The Best Summer Music Festivals in the USA

Summer is the best time for leisure travel in the USA for a great number of reasons.

Great weather reigns throughout most of the country. America’s National Parks open in the summer. Festivals, fairs, and special events abound. Lake and river recreation is running strong. You can go to baseball games.

The Sounds of Summer

Summer also means outdoor music. It is everywhere, from local performers on town shopping plazas, to classic artists of decades past playing County and State Fairs, country stars on the rodeo circuit, and patriotic music at summer holiday celebrations.

Music is in the American summer air, and summer is the season when fans flock to glamp, camp, and party along with top name stars on the music festival circuit. Whatever your musical taste and whoever your favorite star or group is, you can find an American summer music festival to suit your fancy. Check out 4 of the best right here.

Coachella – April 12-14 + 19-21, 2019

While this ultra-hip Indie, California desert groove is in the books for 2019, Coachella must make any summer festival top list. Mark your calendar for April 2020 and catch all the young Hollywood types strutting their Coachella outfits in the early summer heat. From cutting edge EDM to K-Pop, Coachella puts on the best line up of any summer bash.

Image by stephanie vacher via Flickr

Bonnaroo – June 13-18, 2019

For a trippy time set in a state known for country twang, hit Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo. Running since 2002 on a 650-acre farm and drawing fans from across the globe, this 150-set extravaganza has thousands of campers swirling and stomping in the dust to Phish, Childish Gambino, Cardi B and many more. Bonnaroo pays tribute to the original festivals of the 1960s and ‘70s and has been named “Best Festival” by Rolling Stone magazine.

Image by Kailyn Leong via Flickr

Lollapalooza – August 1-4, 2019

This hard-rocking, artsy festival is a summer staple dating back to 1991. Initially a touring festival conceived as a farewell tour for LA Alt-Rock band Jane’s Addiction, Lollapalooza has settled into an annual 4-day jam at Chicago’s Grant Park. It’s a genre-blending good time where punk, hip-hop, EDM and much more melt together under the Midwest sun. Ariana Grande and Kacey Musgroves count among 2019 headliners.

Image by Mary via Flickr

Woodstock 50 – August 16-17-18, 2019

If you respect the classics and want to return to the roots, you cannot miss this one. A once-in-a-lifetime return to the source in Watkins Glen, New York, Woodstock 50 is an anniversary revival of an iconic moment in time that shaped American culture. Get your tie-dye on and prepare to witness Woodstock originals Carlos Santana, John Sebastian, Country Joe and others make history again.

Woodstock Whisperer [CC BY-SA 4.0]

Get Ready to Rock

Hitting a big American music festival takes planning. Festival tickets are in high demand, and travel arrangements have to be perfectly organized.

Your best bet is to begin early and arrive in the US with as much spare time as possible. Fortunately, UK and most European citizens need only complete the US ESTA application to enjoy easy, visa-free travel stateside. Going with an established agency like Application ESTA (click here for the website) is a smart way to check that item off the list.

The American summer is coming on fast and some classic music festivals are on tap. Now is the time to get your plans in gear and join the new Woodstock generation in a summer jam.