It’s happening, folks. Live music is coming back, and it’s time for a long-awaited festival season. You may have noticed a flurry of lineup announcements recently, and trying to pick which festival you want to mob to can be overwhelming. We decided to go through each lineup and pick the very best ones for you to choose from.
To us, what makes a music festival lineup great isn’t who can book the biggest headliner. Big, highly-coveted acts are great, but with so many festivals taking place in the United States, some of the bills may end up looking identical. We know a festival is really doing their job well when they can book the unique acts who might get otherwise neglected (and replaced by sure-fire artists that will move tickets).
Below, we’ve ranked the top 10 music festival lineups that we’ve seen announced so far this year. Choose wisely!
10. HARD Summer Music Festival
Dates: July 31 & August 1
Location: San Bernadino, California
Why it’s dope: Top tier DJs going to b2b, some of the most hype rappers in the game, all with over-the-top stage production.
Must see sets: RL Grime b2b Baauer, Maya Jane Coles, Skream! (Old Skool Dubstep Set)
Tickets
9. ARC Music Festival
Dates: September 4 & 5
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Why it’s dope: ARC is a brand new, massive house and techno festival taking place where it all began: Chicago, Illinois.
Must see sets: The Martinez Brothers, Adam Beyer b2b Cirez D, Derrick Carter
Tickets
8. Rolling Loud
Dates: July 23-25
Location: Miami, Florida
Why it’s dope: If you’re a modern day hip-hop head, this is the festival to go. Superstar headliners and quickly rising up-and-comers.
Must see sets: Travis Scott, Young Dolph, $uicideboy$, Bobby Shmurda
Tickets
7. Austin City Limits
Dates: October 1-3, October 8-10
Location: Austin, Texas
Why it’s dope: ACL makes a point to book at least a couple of legendary acts each year, and they came through again in 2021.
Must see sets: Stevie Nicks, Erykah Badu, Chet Faker
Tickets
6. North Coast Music Festival
Dates: September 3-5
Location: Bridgeview, Illinois
Why its dope: Not a single bad DJ on this bill, covering each sub-genre of dance music.
Must see sets: GRiZ, Tycho, Liquid Stranger
Tickets
5. The Governor’s Ball
Dates: September 24-26
Location: New York City, New York
Why it’s dope: Headliners are somewhat generic, but this lineup shines brightly underneath.
Must see sets: Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Duck Sauce, Oliver Malcolm
Tickets
4. Lollapalooza
Dates: July 29—August 1
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Why its dope: This lineup just gets better and better the further down you start reading.
Must see sets: Journey, Peach Tree Rascals, TNGHT
Tickets
3. Suwannee Hulaween
Dates: October 28-31
Location: Live Oak, Florida
Why it’s dope: Hulaween has several acts on this lineup that you straight up cannot see anywhere else right now.
Must see sets: Skrillex, Jungle, Mersiv
Tickets
2. Life Is Beautiful Music & Arts Festival
Dates: September 17-19
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Why it’s dope: An amazingly tasteful selection of eclectic artists. We’re always impressed with Life Is Beautiful lineups.
Must see sets: Green Day, Fisher, Ludacris
Tickets
1. III Points Music Festival
Dates: October 22-23
Location: Miami, Florida
Why it’s dope: Rap legends, rarely booked European DJs, groovy live bands. High caliber all around. This one cannot be beat.
Must see sets: Jamie xx, Three 6 Mafia, Vegyn, Peggy Gou
Tickets