A Guide to America’s Best Music Festivals of 2018
It's not all Coachella and Bonnaroo. You can find a great outdoor festival within driving distance. Here's a genre-by-genre breakdown.
Photo: Getty Images
Coachella is underway in California, signaling the start of the annual parade of music festivals across the United States. We all know the main characters—Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and Firefly, among them. But the truth is, there are so many festivals these days covering so many different kinds of music that it can be difficult to figure out where to spend your hard-earned beer money. With this guide, we’ve broken down 20 of the best and newest festivals happening in the U.S. this year that may not already be on your radar. Now more than ever, new and more inclusive festivals are popping all over the map, so you no longer have to travel to California or New York to catch some of your favorite acts. There’s probably one within 100 miles with a lineup you wouldn’t have thought possible just a few years ago. The festivals catalogued below span time zones, bill sizes, genres, and amenities. Whether you’re looking for indie-rock, hip-hop and R&B, folk, jam bands, or a little bit of everything, the festival for you is listed here.
INDIE ROCK
Homecoming
Location: Smale Riverfront Park, Cincinnati
Dates: April 28-29
Highlights: The National, Father John Misty, Feist, Future Islands, Lord Huron, Julien Baker, Moses Sumney, Big Thief, Alvvays
Ohio’s own The National host this inaugural weekend of music and arts in their hometown of Cincinnati, grown out of the city’s 13th installment of the MusicNOW Festival. The National are slated to perform two sets, including their 2007 album Boxer in its entirety. The festival promises city-wide exhibitions of art and dance, special musical performances and support from more than 20 acts across two stages.
XpoNential Music Festival
Location: BB&T Pavilion and Wiggins Park, Camden, N.J.
Dates: July 27-29
Highlights: David Byrne, Sylvan Esso, The War on Drugs, Sturgill Simpson, The Lone Bellow, Josh Ritter, Margo Price, Hiss Golden Messenger, Sunflower Bean, Mt. Joy
Popular Philadelphia public radio station WXPN 88.5FM hosts the 25th edition of this festival, which features three stages across two venues on the Camden riverfront. David Byrne and Sylvan Esso will perform at the BB&T Pavilion on Friday, and The War on Drugs, Sturgill Simpson, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform on Saturday. Dozens more performances will take place in nearby Wiggins Park.
Mo Pop Festival
Location: West Riverfront Park, Detroit
Dates: July 28-29
Highlights: Bon Iver, The National, Portugal. The Man, St. Vincent, Alvvays, Vince Staples BROCKHAMPTON, Jeff Rosenstock
This recently established Detroit festival showcases some of the biggest names in mainstream indie rock on a 20-acre riverwalk, including Bon Iver, The National and St. Vincent. In addition to music, the festival boasts “villages,” including the retro Mo Arcade, Boozy Shipyard, Craft Bazaar, and Food Truck Rally Alley.
Shaky Knees Music Festival
Location: Central Park, Atlanta
Dates: May 4-6
Highlights: Jack White, Fleet Foxes, David Byrne, Courtney Barnett, The War on Drugs, Waxahatchee, Ezra Furman, Tenacious D, Parquet Courts
Atlanta’s main fest returns for its sixth year with a three-night overload of big names including headliners Jack White, Queens of the Stone Age and The National. A fleet of regional food trucks will be on hand to sate you, from rich southern BBQ to vegetarian corn dogs. Also on hand this year: the Third Man Records Rolling Record Store, aka Jack White’s RV.
Pickathon
Location: Pendarvis Farm, Happy Valley, Ore.
Dates: Aug. 3-5
Highlights: Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill, Colter Wall, Ezra Furman, Jen Cloher, Phosphorescent, Shakey Graves, Sunflower Bean
About 15 miles outside of Portland, this proudly independent festival has been staging (mostly) acoustic treats at Pendarvis Farm since 1998. Twenty years later, Pickathon is celebrating not only music but its commitment to creating a sustainable and family-friendly festival. You can camp in its scenic wooded area and enjoy eats and drinks from dozens of local vendors while listening to some of the best musicians in folk and indie rock, like Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill and Phosphorescent.
Bellwether Music Festival
Location: Renaissance Park, Waynesville, Ohio
Dates: Aug. 10-11
Highlights: MGMT, Flaming Lips, Local Natives, Dr. Dog, The Psychedelic Furs, Echo & The Bunnymen, Whitney, Allah-Las, Japanese Breakfast
Bellwether is a new psych-minded festival that takes place in a small town in southwestern Ohio, allowing festivalgoers to experience a secluded, starry, wooded Midwest scene through music and camping. In its first year, Bellwether hosts a short but already impressive roster of psychedelic bigwigs, with MGMT and the Flaming Lips alongside Echo & The Bunnymen and The Psychedelic Furs, among others.
Travelers Rest
Location: Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheater, Missoula, Mont.
Dates: Aug. 4-5
Highlights: Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples, Whitney, Tune-Yards, Parquet Courts, I’m With Her, Waxahatchee, Lucy Dacus
Travelers Rest is orchestrated by indie figureheads The Decemberists, who will host a second year of performances at the Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Mont., frontman Colin Meloy’s hometown. The Decemberists will perform sets on both nights of the festival in a lineup shared with fellow Pacific Northwest darlings Death Cab For Cutie, as well as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and a host of others.