Old Dominion, The Charlie Daniels Band and Whiskey Myers, this festival is sure to get your boots-a-stompin’.
June 16-August 7
Warped Tour ‘17
vanswarpedtour.com/dates
7/20: Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Travel time: 2 hours)
7/21: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH (Travel time: 3 ½ hours)
7/22: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI (Travel time: 1 ½ hours)
Now in its 20s, this traveling rock festival has been around since 1995. Hitting up 41 stops this year, the tour has three close-by stops for an over-the-top rock experience. On this year’s line-up: Hawthorne Heights, Never Shout Never, Silverstein, Blessthefall, Beartooth, Hatebreed, Gwar and Falling in Reverse, as well as about 75 other bands.
July 29 & 30
MoPop Festival 2017
West Riverfront Park, Detroit, Michigan
Mopopfestival.com
Travel time: 1 hour
Prices and packages vary, $90+
Or could say: GA Weekend Single Ticket: $125
GA Weekend 4-Pack: $379
GA Single Day for July 29: $90
GA Single Day for July 30: $90
No camping, hotels are available
Detroit hustles harder, right? Or so it is said. And MoPop shows attendees just what Detroit is made of. Located on the riverfront that runs parallel to Canada, this festival is getting bigger and bigger each year. This year’s notable headliners Alt-J, Foster the People, Run the Jewels, Phantogram and Solange give the perfect example of a fantastically diverse selection of musical acts. The rest of the line-up, as well as the food and drink selections (and did we mention the skyline of Ontario) and wonderful art installations make this festival a must-attend.
July 28-30
Wayhome Music & Arts
Oro-Medonte, Ontario, CA
Wayhome.com
Travel time: 5 ½ hours
(Tier 3) $279+
Campgrounds are on site
This epic festival plays on the idea that life was different before the internet—and they were right. Colors were brighter (perhaps not on a screen) and music sounded better (perhaps not so much digital). With some of the best indie rock groups in the biz, like Cage the Elephant, The Shins, Foster the People and Imagine Dragons, as well as songstress Solange and female duo Tegan and Sara, this line-up features some wonderful tunes in a beautiful locale.
August 3-5
Werk Out Music & Arts Festival
Legend Valley Music Center, Thornville, OH
Thewerkoutfestival.com
Travel time: 3 hours
$119.99+
Campgrounds are on site
Take some time off from technology and enter Legend Valley for the Werk Out. With 3 nights of The Werks with Gramatik as well as sets by The Floozies, Emancipator and more, this feel-good fest is one that you never knew you needed to attend.
August 3-6
Lollapalooza 2017
Grant Park, Chicago
Lollapalooza.com
Travel time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
SOLD OUT (but you may be able to find tickets online)
No camping, hotels are available
One of the most popular music festivals in the nation, Lollapalooza still delivers with a larger-than-life line-up. With musical acts that cover almost every genre, there is something for everyone to enjoy. The Windy City comes alive with headliners like Chance the Rapper, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Alt-J, Run the Jewels, Crystal Castles, Tove Lo, Tegan and Sara and more.
August 10-13
The Peach Music Festival
Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
Thepeachmusicfestival.com
Travel time: 7 hours
GA 4-Day Advance Pass: $135+, price increases.
4-Day Reserved Advance Pass: $300+, price increases
4-Day VIP Pass: $500+, price increases
4-Day VIP and Camping: $540+, price increases
Campgrounds are on site
Take a weekend and travel to The Peach, one of the best jam band festivals around. The weekend features sets by Widespread Panic (2 nights), My Morning Jacket, Gov’t Mule & Friends, Joe Bonamassa, Umphrey’s McGee (2 sets), Mike Gordon, Lettuce Featuring Chaka Kahn and more.
August 18-20
Hoxeyville Music Festival
The Manistee National Forest, 11130 W. 48 ½ Rd., Wellston, MI
Hoxeyville.com
Travel time: 4 hours
GA Advance: $140+ (prices will increase)
Additional fee for RV Pass.
Campgrounds are on site
Step into serenity at the Manistee National Forest as the air is filled with the tunes of folk and bluegrass. You’ll enjoy 2 nights of Greensky Bluegrass, as well as sets from Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Sam Bush Band, Fruition and Joshua Davis, among many other must-see musicians.
September 15-17
Riot Fest & Carnival
Douglas Park, Chicago
riotfest.org/chicago
Travel time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Tickets: TBA
No camping, hotels are available
Riot Fest seems to be getting more and more impressive as the years go on—and this year is no exception. The inner 1980s child in all of us is yearning to see New Order live, with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age and the notorious Wu-Tang Clan. For those who ar more into rock of the 2000s, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday and A Day To Remember are also on the bill. Check out the rest of the line-up for incentive to attend the ultimate riot fest.
