Summer is indeed upon us, and that means festival season is fully underway. But as the musical phenomenon booms Stateside, it’s still the big names that get all the attention. Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and the other top billing extravaganzas are deserving of their acclaim, but there are dozens of smaller happenings well deserving attention for their niche focuses.
As musical adventures await in all corners of our country, here are five alternative festivals worth catching this summer.
July 2-5 – Essence Fest in New Orleans, LA
Essence’s annual four-day take over of New Orleans features the biggest selection of black artists in a weekend. The Superdome-held event may not be any Mecca for the newest and hippest acts around, like those above mentioned festivals, but over the past 20 years it’s grown into annual pilgrimage for thousands as the nation’s largest celebration of African-American culture and music. With this year’s featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Missy Elliott, Erykah Badu, Common, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Kevin Hart all sharing a bill, the appeal is undeniable.
July 17-18 – Eaux Claires in Eau Claire, WI
It would have been easy to label Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon’s new music festival as an unnecessary, self-indulgent addition to the already overwhelming number of festivals out there, if it weren’t for its lineup’s impressive diversity of genres. Instead of focusing on only the sort of esteemed folk acts one might have expected from Vernon and booking partner Aaron Dessner from The National, there are plenty of outlier acts that should make for a unique mix of music set in the woodsy backdrop near Vernon’s hometown, Eau Claire, WI. He’s said the hope was to “encourage music-genre-walls to melt away,” and pairing Sufjan Stevens, Spoon and The Tallest Man on Earth with Boys Noize, Melt-Banana and Spooky Black seems like a goof effort to do just that.
July 31-August 2 – Pickathon in Happy Valley, OR
A half-an-hour outside of the Pacific Northwest’s hip and idealistic haven, Portland, Pickathon is in a festival category of its own. The boutique event seemingly operates with intent to challenge every notion of what a challenge “must” be. The lineups are eclectic, with this year’s ranging from well-known indie acts like tUnE-yArDs to buzzy up and comer Leon Bridges and relative unknowns Billy Strings & Don Julin. Though the grounds are 80 acres, the sustainability-focused event is kept intentionally small with tickets limited to about 3,500, the majority of whom come to camp, while acts perform on unusual custom-built stages nestled into the Oregon pines.
Sept. 10-12 – Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, NC
Now in its sixth year, the Raleigh-based Hopscotch Music Festival sheds light on its hometown as a true music lover’s destination. About 40% of the festival’s approximately 140 performers hail from in-state, as genres range from rock, hip-hop, metal, folk, electronic, experimental and more, peppered throughout 13 walkable venues. This year’s big draws include TV on the Radio, Dwight Yoakam, Pusha T, Deerhunter and X, but the depth to its booking shows a sense of adventure that should keep fans plenty full, as well as the local barbecue.
Sept. 26-27 – Landmark Festival in Washington D.C.
In its debut year, Landmark Festival is gaining a lot of attention for both its lineup and the cause behind it. The celebration of the National Mall is committed to helping to restore the country’s premier national park that’s home to some of our nation’s most recognizable monuments, and with Drake, The Strokes, alt-J, Lord Huron, Wale, Dr. John & The Night Trippers all on the bill, there’s considerable interest to see how the first-of-its-kind event will perform.
