Austin
#1 Music Festival
For the 30th edition of the mega music, movie, and interactive festival, more than 1,000 parties were held around town and over 50,000 hotel room nights were booked for nearly 286,000 attendees representing 95 countries. Just over 47,000 of those guests went to the gaming portion of the conference, while nearly 7,700 films were submitted for the movie-going crowd. There were 35 comedy showcases and nearly 3,000 musical performances. Next: March 9-18, 2018
Indio, California
#2 Music Festival
Heralding rock, hip-hop, electronic, and independent music, the desert event received a boost in international ticket sales of a whopping 125 percent, according to StubHub, and domestically, tickets were sold in every state. Two months beforehand, Beyoncé was forced to cancel her scheduled performance at the event due to her pregnancy, but organizers promised she’d headline next year. Meanwhile, just five days later, they named a substitute: Lady Gaga. Next: April 13-22, 2018
Chicago
#3 Music Festival (up from #4)
Though Kanye West, and later the Weeknd, dropped out of the performance lineup, some 1,000 fans still showed up for each day of the music festival in Grant Park. Guests saw Lorde, Chance the Rapper, and the XX as headliners, along with Muse, The Killers, and Arcade Fire. A new pop-up roller skating rink and arcade offered distractions. Next: August 2-5, 2018
Milwaukee
#4 Music Festival (up from #5)
With about 850,000 attendees and more than 800 acts, the Midwestern event has earned its self-appointed title of “world’s largest music festival.” Held alongside Lake Michigan at Henry Maier Festival Park, this summer’s lineup included Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Third Eye Blind, and many others. Next: June 2018
Austin
#5 Music Festival (up from #6)
For its 15th anniversary, the festival featured more than 100 bands who performed on eight stages for about 75,000 fans daily. For the first of two weekends at the 350-acre Zilker Park, LL Cool J, the Chainsmokers, Radiohead, Flume, and others performed, while weekend two included Torey Lanez, Awolnation, Cage the Elephant, Anderson Paak, and Andra Day. Next: October 6- 8, 2017 and October 13-15, 2017
New Orleans
#6 Music Festival (up from #7)
An enviable list of headliners, including Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews, and Maroon 5, took part in the 12-stage festival—which showcased jazz, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, blues, R&B, rock, funk, African, Latin, Caribbean, folk, and more. Other performances came from native son Harry Connick Jr., as well as Darius Rucker, Corinne Bailey Rae, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, and Earth, Wind, & Fire. A Louisiana Folklife Village and a Native American Village were also part of the draw for the event’s 425,000 attendees. Next: April 27-May 6, 2018
Nashville
#7 Music Festival (up from #8)
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, and other musicians brought a record 191,154 attendees to Nissan Stadium, Chevrolet Riverfront Stage, and Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater. New this year, organizers offered R.F.I.D. wristbands that allowed attendees to buy beverages across downtown without taking out their wallets. A new, sold-out V.I.P. pass offered early access to the Ascend Amphitheater, admission to the music festival’s fan event, Xfinity Fan Fair X, as well as tours of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Ryman Auditorium. Corporate sponsor activations increased, with 84 such installations. Next: June 7-10, 2018
Charleston, South Carolina
#8 Music Festival (up from #9)
The 17-day celebration of international performing arts included more than 160 performances and events. About 5,500 attendees took in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, at the Charleston Gaillard Center; Luca Francesconi’s 2011 opera Quartett; the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s 18th-century opera Farnace, which earned nightly standing ovations, and Waiting for Godot, both at Dock Street Theatre; the Table, a one-puppet show; a wide variety of musical acts and performances and dance productions. Next: Summer 2018
