Summer Festivals
by Georgia Kotsinis
Photography by Charles Reagan Hackleman
With the summer season looming, so arrives music festival season. Here is your run-down on a few of the major festivals around the country and whom you must see at each.
Boston Calling
Where: Boston
When: May 26-28
Price: One-day ticket - $100
3-day pass - $270
No Camping
Friday Headliners: Chance the Rapper, Bon Iver, Solange
Saturday Headliners: Mumford and Sons, The XX, The 1975
Sunday Headliners: Tool, Major Lazer, Weezer, Cage the Elephant
Artists Not to Miss: Tegan and Sara, Francis and the Lights, Flatbush Zombies, Cousin Stiz
This May, Boston is calling a lot of popular alternative bands and artists to the main stage, but it falters in putting bigger names in hip-hop on their list compared to other festivals. Along with the many musical artists to enjoy, Boston Calling is featuring comedians every day including famous funny-man Hannibal Buress, as well as a film experience “curated by Natalie Portman.” The festival has moved from City Hall Plaza to the Harvard Athletic Complex.
Lollapalooza
Where: Chicago
When: August 3-6
Price: One-Day ticket - $120
4-day pass - $335
No Camping
Thursday Headliners: Muse, Lorde, Cage the Elephant, Wiz Khalifa
Friday Headliners: The Killers, Blink-182, DJ Snake, Run the Jewels
Saturday Headliners: Chance the Rapper, The XX, Alt-J, The Head and the Heart
Sunday Headliners: Arcade Fire, Justice, Big Sean, The Shins, Zeds Dead
Artists Not to Miss: Alvvays, Charli XCX, London Grammar, Sampha, Joey Bada$$, Boogie
Like any other year, Lollapalooza has tried its best to include popular artists tailored to the festival-culture crowd. It is clear by its current headliners that they have succeeded in doing just that as artists big and small flock to Grant Park for one of the biggest festivals in the country. The festival is spread across four days for the second consecutive year since its 25th Anniversary last summer. With amenities from “Chow Town,” where local restaurants set up booths, to various sponsor activities, you’ll have plenty to do for the 12 hours the park is open each day.
Bonnaroo
Where: Manchester, TN
When: June 8-11 [endif]
Price: Regular 4-day pass - $275
4-day pass with camping - $350
Thursday Headliners: G Jones, Eden, Ookay
Friday Headliners: U2, Major Lazer, The XX, Glass Animals
Saturday Headliners: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chance the Rapper, Flume, Cage the Elephant
Sunday Headliners: The Weeknd, Lorde, Travis Scott, Crystal Castles
Camping Permitted
Artist not to miss: Goody Grace, Bad Suns, Milky Chance, Skepta, Nghtmare, BADBADNOTGOOD, Twiddle
With Thursday’s comparably weaker headliners, Bonnaroo makes it up with strong line-ups later in the weekend. Something to note here is the presence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band is only making one other musical festival appearance in the United States (Wisconsin’s Summerfest) before making their way to tour in Europe. Like Boston Calling, Hannibal Buress is teaming up with an assortment of comedians for this festival: so don’t leave out the stand-up comedy when planning which stages to go to and which artists to see.
Firefly
Where: The Woodlands of Dover, Delaware
When: June 15-18
Price: One-Day pass - $110
4-day pass - $300
Camping Permitted
Thursday Headliners: Glass Animals, Kaleo, Oar
Friday Headliners: Twenty One Pilots, Flume, Weezer
Saturday Headliners: Bob Dylan, The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper
Sunday Headliners: Muse, The Shins, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Dillon Francis
Artists Not to Miss: Banks, Bleachers, Sir Sly, Salt Cathedral, Anna Lunoe
Firefly also manages to mix it up across the board for this long weekend. Additionally, there is something extra special about this festival compared to the others: it is bringing in a music legend this year: Bob Dylan. Other notable acts are actor Jared Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers.
As customary, the line-ups this year feature a diverse group of artists across many genres of music. Among these four festivals, along with many others nationwide, there are notable similarities between the line-ups, meaning that a large group of artists are traveling across the country to perform at multiple festivals. Don’t hesitate to evaluate the line-ups for each day with a close eye as you wouldn’t want to skip over anyone who could be the best show of the summer. After all, it is the purpose of music festivals to expand your personal pallet of music taste, see the next big artist before they blow up and experience the shows in an atmosphere like no other. Most importantly, don’t forget to wear sunscreen.