1. SXSW | Austin, TX
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The first SXSW was held in 1987 and since then the festival has grown both in terms of attendance—by some counts, 280,000 people attended the 10-day festival in 2019—and in terms of influence
2. Big Ears | Knoxville, TN
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Named for the open-minded approach to listening it asks attendees to have, Big Ears regularly hosts contemporary classical music performances along with adventurous indie-rock, jazz, metal and electronic music.
3. Coachella | Indio, CA
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More than 100,000 music lovers make a pilgrimage to the Empire Polo Club during each identical weekend of Coachella, whether bound for campgrounds or shuttling over from golf resorts and mid-century modern homes
4. Levitation | Austin, TX
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There seems to be some confusion over branding on this one. Levitation, formally known as Austin Psych Fest, appears to have shifted its date forward by six months to April and once again started calling itself Austin Psych Fest.
5. Jazz & Heritage Festival | New Orleans, LA
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One of the country’s longest-running music festivals, held annually since 1970, Jazz Fest is also one of the biggest. Nearly half-a-million people show up to take in a massive bill of jazz, blues, rock and roots music.
6. Shaky Knees | Atlanta, GA
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Rock enthusiasts flock to Atlanta’s Central Park to enjoy more than 60 bands across four stages, and they're greeted with a rather eclectic range of up-and-coming, trending, and world-renowned musicians.
7. Hangout Music Festival | Gulf Shores, AL
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One of the more unlikely success stories in the festival business, this fest right on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico had the bad luck to launch in the midst of 2010's Deepwater Horizon