Curious to see where your next summer vacation could be? Check out the list of the Top 10 Music Festivals happening around the country that's worth the plane ticket or a long road trip with your friends. Nothing beats a weekend filled with your favorite artists, a bit of camping, and tons of unique locations to host a music festival! Hopefully one of these picks gets you ready to head out of Milwaukee for a weekend! But don't worry, none of these interfere with Summerfest, our pride and joy.
Outside Lands
- When- August 11-13
- Where- Golden Gate Park; San Francisco, CA
- Tickets- $375 for 3-Day GA Pass
- Performances by- The Who, Gorillaz, Lorde, Fleet Foxes, Future Islands, Little Dragon, Sleigh Bells, Maggie Rogers
- How long is the journey? Too long to drive from Wisconsin! Take a plane! Flights for that weekend start at $332 and you'll be there in 4 hours!
Eaux Claires
- When- June 16-17
- Where- Eau Claire, WI
- Ti ckets- $169 for 2-Day GA Pass
- Performances by- Chance the Rapper, Sylvan Esso, WILCO, Paul Simon with YMUSIC
- How long is the journey? No need for a plane to get to this festival. Fellow Milwaukee locals can drive over to Eau Claire in 3 hours and 31 minutes! Not bad for a road trip with your friends?
Electric Forest
- When- June 22-June 25 (First Weekend) OR June 29-July 2 (Second Weekend)
- Where- Rothbury, Michigan
- Tickets- Two Day GA Wristbands are available for Saturday and Sunday starting at $179
- Performances by- Odesza, My Morning Jacket, The Revivalists,and The String Cheese Incident
- How long is the journey? Driving to Michigan isn’t so bad! If you want to opt for a ferry ride with your car it’ll take you 3 hours and 46 minutes. If you feel like traveling across water isn’t your thing, just go around! It’ll only take you 4 hours and 38 minutes to get there!
Austin City Limits
- When- October 6-8 (First Weekend) OR October 13-15 (Second Weekend)
- Where- Zilker Park; Austin, Texas
- Tickets- A 3-Day GA pass for either weekend is $255!
- Performances by- The Killers, Solange, Portugal. The Man, Bonobo, Foster the People, The Head and the Heart, Angel Olson, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
- How long is the journey? Well, the drive will easily take you a little under 18 hours (without breaks). So why not take a plane? Flights for those weekends start at $437, so it’s definitely a stretch for your pockets! But keep your eyes out, they might go down!
Pitchfork Music Festival
- When- July 14-16
- Where- Chicago, Illinois
- Tickets- 3-Day Passes start at $175!
- Performances by- LCD Soundsystem, Dirty Projectors, PJ Harvey, and Hamilton Leithauser
- How long is the journey? A simple 2 hour drive down across the border and you're there! It’s sure to be a fun weekend getaway not too far from home.
Firefly Music Festival
- When- June 15-18
- Where- Dover, Delaware
- Tickets- 4 Day Festival Access starts at $309!
- Performances by- The Weeknd, Twenty One Pilots, Bob Dylan, Flume, Glass Animals, Capital Cities, Bleachers, and The Strumbellas
- How long is the journey? If you want to drive it's a little over 13 hours. If you want to fly the nearest airport is located in Philadelphia, PA and will cost you $403 for a 2 hour plane ride. It might be better to split the gas between your friends and road trip all the way down there.
The Governors Ball Music Festival
- When- June 2-4
- Where- Randall’s Island Park; New York City, New York
- Tickets- 3-Day GA Regular Passes start at $305!
- Performances by- Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Tove Lo, Judah and the Lion, Phoenix, Car Seat Headrest, Cage the Elephant, and Mac DeMarco
- How long is the journey? I’ve drive there before and it’s not all that bad! It’ll take you an entire day (the drives around 13 hours) but if you want to fly and get there in 2 hours then flights start out at $216!
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
- When- June 8-11
- Where- Manchester, Tennessee
- Tickets- 4-Day GA Tickets start at $349.50!
- Performances by- U2, Major Lazer, James Vincent McMorrow, Michael Kiwanuka, Kaleo, Cold War Kids, and Tegan & Sara
- How long is the journey? It’s a straight shot down to Tennessee in a quick 9 hours and 15 minutes! Insist on taking to the airs? Fly into Nashville in 3 hours (connecting flights) for $474!
Hangout Music Festival
- When- May 19-21
- Where- Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Tickets-3-Day GA Tickets start at $309!
- Performances by- Mumford & Sons, Major Lazer, Weezer, Migos, Franz Ferdinand, Local natives, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Strand of Oaks
- How long is the journey? Driving down to the Shores is like driving down to Florida, at one point you’ve done it. And it isn't that bad at 15 hours so don’t count it out. If you want to fly over it’ll take you to Mobile, Alabama in a little under 5 hours (connecting flights) for around $400. If you want to make a stop in Florida, fly into Pensacola.
Made In America Fest
- When- September 2-3
- Where- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Tickets- 2-Day GA Passes start at $162!
- Performances by- Jay-Z (founder of the festival), J. Cole, Run the Jewels, Little Dragon, Marian Hill, Stormzy, and Broods
- How long is the journey? Why not drive down to Philly for the weekend? It only takes 12 hours and you’ll have plenty of time to tour around the city then and run up the same steps as Rocky and eat Philly Cheese steaks. You can fly over too in only 2 hours for as low as $200.?When- September 2-3
Be sure to check out each of the festivals online and see if one of them peaks your interest enough to make it your summer/early fall vacation! Each of them bring something different because they're all located in different places! So whether you want to enjoy nature out in San Francisco, take in the big city lights in New York, go somewhere close to home in Eau Claire or Chicago, take a trip through the festival of amazing lights and out of this world decorations in Michigan, enjoy the artsy scene of Austin, tackle unique locations in Delaware or Tennessee, hangout on the beachy shores of Alabama, or even jam out in Philadelphia at Jay-Zs own music festival there's something for everyone! So get out there and go have some fun this summer attending a festival or planning to go in the early Fall.