Dying to get away from it all this year and hear some great music? The 2012 music festival season is already heating up with many of the hottest new acts and veteran bands lining up to take the stage—and lucky for you, we’ve got your ticket to the most exciting events across the globe. Whether it’s rock, jazz, electro, folk, dance, hip-hop or pop, we’ve got you covered with a festival to suit every musical taste.
South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW) · Austin, TX
March 13th-18th, 2012
www.sxsw.com/music
SXSW is unlike any other music event. By day, thousands of conference registrants network in the halls of the Austin Convention Center and sit in on informative panel discussions. While the event is designed for the music industry folks, any music lover can register for an entrance badge. Badge holders receive access to daytime events at the convention center and afternoon artist performances. Attendees also have access to many official SXSW parties each afternoon and receive first admission into all evening showcases. At night, SXSW showcases hundreds upon hundreds of global musical acts on over eighty stages throughout downtown Austin.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival · Indio, CA
April 13-15, 20-22, 2012
www.coachella.com
A massive music and arts event, Coachella’s beautiful desert setting is guaranteed to dazzle your eyes and rock your socks off. The festival focuses on alternative rock, hip-hop, and electronic music as well as large sculptural art. If you want to hear up-and-coming acts alongside established groups, this is the place. Several stages are set-up throughout the grounds, with each playing live music continuously until late in the evening. Held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio (just outside Palm Springs), Coachella welcomes all ages. Recent performers have included Paul McCartney, The Killers, Muse, Morrissey, Tiesto and Jay-Z.
Bonnaroo Music Festival · Manchester, TN
June 7-10, 2012
www.bonnaroo.com
Rolling Stone calls Bonnaroo “the ultimate over-the-top summer festival.” Sprawled out on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, the festival combines the sounds of rock’n’roll, jazz, Americana, hip-hop and electronica, along with a 100-acre entertainment village buzzing around the clock with attractions and activities including a classic arcade, on-site cinema, theater performers, a beer festival, and a music technology village. No wonder it’s been named one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock. John Fogerty, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Conan O’Brien, The Black Keys, and Jeff Beck are just a handful of the performers who headlined 2010′s festival.
Roskilde Festival · Roskilde, Denmark
July 5th-July 8th, 2012
www.roskilde-festival.dk/uk
Perhaps the coolest of all festivals on the planet (and one of the oldest), the Roskilde Festival has the credibility, history and hipness that no other festival in the world has. Roskilde’s audiences expect extraordinary and unique experiences—whether it was Bob Marley in 1978, U2 in 1982, Metallica in 1986 or Radiohead in 1997. The festival is generally perceived as one of the most caring and safe festivals in the world. It is as contemporary and innovative as it is legendary. The music covers such styles as rock, hip-hop, metal, rap, electronica and world music. In addition, there are often surprising performances by classical acts and opera greats.
Electric Zoo · New York City
August 31-September 2, 2012
www.madeevent.com/electriczoo
Electric Zoo is an annual electronic music festival held on New York City’s Randall’s Island Park. The festival represents all genres of electronic music, bringing top international DJs and live acts from multiple countries along with hometown favorites to four stages. In its 2009 inaugural year, 26,000 people passed through the festival’s gates to see artists including Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5, David Guetta and Ferry Corsten. Electric Zoo has received a coveted International Dance Music Awards nomination for “Best U.S. Festival” and “Best Music Event” by URB magazine, as well as press coverage from major media outlets like CNN, New York Times, and Huffington Post.
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest · Ottawa, Canada
July 4th-15th, 2012
www.ottawabluesfest.ca
Now in its 19th year, the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is a landmark event of summer and one of the top-ten music festivals in the world according to Billboard Magazine. But don’t let the name fool you—there’s much more to Ottawa Bluesfest than just the blues. This award-winning festival has grown from a one-stage, three-day event into a multi-staged, 12-day music showcase. In 2010 alone, the festival drew in excess of 350,000 fans to witness acts such as Tuvan throat singers, YAT-KA, Iron Maiden, the B52s, Joan Jett, The Flaming Lips, Rush, Arcade Fire, Crowded House, Keith Urban, and Weezer.
Montreux Jazz Festival · Montreux, Switzerland
June 29th-July 14th, 2012
http://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/2012/
For 44 years, the Montreux Jazz Festival has become an unmissable event for music fans around the world. Set on the shore of Lake Geneva, its stages have been graced by all of music’s greats, from Miles Davis to Ray Charles and from David Bowie to Prince. Whereas jazz constitutes the festival’s historic core, other styles of music have been integrated, bound together by a common thread of mutual curiosity and enthusiasm. Having made its reputation with its ambitious programming choices, the Montreux Jazz Festival offers musicians and music-goers an ideal platform and intimate setting for the duration of its two weeks.
Vancouver Island MusicFest · Courtenay, Canada
July 6-8, 2012
www.islandmusicfest.com
Produced by the Comox Valley Folk Society, the Vancouver Island MusicFest is a not-for-profit, volunteer driven event that brings great roots and world music to life. Music Fest remains true to its original vision of being a rural, family friendly, sustainable and successful event celebrating music and community. Each Year the event offers over 200 musical performers on 6 fully programmed stages, as well as instructional workshops, yoga sessions, an interactive “kidz-zone,” top-notch food and art vendors. Los Lobos, Steve Earle, Tegan and Sara, Bo Diddley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band are just some of the acts who have thrilled festival goers in years past.
Montreal International Jazz Festival · Montreal, Canada
June 28th-July 7th, 2012
www.montrealjazzfest.com/default-en.aspx
The Montreal International Jazz Festival hosts an impressive array of musicians from all horizons—seasoned jazz players, well-known DJs, impassioned bluesmen and high-spirited rockers. Cited in the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest jazz festival, this annual event features nearly 3,000 artists from 30 countries, more than 650 concerts (including 450 free outdoor performances), and close to 2.5 million visitors. Shows are held in a variety of venues, from small jazz clubs to the large halls of Place des Arts. Legendary performers who have graced the stages here include Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and B.B. King.
