Written by Kristen Kanaskie. Media by Stephen Hillrich.
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As spring fever catches like wildfire and minds turn from finals to fun, everyone’s favorite time of year has once again arrived—music festival season. Whether you’re a fan of the alternative music scene, you’re an underground indie lover at heart, or you’re a Christian music buff, there’s a festival that’s just right for you.
Bonnaroo
This year, the summer is kicking things off in mid-June with the Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival. If you’re bummed that you missed out on Coachella because of school, fret not! Bonaroo will be “the best on the streets,” as the literal translation of its name implies. Spanning over four days in Manchester, Tennessee, the festival has several stages playing the musical stylings of almost every genre imaginable—anything from hip hop, to jazz, to indie rock, to reggae, to pop, and even gospel music will grace the stages from noon until night. The lineup will include big names such as Billy Joel, Mumford and Sons, Hozier, Tears for Fears, and Florence + the Machine, along with a plethora of others. Aside from this, Bonnaroo is also well known for their unique vendors selling one of a kind merchandise and their tent for stand-up comedy, as well as a giant Ferris wheel to ride between sets. You won’t want to miss what many critics call THE concert event of the year.
Vans Warped Tour
Not far behind is the beloved Vans Warped Tour, starting the following week in June. For eleven years, concert goers have been faithfully following the tour across the States, as the festival travels from both coasts, to the Midwest, to everywhere in between. Although it too has quite a variety of genres taking to the ten stages it facilitates, it’s more known for its pop-punk, punk-rock, alternative, and metalcore music scenes. Similar to Bonaroo, Warped Tour has also incorporated more than just concert elements within the festivities. They have attractions such as the Music Lab tent in which touring musicians give free music lessons to festival-goers, and Reverse Day Care tent for parents who wanted to bring their kids, but are not interested in toughing it out in the sun. This year’s lineup will include about one hundred bands, all of which can be found here.
Icthus Festival
If secular festivals aren’t your thing, be sure to consider attending the newly revamped Icthus Festival that will now be known as Creation Festival. In 2013, the festival that had been bringing Christian music to the masses for over forty years had to shut down due to financial issues. However, several other Christian festivals banded together to resurrect Icthus and their passion for spreading the Gospel, and this will be the first year of the re-launch. The festival will span over four days in Lexington, Kentucky, with four stages featuring artists such as Relient K, The Vespers, Disciple, The Newsboys, and everything in between, as well as an assortment of speakers sharing testimonies and wisdom with the crowds of people flocking in for a good time.
