From Folk to Rock to Jazz: Explore the Rich Tapestry of Music Festivals

Find a music festival you’ll love no matter your preferred genre!

If you love live music, chances are you might be a fan of music festivals, multi-day affairs dedicated to the joy of sharing live music from many different artists in one place with thousands of other like-minded fans. Sure, you’ve likely heard of Coachella and Stagecoach, two very popular music festivals that always make headlines every year for their celebrity sightings, product activations, and reality TV drama. But there are dozens of music festivals that take place all around the world every year, and you can likely find one that suits your musical genre interests. So we wanted to highlight some of the best music festivals you might not have heard of that happen annually in the U.S. Some of them are coming up this summer and fall, so get your tickets quickly!

Hangout Music Fest / Gulf Shores, AL

Nothing says summer like music on the beach! The annual Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL combines the best of a beach vacay with a music extravaganza. This all-ages festival is a three-day affair featuring bands and artists across the musical spectrum on several different stages on the beach looking over the Gulf of Mexico. Headliners this year include Lana Del Rey, Renee Rapp, Zach Bryan, and Nelly.

When We Were Young / Las Vegas, NV

Nostalgia meets the Vegas Strip at the When We Were Young music festival. This festival is for anyone who loves the emo music of the 2000s, whether you were a teen at the time or not. From My Chemical Romance to Fall Out Boy to Coheed and Cambria to Dashboard Confessional and every other group you can think of that features this particular sound of the 2000s, attendees get to rock out (or cry?) to the kind of music that reminds us all of being a teenager: emotional, introspective, and raw sentiments.

The Governors Ball / Queens, NY

The Governors Ball (or, Gov Ball) is a three-day live music event that takes place on the site of the 1939 and 1965 World’s Fairs, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York City. This year, headliners include Post Malone, The Killers, and Sza with a huge lineup of artists on each day. Guests can see artists on three stages throughout the festival, and for a break they can roam the historic park. The artists aren’t the only stellar lineup: attendees are in for a culinary adventure too! Food trucks and more provide ethnic diversity and NYC favorites from pizza to Greek gyros to those famous Magnolia cupcakes.

Bonnaroo / Manchester, TN

If you love music but also care about sustainability and the earth, Bonnaroo is for you. The long-running festival’s mantra is “change the world,” and for years they’ve made strides in doing just that. In addition to a music festival, the Bonnaroo Works Fund is their nonprofit that supports social impact causes. This year their festival, held on a farm in Manchester, TN, features headliners Pretty Lights, Post Malone, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers with an eclectic lineup of inspiring artists like Jon Batiste, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Maggie Rogers.

Summerfest / Milwaukee, WI

An annual Milwaukee tradition, Summerfest is a nine-day festival of music, activities, food, and more. The music lineup is top notch and has something for everyone with musical artists ranging from REO Speedwagon to Hanson to Sleater Kinney to Amy Grant. In terms of food and beverage, expect vendors from all over the city where you can sample what the best restaurants and breweries have to offer. This festival is for the entire family!

Newport Folk / Newport, RI

In Fort Adams State Park, music lovers gather for the Newport Folk music Festival every summer. Newport Folk is one of the festivals organized by the Newport Festivals Foundation, which aims to bring hope through music to all communities. (The foundation’s website features a plethora of educational videos from musicians about music and the business.) Muna, Elle King, Guster…even  a poetry reading by Joan Baez are all on the lineup for this three-day festival. The number one item they ask you to bring? Kindness. (Second is sunscreen.)

Newport Jazz / Newport, RI

The Newport Jazz Festival is the other annual festival organized by the Newport Festivals Foundation. Also held at Fort Adams State Park, it’s a three day event with a huge lineup of musicians from the jazz world and beyond. Headliners this year include Andre 3000 and Elvis Costello. For a bit more of a relaxed experience, they offer a Jazz Lounge ticket which gets you access to the Festival grounds in addition to a tented lounge with seating, wi-fi, TV monitors showing the stage up close and beautiful views of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay.

Austin City Limits / Austin, TX

The Austin City Limits music festival is a fall event that takes place over two weekends in October in Zilker Park, and features some of the biggest names in music from all different genres. Headliners this year include Dua Lipa, Blink 182 and Chris Stapleton. It is an all ages festival, with special programming for kids, aptly titled Austin Kiddie Limits. The festival also features food from vendors all over the city, so you’re bound to find a delicious bite in between artist sets. 

Movement / Detroit, MI

For lovers of techno and electronic music, the Movement music festival takes place in late spring on Hart Plaza near the Detroit riverfront. The festival features six different stages that are unique, located both inside and outside in and around the Plaza. Each year, they feature an artist in residence whose work is installed in an immersive and large-scale fashion throughout the festival. A special exhibition called Respect the Architects celebrates the unsung heroes of the Detroit electronic and techno music scene.

The Roots Picnic / Philadelphia, PA

The annual Roots Picnic is a music festival in Philadelphia, PA at The Mann in Fairmount Park presented by The Roots (Philadelphia is their hometown). This two-day art and culture festival features the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, and this year’s lineup includes Andre 3000, Lil Wayne with The Roots, Nas, and Jill Scott. Food offerings at the festival include food trucks from Philly-favorite vendors as well as a curated menu from The Roots themselves.

Bourbon & Beyond / Louisville, KY

Boasting the world’s largest music, food and bourbon festival, Bourbon & Beyond takes place in the fall at the Highland Festival Grounds. There are five stages and around 100 artists on the lineup, including Zach Bryan, Neil Young, Dave Matthews Band, Beck and Matchbox Twenty. Attendees can camp (or glamp) on site at the fairgrounds if they wish for easy access to the music. Of course, Kentucky is known for their bourbon, so what really sets this event apart from other festivals is that it celebrates the state’s rich history with bourbon with offerings from dozens of distilleries. Workshops and activations throughout the festival feature the best local chefs and experts on food and drink. 

What music festivals do you love? Let us know in the comments which festivals fans should not miss out on!

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