Summertime in the USA is celebrated with a plethora of cultural and sporting events. In order to enjoy the warm sunny weather, most of these events are held outdoors so that both attendees and participants can enjoy the great weather that seems to make everybody happy. Among the many summertime events that feature on the event calendars of various American cities are music festivals. Summertime Music festivals which tend to celebrate holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day or native North American cultural are highly anticipated summer events that often feature big name artists. Such is the popularity of these festivals that tickets for many of these music festivals sell out on the very day that they go on sale.
USA’s Summer music festival calendar usually kicks off with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival which takes place in the desert city of Indio in California every April, this festival, which features major international and domestic acts, is soon followed by other annual music festivals like Bonnaroo, which is traditionally held in the month of June and is a music and camping festival that is quite similar to England’s famed Glastonbury Festival. Bonnaroo also features a plethora of artists who perform on the many stages which are erected for the event on the grounds of a seven hundred acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee.
Bonnarroo is soon followed by Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Summerfest is believed to be the World’s Largest Music Festival as it extends over eleven days and features the hottest acts of the music world along with perennial favorites like Bon Jovi. This year, Summerfest will be held from the 25th of July to the 5th of July daily from noon to midnight at various venues in downtown Milwaukee against the backdrop of gorgeous Lake Michigan. This musical extravaganza will also feature food and beverage stalls, a market and interactive exhibits, all of which will contribute to the festival atmosphere at the event.
Fourth of July Music Festivals
Several other American cities will celebrate the nation’s Independence Day holiday by hosting their own music festivals like the Essence Music Festival which is to be held at the Superdome in the city of New Orleans. The Essence Music Festival in addition to honoring America’s independence is the largest event in the country that celebrates African American culture and lifestyle. This event, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year will be held from the 3rd of July until the 5th of July. The Essence Music Festival will feature headlining acts like Beyonce, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Maxwell, Ne-Yo, Salt-n-Pepa, Anita Baker and Al Green. The event will also feature seminars and talks by prominent African American personalities like Bill Cosby and CNN’s Roland Martin. These seminars will feature as a part of the Essence Empowerment Seminar Series that takes place in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center as a part of the festival.
Another music festival which has been scheduled for the fourth of July weekend is the Rothbury Music Festival, which is to be held on the grounds of Double JJ Ranch in the village of Rothbury in Michigan. This festival, which also features camping, promotes sustainability and the environment. In fact, the Rothbury Festival is a true ‘green’ festival which believes in leading by example. The Rothbury Music Festival will be held over four days from the 2nd of July to the 5th of July. This festival mainly features Jam, Folk and Indie acts and this year’s lineup includes acts like The Dead, Bob Dylan, the Black Crowes and Willie Nelson amongst others.
Native American Music Festivals
Several American summer music festivals also celebrate Native American music forms like Bluegrass. Bluegrass is a form of music that evolved from Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English sounds and it was brought to America by immigrants who came from these countries. This form of music usually features stringed instruments and may or may not feature vocals. The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, which is held on a 200 acre farm in the Catskills Mountains of Upstate New York celebrates this form of music. This year, this festival will be held over four days from the 16th to the 19th of July.
The Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival, which is to be held from the 12th of August to the 15th of August, is another such festival which celebrates bluegrass music. This four day affair will also feature camping, arts and crafts, workshops, food and mountain trails. The Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival is traditionally held on a 650 acre resort which is located in the heart of the Arkansas Ozark Mountains.
True Summer Music Festivals
Parks are usually the epicenters of summertime activity and accordingly several prominent city parks in various U.S. cities will also play host to these summer music festivals like the verdant Empire State Park, which is located just outside New York City in Jersey City. This park will play host to the All Points West Music and Arts Festival, which will be held over three days from the 31st of July to the 2nd of August and will feature acts like Coldplay and Echo and the Bunnymen.
Similarly, Grant Park in downtown Chicago will host the eclectic and immensely popular Lollapalooza festival from the 7th to the 9th of August, while the Golden Gate Park, which is located in downtown San Francisco, will host the San Francisco Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, which will feature great music and good food and wines of the region. The San Francisco Outside Lands Festival will be held over three days from the 28th of August to the 30th of August.
End of Summer Festivals
The Labor Day holiday, which is usually celebrated over the first weekend in September, officially marks the end of summer in the USA though the warm weather tends to linger on way past this holiday. The popular ski resort of Aspen, usually hosts a Jazz Festival called the Jazz Aspen Snowmass to celebrate Labor Day. This festival is a Jazz festival in name only as it features several other genres of music like indie rock, hip-hop and funk as well. This year, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass will be held over the Labor Day weekend from September 4th to September 6th at the Snowmass Town Park in Snowmass Village, Aspen. This festival will feature several prominent and well known acts like the Black Eyed Peas, the Doobie Brothers and the Allman Brothers Band.
If you live in the USA or if you are planning to visit the USA this summer, do try and have a traditional US summertime experience by attending one of these summer music festivals which are often considered to be a highlight of the American summer.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 4:40 am and is filed under Festival, Music, North America. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Thank You. I love you music x)
November 25th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Native American festivals are awesoem for pure atmosphere. I was introduced to Bluegrass last year by my Irish friend. It’s such a good sound!
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Very nice article about Summer music, I do not miss Summer music if it is in my town.
pandi@music
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:16 am
Hectic summer day had never been very boring to me as I always find some recreational activities.I attended The Native American Festival Several times.It really felt awesome to join this kind of summer music festival.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:08 am
I love watching music festivals…
Can’t wait to watch another one this year
January 7th, 2010 at 4:53 am
Wow, great site. When will you publish the 2010 schedule. I will bookmark and check back. I appreciate your blog. Thank you.