It’s summer festival season, and there are options galore. Unless you’re a pro festival-goer and have a bank account to back it up, you probably aren’t going to fly around the country to take in every single show. Even the most hardcore festival fans — those who hit up the most festivals and spend the most money — only attend five to six music festivals a year. So how to narrow down all the excellent choices?
One way is with the lineup, but there are plenty of other variables that make music festivals stand out. From the largest to the most intimate, artist-curated festivals, and across a wide range of music genres, we evaluated this summer’s festival options. We weighted factors like lineup, experience, cost, and location. And to make it “scientific,” we used Spotify data and recent Eventbrite research that broke down the top reasons why the most enthusiastic festival fans attend an event.
Here are our data-informed recommendations for music festivals most worth attending in 2017.
Tuned-in: Best Music Festival Lineup
We turned to Spotify to determine how many active monthly listeners are streaming each of the headlining or supporting acts at upcoming festivals. Based on that data, we were able to pinpoint a leader in both the established and boutique festival categories.
Bonnaroo takes the win for established festivals, according to Spotify listeners. The Tennessee-based music and arts festival has been going strong for 15 years and has the clout to book the big chart-toppers. U2, The Weeknd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lorde, and Major Lazer are just five of the top artists playing this summer.
On the boutique end of the spectrum, Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival earns the highest marks. Their expertly curated lineup includes LCD Soundsystem, Solange, Danny Brown, Angel Olsen, and Mitski.
Beyond the Music: Most Unique Festival Experience
When it comes to a good time, three out of four millennials say they’d rather spend money on a great experience than a material thing. To rank each festival on “unicorn appeal,” we looked at the extracurriculars each festival on this summer’s roster brings.
The clear winner here is Lightning in a Bottle. The eclectic arts/music/eco-conscious community festival is held every Memorial Day weekend in rural Bradley, California. Besides four stages of mostly electronic music, there is an immersive art installation, a Learning Kitchen, and arts and crafts workshops. On other stages, visionary speakers give impassioned keynotes. Talks include “Mushrooms and the Mycology of Consciousness” to “Season of the Witch: History of Goddess Culture.”
Other honorable mentions:
- Panorama This experiential digital arts fest in New York City features the Lab, an innovative interactive experience combining music and technology.
- KAABOO The San Diego “non-festival” music festival also offers comedy, food, and spa services.
- Outside Lands San Francisco’s multi-genre fest in iconic Golden Gate Park features a silent disco in the woods. Culinary spectacles include “Cheese Lands,” “Outside Clams,” and “Wine Lands.”
- Okeechobee Held in majestic Sunshine Grove, Florida, attendees camp under the stars and enjoy art, swimming, yoga and meditation in addition to 100+ bands. It already took place this year, but definitely one to consider for Spring Break 2018.
Don’t love crowds? For some, bigger isn’t always better so with around 5,000 people or less, these smaller boutique festivals offer truly unique experiences with more room to breathe and the opportunity to establish deeper connection with others. There are a bunch to choose from and probably even one in your own backyard.
- Pickathon Held at Happy Valley's Pendarvis Farm in Oregon offering hand picked craft vendors and a cornucopia of fine foods and drinks from local artisans.
- Enchanted Forest Gathering Tucked away in a cozy little corner of Mendocino County, California, this festival delivers a close-knit, immersive community experience within a fairytale setting.
- FORM Arcosanti The showpiece of Arcosanti, an experimental eco-city and architectural landmark in the Arizona desert, this festival includes cultural programming and requires attendees to apply so start planning ahead for 2018.
Bang for Your Buck: Best Fest for the Value
If paying a mere $2 per artist is music to your ears, Lollapalooza is your go-to music festival. From Chance the Rapper, Arcade Fire, the XX and even Blink-182, the Chi-town event has over 150 musical artists booked this year. Other great deals include Bonnaroo, KAABOO, and Lightning in a Bottle. All are under $4 per artist, if you divide the cost of a weekend GA ticket by the number of artists on the bill.
Location, Location, Location: Best Place to Attend a Festival
Not only does the location make a difference in your ability to get there, but some places are just naturally better festival spots. Our premier choice this year is Sasquatch! Music Festival which takes place at the gorgeous Gorge Amphitheater in Washington over Memorial Day Weekend. The stages are nestled amongst natural sound-amplifying rocks and boast killer sunset sets. Most Sasquatch attendees opt to camp out for the long weekend (there’s great glamping options, too) which adds to the warm community cultivated each year at this festival.
Other music festivals with optimal locations:
- Eaux Claires Deep in the woods of rural Wisconsin.
- Newport Folk Festival Within one of the Park System’s “National Treasures” on the shore of Rhode Island.
- High Sierra Beautiful mountain setting 90 miles north of Reno, Nevada (also family-friendly and costumes welcome).
If it’s all important to you — killer music, an awesome experience, a great deal, and a sweet location — your best bet is BottleRock. In a beautiful California Wine Country setting, you can see Tom Petty, Maroon 5, Warren G and a whole lot of other fantastic acts. Art installations abound, as do spa options, after-parties, and deftly curated libations. The festival is also an awesome value for the price — although unfortunately, it’s already sold out. If you’re still hoping to snag a ticket for this weekend, try Lyte – a ticket exchange platform that has partnered with BottleRock to give fans a way to book reservations to purchase 100% verified tickets at a lower price than the secondary market.
For a breakdown of even more festivals worth attending, check out Eventbrite’s listing of 2017’s Best Independent Festivals in the US.