Austin
#1 Music Festival
Known as a launching pad for new artists and a must-attend event for music insiders, this year 2,224 acts performed on 103 stages. But the festival has expanded beyond its musical roots to become a multimedia hybrid of a conference and festivals covering music, film, and interactive technology. The 2016 edition scored a rare presidential booking when President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama gave keynote speeches for the event’s interactive programming. It was the first time that a sitting president gave a keynote address at this type of conference, and led to the announcement of South by South Lawn, an event from the White House and SXSW organizers, to take place October 3. Next: March 10-19, 2017
Indio, California
#2 Music Festival (up from #4)
Presented by Goldenvoice and held over two weekends in April at the Empire Polo Club, the event is the world’s largest money-making festival for a reason: It has become a lifestyle destination in addition to being a festival that attracts about 99,000 people a day. More than 180 artists performed this year including headliners LCD Soundsystem, Guns N’ Roses, and Calvin Harris. Sponsors piggyback on the laid-back vibe. For instance, H&M sold the new clothing brand H&M Loves Coachella—the first fashion-line partnership between the festival and a clothing company—at a pop-up shop on site. Another partnership saw Doppler Labs offering attendees a smartphone app to let users personalize their live audio environment through their headphones using presets for each stage. Next: April 14-16 and April 21-23, 2017
Las Vegas
#3 Music Festival
The electronic dance music festival produced by Insomniac has several editions throughout the world, but the Las Vegas flagship stands out with its stunning art installations and fireworks displays. The three-day festival had a redesigned landscape this year that included eight new stage designs. It also celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with about 130,000 people attending per day and more than 250 performing acts that included Tiësto, Afrojack, and the Chainsmokers. The festival, which hosted 160 weddings this year, had its first nationally recognized same-sex wedding, which was streamed live on the Smirnoff-sponsored E.D.C. Live. Next: June 2017
Chicago
#4 Music Festival
The festival celebrated its 25th anniversary by stretching to four days (compared three days in previous years), leading to an increase in the number of artists performing at the festival, from 130 in 2015 to 170 in 2016. The event—held in Chicago’s Grant Park and produced by C3 Presents—attracted about 100,000 people per day, and stayed true to its original focus of modern rock, hip-hop, and electronic dance music by booking headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, J. Cole, LCD Soundsystem, and Radiohead. To make festivalgoers more comfortable, more seats and shaded areas were provided. Next: August 3-6, 2017
Milwaukee
#5 Music Festival (up from #6)
One of the country’s longest-running and highest-attended music festivals, the event attracted 850,000 people over the course of 11 days. It had a number of family-friendly activities, fireworks, a skyglider, a comedy tent, a talent contest, and a Latin dance area, plus the main stages that presented acts from rock (Alabama Shakes, Weezer, Garbage) and country (Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Tim McGraw). In a new promotion, attendees who arrived from noon to 5 p.m. on July 10 received one general admission ticket to Summerfest 2017. Next: June 28-July 2 and July 4-July 9, 2017
Austin
#6 Music Festival (up from #7)
Inspired by the PBS live-music series Austin City Limits, the festival—held over two weekends in Zilker Park—is Austin’s most-attended annual event, with about 450,000 people going per year. Now in its 15th year and produced by C3 Presents, the festival is known for its eclectic mix of rock, pop, hip-hop, blues, and country. Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, and Mumford & Sons are headlining the lineups of more than 140 artists this year. In March, premier sponsor AT&T debuted the Road to ACL, a 60-minute documentary about the festival. AT&T’s on-site presence at the 2015 festival included the “GigaPower Gallery” that showcased live graffiti art with local artists, as well as live streaming performances from concert stages. Next: September 30-October 2 and October 7-9, 2016
New Orleans
#7 Music Festival
Heavy rain caused the event’s second Saturday to be partially cancelled, which led to a drop in total attendance—from 460,000 in 2015 to 425,000 over two weekends. Audiences still were able to see artists such as Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul Simon, and Flo Rida. But there was good news for the event: Jazz Fest and presenting sponsor Shell’s partnership, which began in 2006, was renewed through 2019, when the festival will have its 50th edition. Next: April 28-30 and May 5-7, 2017
Nashville
#8 Music Festival (new to the list)
Formerly known as Fan Fair, the country music festival drew a record-setting daily attendance of 88,500 fans for the event’s 45th anniversary. More than 600 artists and celebrities participated in more than 250 hours of concerts on 11 stages, seven of which were free. Notable performers included Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban. More fans used the festival’s app, with more than double the amount of downloads compared to 2016 and a 21 percent increase in usage. Next: June 8-11, 2017
Charleston, South Carolina
#9 Music Festival
The festival—a counterpart to the annual Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy—is a 17-day performing-arts event that encompasses more than 150 performances in opera, dance, theater, symphonic, chamber, jazz, and choral music. Now in its 40th year, about 84,000 people attended performances throughout the city, including in the new Charleston Gaillard Center, which reopened after a three-year renovation. The festival also presented activities related to its new production of Porgy and Bess, including a walking tour and art exhibitions. The event also presented the world premiere of an operetta called Afram ou La Belle Swita by the late Charleston composer Edmund Thornton Jenkins. Next: May 26-June 11, 2017
