Ultra Music Festival is the United States' biggest EDM festival. It is located in Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida. This annual festival kicks off the summer festival season with a weekend filled with various DJs usually occurring in March. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes, and it is named after the 1997 Depeche Mode album, Ultra. This festival coincides with the annual Winter Music Conference, which is also held in Miami. Other Ultra festivals are held in Ibiza, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Seoul, South Korea; Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa; Split and Hvar, Croatia; Bangkok, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. Click here to visit the festival website.
Coachella is the West Coast's best festival, taking place each year over the course of two weekends in Indio, California. This festival is typically ranked as the best festival each year and draws a crowd of hundreds of thousands, usually including celebrities. As this festival is the most popular and frequented by celebrities, it is also one of the most expensive and exclusive festivals. Tickets usually sell out immediately, all at high prices. However, most people justify the high prices with the fact that you are seeing the best artists and typically getting the best and most luxurious experience. Click here to learn more.
Bonnaroo is located in Manchester, Tennessee on a farm and has been around for 15 years. This festival perpetuates the hippie culture and has a list of rules the festival-goers must follow: 1. Prepare thyself. 2. Play as a team. 3. Radiate positivity. 4. Respect the farm. 5. Don't be that guy/gal. 6. Stay true roo. Bonnaroo is a festival where people high-five each other all day long and everyone is always positive. For the weekend that Bonnaroo occurs, the farm becomes one of the largest cities in Tennessee. Click here to visit the festival website and learn more.
Firefly is a newer music festival that began just a few years ago in Dover, Delaware. It is produced by Red Frog Events and takes place in The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway, an 105-acre festival ground. This venue includes seven stages, named The Porch Stage, The Lawn Stage, The Backyard Stage, the Big Break Stage, the Forest Stage, and The Firefly Stage. This festival, though very new, was immediately attractive and popular to east coast festival-goers. Taking inspiration from the various other festivals, especially Bonnaroo, that have been established for a long time, Firefly has a hammock forest, a silent disco, and more. Click here to visit the festival website and learn more.
Another new addition to the east coast music festival scene, Gov. Ball on Randall's Island, New York has also become very popular. Launched in 2011, the festival features an array of genres and styles of music, including rock, electronic, hip-hop, inde, americana, pop, folk, and more. It is produced by Founders Entertainment, an independent festival promotion company based in New York City. Aside fro the wide variety of music, the festival features a multitude of popular NYC restaurants and food trucks, as well as a slew of activities, such as Silent Disco, ping pong, photo booths, and lawn games. Click here to learn more.
Located in Chicago, Illinois, Lollapalooza is one of the United States' older festivals. It is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, and EDM bands and artists, dance and comedy performances and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups and various visual artists. Conceived and created in 1991 by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for his band, Lollapalooza ran annually until 1997, and was revived in 2003. From its inception through 1997 and its revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. Click here to visit the festival website.
No Cameras Allowed is a documentary that follows James Marcus Haney's journey of breaking into music festivals and inserting himself into the world of some of the biggest names in the industry. It starts with him getting into Coachella with a fake press pass and took exclusive film footage of famous bands. Furthermore, after doing this, he got invited by bands like Mumford and Sons to join them on tour. Click here to see James Marcus Haney's website and other videos.