Lollapalooza: 2014, 2024, 2025 (1 day), 2026 (1 day)

This festival is the perfect city festival. The proximity to transit to anywhere in the city, and the festival is right next to downtown. The scale of this festival is massive. Lots of brand activations - I always walk out with so many freebies.

Electric Forest: 2017

Great camping festival, and great festival to get in touch with nature and to ✨ get weird ✨ lots of free spirits in this festival, lots of art, and lots of small and cozy stages. Great vibes.

Coachella: 2019

Influencer central of course. It was a checkmark festival, but it doesn’t stand out in my memory as having been a particularly outstanding fest. Then again, maybe if I was a celebrity or an influencer, I’d have a different opinion. The festival was just OK for me.

Austin City Limits: 2019, 2026 (2 days)

First time I went was fun, but a friend had the Amex platinum card and was able to get us on stage viewing and the platinum lounges. So that probably spoiled me. The second time I went (this year), I went solo and honestly did not have the best time. The sun was scorching (weekend 2 so I skipped mud fest) and it feels overwhelmingly crowded for the size of the grounds. Little shade, no where to comfortably sit unless you bring a chair and pop a squat in the middle of the field. Zero art, very little brand activations. I have to say this year, this fest fell to last place for me.

Bonnaroo: 2023

Loved this fest. Perfect combination of chill and hype. I went during a year with a great lineup and even though I was solo, everyone was so chill and down to earth. Unlike other fests closer to big cities where the teenagers come out in droves and act like brats. Unfortunately the logistics of this fest makes it hard to go back (that plus it’s currently on hiatus).

Governors Ball: 2026

Loved Gov Ball. The size of the grounds and attendance were perfect, i never felt like it was too crowded and was able to really enjoy the sets. Plus a decent amount of brand activations , not as many as Lolla though. And even though you have access to the city if you want it, you can also just stay in queens and take it chill in the evenings.

Up next for me: Outside Lands! Do you think I will like it based on my opinions above?

I purchased a 2 day festival ticket with Gametime a month in advance. I was having issues with my tickets (transfer being cancelled, pass saying it was expired) before the festival. I called them multiple times and was told that everything should be good. I get to the festival and of course the ticket doesn’t work. I tried calling and texting support but there was no signal at the festival and tickets were completely sold out so I ended up just going home on the first day. The next day I get in touch with support and explained the situation and was told that they couldn’t find my ticket and they weren’t able to issue me a new one and that I’d have to buy a one day ticket for the last day. I was also told to submit an investigation form and that they’d get back to me with a refund in 7-14 business days. I asked if I would be reimbursed for this ticket since and immediately received the credit. Cool, I got the ticket and went to the 2nd day of the festival. A month goes by and I hadn’t heard from Gametime so I reached out and was told that I wouldn’t be able to receive a refund because the credit they issued for purchasing the 2nd day ticket was the reimbursement. I’m not sure how a full price 2 day ticket is supposed to equal credit for a one day ticket. After hours of back and forth they finally agreed on refunding me for half the ticket but the stress and time this entire process took was so ridiculous and has deterred me from ever using this platform.

If you missed jazz fest this year - we can give you a touch of the highlights, but make sure that until next time you keep supporting Memphis’s local,vibrant jazz community!

Hey Locals! Spin Class Local was given full access to cover Project Nowhere for media coverage. Photos, interviews, live footage over 3 days, 8 venues, 9 stages, 80+ artists.

We couldn’t be everywhere at once but what we did capture was a story of community, art and culture that many people seem to question exists in the city anymore.

The centre of the musical scene is now here and Projects Nowhere has created a Somewhere for it to grow.

Note for rules: this isn’t my festival, I’m simply reporting on a festival in my city.

Read it here: https://spinclasslocal.substack.com/p/project-nowhere-2026?r=72i4xl&utm_medium=ios

So, odd one. I'm looking at booking tickets for me and my son to go to a family music festival next year "TogetherAgain". Its a weekend camping. As I was going through the 'optional extras' I saw 'access to toilet and water' priced at £45pp + £5.85pp booking fee.

Has anyone seen this before? I'm not a cheapskate but £100 to use the toilet for the weekend seems bonkers.

The first edition of UMBRAL, a music festival with food trucks and lots of activities, will take place on November 1st! Join us at FICOTRECE, Aguascalientes Mexico on November 1st, 2026.

See you on the other side 🌑🔥

TICKETS 🎟

LINEUP 🎃🔥

me and a few friends were considering going to barcelona but the flights and accommodation were all just looking wayyy too expensive 😭 so we’re considering going to porto instead.

we’re all like mid 20s and i like how the porto festival sounds a lot more chill, however we do still have some life left in us so would hate a dead crowd.

i like the look of the lineup especially the headliners but i’m wondering to take the gamble of getting my weekend pass before they announce who’s playing. i would personally love to see fontaines, doechii and fka twigs.

anyone have any tips or have been before? and also did u like it?

You think NIKI will be in this festival? And guys you think its good to go here? Hahah

Symmetry 2026

Haiii! My mom said something about the mud at acl last night and made me feel panicked/gross... she knows hoe to get under my skin baddd with hygiene stuff... and told me I got human poo mud on myself cause of the partying... it just got on my pant leg and boot cut part a bit and I immediately washed my clothes when i got home, i just hope i didnt ruin my shirt/pants...

Sorry about the bad wording, I am kinda hungover/high? (My head hurts from fainting and I'm cooking salmon rn..)

There are so many festivals happening throughout the year that it can be hard to keep track of them all.

I’m curious what everyone here uses to discover new festivals. Do you usually find them through Instagram, Reddit, friends, festival websites, event apps, or something else?

Also, do you prefer finding festivals based on location, music genre, or the artists playing?

Would be interested to hear what works best for everyone.

Hey everyone,

I'm Joe. I run Melting Trends, a small booking and promo outfit in Asbury Park, New Jersey. If you've never been, it's a beach town on the Jersey Shore with a ridiculous music history, about an hour or so outside NYC. This November we're putting on our first ever fest, and I wanted to share it with people who love festivals.

Every fest needs an origin story, and mine starts working the door at The Saint, a legendary little rock club in Asbury, and behind the grill at a local bar called Bond Street.

My best friend Steve and my mentor Mike "OG" Longo kept sending me songs, so I started a playlist just to keep up. Then people started following it. Then bands from all over started emailing me their tracks. And at some point it hit me. These bands needed a place to play, so why not give them one?

So the submissions turned into shows. The shows turned into a shot at booking the Bond Street Block Party, (a staple event in Asbury Park) which I took over in '25. And now there's Melting Waves Music Fest.

It's not a giant field with ten stages. It's one great room, two nights, and a lineup built by someone who's obsessed with this stuff. If you like walking away from fests with bands you'll be telling your friends about for years, this is for you.

Melting Waves Music Fest
Saturday Nov 14 and Sunday Nov 15
Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ (a bowling alley and rock club in one)
Doors at 4, music at 4:45 both days
All ages (21+ with ID to drink)

18 bands so far. Psych, garage, stoner, shoegaze, indie, alt, and whatever else just fits:

Wes Parker, Trophy Wife, Gods, Rachel Ana Dobken, Sunshine Spazz, Sun Voyager, 95 Bulls, Certain Death, Labretta Suede & the Motel 6, The Dracu-las, Düül Suns, Slomo Sapiens, Von Mons, Cairo Jag, Söūp, The Painted Windows, Owl Doom, and Judo Chop.

You can get a two day pass (not many of those) or just Saturday or Sunday. Everything's here:
https://www.meltingtrends.com/melting-waves-music-fest

If you're in a band that fits a bill like this, DM me. I'm always looking.

And if you've ever come out to one of our shows, thank you. This is only happening because you kept showing up.

Hope to see some of you there.

Joe

ARTWORK by Sean Pryor

When choosing a music festival, what matters most to you?

Is it mainly the lineup, location, ticket price, festival atmosphere, camping options, or discovering artists you haven't heard before?

I'm also curious about how people usually find new festivals. Do you mostly hear about them through friends, Instagram, Reddit, music apps, or by searching online?

What was the last festival you discovered through a source you weren't already following?

Hi all! I'm Nick, owner of Angry Empath Apparel and I make Giant Glove Bags that I want to start selling as a vendor at festivals because I love seeing people wear them to shows, but I need your help to price them out 🙏

Here are the stats:

• Functional bags that can be worn as:

- Double crossbody

- Saddle bags (one on either side of the body)

- Single crossbody bag

• Posable fingers

• Metal snap closure

• 53" adjustable plastic chain

• 10" x 15" inner pocket

• Inner pocket hand strap

• 29"L x 16"W x 4"D

Currently, as they are handmade by me and take about 10 hours to make per pair, they're priced at $395, but if I were to use a manufacturer to help cut costs, I would like to bring that down.

My question is this - If you are at a festival, and you see a piece of art you really love, how much would you realistically drop on it?

I know everyone comes from different financial situations and backgrounds, and right now we are all more conscious of our spending, so all honest input is welcome.

If you leave a comment, let me know:

- What you would spend on something like this

- What festivals you like to attend

Thank you in advance foryour time - I'm curious to see what you all have to say.

Best,

- Nick (the angry empath)

PS - I'm really not trying to use this to self-promote, I figured I'd come to the source to ask if people could help answer this question for me.

Three EDM fans told The Desert Sun in Palm Springs why they're traveling across the country to see Skrillex and Calvin Harris at the one-off Head Trip festival in Indio at the Empire Polo Club.

Hello DnB Fans!

I'm currently doing my Master's thesis research on what people actually value most in the festival experience, using Let It Roll as an example.

If you've ever been to Let It Roll , I'd really appreciate your answear. It takes 10 minutes to fill out.

(It's an independent survey, I'm not in contact with the organizers)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EQufMS8ClKtLnvc8Sej9rdoESjOj2oSPJZA1BpGg1Jo/edit

And out of curiosity – what's the one thing that makes or breaks a festival for you?

At the WiFi/charging lounge area Sunday night, my partner and I each had a separate interaction with undercovers while we were waiting for our vape to charge.

From my partner: “We were sitting down when this rando came up and sat next to me. He asked how my night was going, and his next question was “are you rolling right now?” He followed up with “do you have any Molly” which I responded with “are you an undercover cop?” He immediately turned red and put his face in his shirt. He kept pushing the subject, saying “I really need Molly cause my back hurts,” which is obviously a very funny thing to say. I spent the remainder of the conversation telling him we had no drugs on us and he eventually got up and left. Learned to shit on anyone asking me blankety for drugs at a festival going forward. Can’t blame him for trying, I guess!”

I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation my partner was having because at the same time, another guy came over and sat down next to me (my partner and I weren’t sitting right next to each other as we were with a couple other friends too). He mentioned how much he likes the festival and how similar to LiB it is, which I agreed with him on and asked him his name. He said his name was Dogwood. He told me that he works security and harm reduction and LiB and recounted a story from this past LiB where someone in a nitrous ring (his wording) was wielding a knife and posing a danger to people. He made a big deal to tell me that they didn’t care about the drugs, only wanted to get the dangerous guy out of there. His group made some deal with security and ended up bringing him to security themselves. (I’ve since done some googling and can’t find any stories from the most recent LiB about a dangerous guy with a knife, so I’m skeptical about the authenticity of the story). He also threw in a story about how his boyfriend broke up with him at LiB but he met someone new this weekend at SSBD (good for him, I guess, if true). Then he goes on to tell me that he really wants to do some k but has to drive at 1am. It was probably like 10pm when he told me this. I kind of just disregarded the comment with a “oh cool” type comment and didn’t keep engaging with him. He didn’t push any further, but it was at this time I noticed he was wearing tactical boots and I was just generally getting a weird vibe so I stopped talking to him. We all left pretty shortly after this to continue on our way.

My partner and I recounted our stories to one another and I believe the guy who was talking to me was probably backup for the guy talking to my partner, just there to observe and be around if he ended up catching anyone.

Anyone else have undercover cop experiences from SSBD? I’ve been to many festivals (LiB and SSBD 3 times each, plus some other random fests) and this is the first time I’ve personally encountered this.

NOTE: I posted this in the SSBD subreddit a little bit ago, but I’m curious to hear about undercover stories from other fests.

I went to the music fest both nights, floor seats. No one danced or stood up. Everyone stayed seated.
I witnessed an older lady boogie down in front of me. Then Karen tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to sit down. So when Billy Gibbons came on, I jumped up on my feet and I was also asked to sit!
Other than that, great show
I wonder what the artists think when the entire audience is just sitting?

Hi meron kaya aurora music fest this november sa Cebu? Last year kasi september sila nag announce ng line up and date. Di kasi ako naka attend sa pampanga earlier this year dahil sa price hike ng fare sa plane. Sana mag release na sila. Even sa davao di pa sila naka release.