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9 Music Festivals You MUST Cross Off Your Bucket List

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Fairfield chapter.

With summer rapidly approaching, we look forward to warmer weather, beach trips, and scraping together money for the season’s best concerts. With music festivals located around the country, you are able to see all of your favorite artists with a ticket that matches what you paid to see Taylor Swift last summer. 

Ultra Music Festival, Miami, FL

Dates: March 27-29, 2015

Headliners: Avicii, Afrojack, Teisto, David Guetta, Hardwell, Skrillex, DJ Snake

Founded in 1999, this electric music festival is held in downtown Miami during the annual Winter Music Conference.

 

Coachella, Indio, CA

Dates: April 10-12 & 17-19, 2015

Headliners: AC/DC, David Guetta, Drake, Fitz & TheTantrums, Florence and the Machines, Hozier

Established in 1999, Cochella was based on a Pearl Jam concert held at Empire Polo Club in which they performed in front of 25,000 people establishing the idea of these large-scale concerts. Three months after the last Woodstock in ’99, the first Coachella festival was held which instituted a safer environment.

 

Beale Street, Memphis,,TN

Dates: May 1-3, 2015

Headliners: Ed Sheeran, Lenny Kravitz, Paramore, Cage the Elephant, Ryan Adams

This festival starts the Memphis in May celebration with a combination of major recording artists playing alongside local musicians.

 

Hangout Fest, Gulf Shores AL

Dates: May 15-17, 2015

Headliners: The Foo Fighters, Sam Smith, Zac Brown Band, Beck, Foster The People

Hangout Music Festival was established in 2010 showcasing performances ranging from rock to EDM.

 

Sasquatch, George WA

Dates: May 22-25, 2015

Headliners: Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Of Monsters and Men, Modest Mouse

Sasquatch Music Festival is traditionally held Memorial Day with a focus on indie rock and alternative music

 

Warped Tour, Various Locations

Dates: April-August

Headliners: ’68, Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Alive Like Me, Alvarez Kings

The largest traveling music festival in the US, Warped Tour has historically been punk rock based. More recently, the tour has expanded to multiple genres that includes over 100 artists.

 

Firefly, The Woodlands in Dover, DE

Dates: June 18-21

Headliners: Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Snoop Dogg, Foster the People

Firefly Music Festival is held on 105 acres in The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway and was first held in 2012. This festival has since featured many top charted artists.

 

Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago

Dates: July 31- Aug 2

Headliners: TBA

Lollapalooza has featured everything from heavy metal artists to comedy acts since 1991. Previously artists such as Imagine Dragons, The Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and The Arctic Monkeys have preformed.

 

Austin City Limits, Austin TX

Dates: October 2-4 & October 9-11

Lineup: TBA

Austin City Limits inherited its name from the PBS concert series, which first aired in 1976. Founded in 2002, the festival originally spanned a week showcasing artists on eight stages but in 2012 it was decided that the festival be moved to two consecutive weekends. ACL Festival has hosted Eminem, Pearl Jam, Lana Del Rey, Foster the People, and Iggy Azalea.

Caroline Metcalf-Vera is a sophomore at Fairfield University majoring in Communications. Here at Her Campus Fairfield, she is the Executive News Editor. When she isn't in class or writing you'll probably find her camped out in the Mezz with at least three beverages. Guilty pleasures consist of: cotton candy ice cream and early 2000s rap.
Amanda McKelvey is a Co-Campus Correspondent and a senior at Fairfield University. She is a Journalism major with minors in Psychology and Communications. In addition to being a CC she has held internships with Michael Kors, CollegeFashionista.com and the Rockville Centre and Baldwin Heralds. In her free time, Amanda enjoys days on the beaches of Long Island, watching Scandal, Chicago Fire and the Bachelorette, eating anything sweet (chocolate, ice cream, cupcakes—you name it!) and reading a good book. She’s excited to spend her senior year living at Fairfield Beach with her best friends including fellow CC Danielle Tullo! You can follow her on Twitter @theAMANDAshowww or on Instagram @ammckelvey.