Photograph: Courtesy Bonnaroo
From Coachella to Bonnaroo, here are the best music festivals in the U.S. in 2024
When Woodstock debuted in 1969, the outdoor music festival was an exciting new concept in America. Since then, the music festival business has exploded, with nearly every major city hosting one of its own. Now, you can see artists live, eat great food, and feel the vibrant festival energy somewhere every month of the year.
From large festivals like Coachella in California, Bonnaroo in Tennesse and the Governors Ball in New York to the more niche festivals like Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, chances are there is a music festival within a road trip distance from you. Whether you’re into pop, country, EDM or folk—if you’re looking to dance your way through the year, we have you covered. Here are the best music festivals across America in 2024.
Best music festivals in the U.S.
Photogrpah: Courtesy SXSW
1. SXSW | Austin, TX
When: March 8–16, 2024
Where: Austin, Texas
The first SXSW was held in 1987 and since then the festival has grown both in terms of attendance—by some counts, 280,000 people attended the 10-day festival in 2019—and in terms of influence: SXSW is Austin’s biggest revenue-producing event and one of the most important gatherings on the nation’s entertainment calendar. The event is broken down into SXSW Music (with 2,000-plus acts performing across the city); SXSW Film (with screenings of anticipated movies, panels and workshops); SXSW Comedy (a week of laugh-out-loud lineups including established and emerging talent), and the increasingly popular SXSW Interactive, which features speakers, panels and a pitch competition, SXSW Accelerator.
Photograph: Courtesy Andrew Gresham/Big Ears
2. Big Ears | Knoxville, TN
When: March 21–24, 2024
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee
Named for the open-minded approach to listening it asks attendees to have, Big Ears regularly hosts contemporary classical music performances along with adventurous indie-rock, jazz, metal and electronic music. To list genres is almost antithetical to the spirit of the festival, which recognizes no such distinction in its omnivorous bookings. For four days, Big Ears transforms the city into a paradise for music of all kinds,
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