In this five-part blog, our EWR Airport parking company is bringing you a long list of the best festivals that take place in the U.S. every year. Whether you’re a fan of music, art, theater, food, or spirits, we’ll give you the best places to travel to for a memorable experience.
In part one, we’ve dug around for some of the biggest and most celebrated music festivals in the country:
South by Southwest
Every March, music takes over the city of Austin, Texas. South by Southwest (SXSW) is the largest music festival of its kind, with more than 2,000 artists who appear at over 100 venues throughout the city. You’ll find a mix of big-name headliners and unknown artists along with thousands of music lovers from all over the country.
Coachella
This middle-of-the-desert music festival takes place in Indio, California and is notorious for its diverse lineup of artists every year. As one of the most famous music festivals in the country, thousands of Coachella-goers will find a mix of rock, indie, hip-hop, and electronic music over the two-weekend period. You can even camp on-site for an even more in-depth experience.
Jazzfest
Where else would you go for a jazz festival but New Orleans? Every year during the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May comes an annual celebration for the music and culture of the Louisiana area. In addition to jazz, music lovers will hear blues, gospel, bluegrass, folk, and more. The festival also boasts an array of local foods and crafts.
Lollapalooza
This annual music festival was first created by Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for the band. While it still takes place in Chicago every summer, Lollapalooza has expanded in recent years to include locations like Chile, Brazil, and Germany. The festival draws fans of heavy metal, alternative rock, punk rock, and hip-hop and also features crafts, non-profit groups, and visual artists.
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo is one of the biggest music festivals in the East and every June, it brings thousands of people to a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Over four days, festival-goers enjoy a wide array of music genres from over 150 different artists as well as comedians, craft breweries, water rides, and more.
Hangout
Every year for three days, thousands of music lovers flock to the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama to enjoy a variety of music genres including indie, rock, electronic, alternative rock, and hip-hop. Founded in 2009, Hangout is one of the newest beach music festivals that draws big-name headliners every May.
Firefly
This Dover, Delaware music festival is held every year for four days during the third weekend in June. When the festival first began in 2012, it had only 48 artists, but every year the number has grown and this year is set to break the 100 count. Firefly brings an array of music genres across seven different stages as well as camping, a craft beer bar, an outdoor bazaar, and more.
Ultra
If you’re a fan of electronic dance music, Miami’s Ultra festival is one you need to experience. As one of the largest music festivals in the world, Ultra attracts over 160,000 people every March and has expanded in recent years to include venues worldwide (such as Korea, Croatia, Japan, South Africa, Brazil, and more).
Austin City Limits
Every year after South by Southwest, thousands of people look forward to Austin’s next big festival – Austin City Limits. Held over two consecutive three-day weekends, around 75,000 music lovers can be found enjoying rock, indie, folk, country, and hip-hop music on any given day, as well as enjoying some of the best food in the city.
