NWA Media/Michael Woods
Bill Nershi, a founding member and guitarist with the String Cheese Incident, plays on the main stage Saturday evening during the 2014 Wakarusa music and camping festival on Mulbery Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas. The 4 day festival featured music, art Installations & performance troupes for over 20,000 festival attendees.
By Sam Solano
Why will your friends not shut up about which summer music festival they are going to?
They want you to spend hundreds of dollars to go with them and it all seems a little silly to be honest. You could just go see your favorite bands when they go on tour, right? That may be true but, go to a music festival! You aren’t wrong in thinking it’s a good idea to save your money, but you would be if you thought going to a festival wasn’t worth it.
Do you really need to take that summer class and visit family? We all know that means sitting on your couch bingeing Netflix. You should take time out of your “busy” schedule. Whether you are young or old, a rocker, an edm kid, a hippy or a country music lover — there is a fest for you this summer my friends. You won’t even need to go that far and you won’t regret it. Here is a little rundown of some popular fests this summer.
Beale Street Music Festival
May 1-3 Memphis, Tenn. (5 hours)
Tickets: $98
Some people simply refer to this fest as “Memphis in May” because it is one of the many festivities taking place that month. At only 95 dollars this festival is a huge bargain with huge names playing this year. Sure it’s not a camping festival but that’ll give you some time to get to know a very important place in American music. You may even get to enjoy some killer barbecue at the same time
Hangout Fest
May 15-17, Gulf Shores, Ala., (11 hours)
Tickets: $250
Where else can you listen to some of your favorite acts with your feet in the sand? I’ll tell you — nowhere! At least not like this. This fest is one that you and all your friends can find something to agree on and if you don’t, just split up and find them later. When you think about it, you can’t really beat beach time and great live music.
Riverfest
May 22-24 Little Rock, Ark. (3 hours)
Tickets: $20
A smaller festival in our state capital that always has a few big names on their roster. This year it’s Sheryl Crow and 311. Macy Gray performing alongside Galactic will be the one not to miss, that will be a special performance. Riverfest seems to be a fun outing for the entire family.
Rocklahoma
May 22-24 Pryor, Okla. (90 minutes)
Tickets: $130
This festival that has been going on for a long time is always really hit or miss, but for the right crowd this place can be a blast. It is truly unique in the way that they booked Linkin Park, Tesla, Godsmack, Slayer, and Papa Roach. Not exactly a diverse fest but attendees know exactly what they are getting into. There is camping and this will probably be the best festival for binge drinking.
Wakarusa
Photo by Cheree Franco
Jordan “Reighwolf” Cook plays the Main Stage at Wakarusa 2014.
June 4-7 Ozark, Ark. (1 hour)
Tickets: $195
If you don’t know what Wakarusa is then there is a good chance that you have been living under a rock. Some people call it one of the last “real” fests left in the country, so be prepared to get muddy with some of the greatest people you’ll meet this summer. For the current price of 195 dollars you can join tens of thousands of people on scenic Mulberry Mountain. As far as lineups go it is pretty similar to a lot of the pop festivals around this summer but they did score The Roots along with Earth Wind & Fire, two names not really seen elsewhere. Even with similar artists playing in Ozark you are able to float on a river and play disc golf on the grounds while you camp, making it a completely unique gathering of people from all over the world.
Bonnaroo
Photo by Tim Barber
Bonnaroo festival goers join Yuko Oku, left, of Worcester, Mass., and Ben Eliss, right, of Fayetteville, Ark., as they cool their heads at the piped-in water located inside the Arena Stage venue Saturday as temperatures exceeded 90-degrees.
June 11-14 Manchester, Tenn. (8 hours 30 minutes)
Tickets: $325
This is another one that I’m sure you’ve heard about. I am a bonnaroovian myself so take this into account, but there is no place on earth like Bonnaroo. The way I put it is that there are 361 days in a year, but four days on the farm. They always have an amazing lineup and if you don’t mind it a little hot and crowded at points, then this could be your heaven. Be prepared for your hand to hurt after all the high fives you’ll be a part of. Just go to Bonnaroo and you will understand.
Thunder on the Mountain
June 26-28 Ozark, Ark. (1 hour)
Tickets: $129, $199 for campers
It’s a camping country festival, so if that’s your thing then you’ll have a hoot two-stepping the night away! Wakarusa and Thunder on the Mountain share the same grounds. This fest is likely to still be muddy from all the dancing people did at Waka.
Forecastle
July 17-19 Lexington, Ky. (10 hours 20 minutes)
Tickets: $185
Very good-looking festival in Kentucky that has a lot of artists you won’t see anywhere else. Sam Smith, My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Portugal the Man, Cherub — and that’s just to name a few that are worth checking out. This may be one of the most solid lineups in summer festivals this year.
Pitchfork
July 17-19 Chicago, Ill. (10 hours)
Tickets: $150
Say what you want about Pitchfork’s review website, they probably hate your favorite bands (besides Radiohead and Kanye) but this festival always puts out a sick lineup of some acts you’ve heard of and the rest you probably will within a year.
Center of the Universe
July 24-25 Tulsa, Okla. (2 hours)
Tickets: $60
A fest known for up and comers to play, but they always snag a few really decent headliners. This year it’s Panic at the Disco and Three Days Grace. If that doesn’t spark your interest they just announced Minus the Bear, Misterwives, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation — if that doesn’t get you a little pumped I don’t know what will.
