U.S. Music Festivals 2019

Austin
What began 33 years ago as a showcase for Austin’s local creative community has since become a 10-day, multifaceted conference and festival celebrating the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. At South by Southwest 2019, brands ranging from Twitter to Uber Eats to Miracle-Gro created experiences for the 417,000 attendees. Olivia Wilde, Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond of the Beastie Boys, and Kara Swisher were among the keynote speakers, and Democratic presidential candidates including Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, and Elizabeth Warren participated in the new Conversations About America’s Future series. Next: March 13-22, 2020
See more: SXSW 2019: Creative Brand Engagement Ideas from Amazon Prime, Uber Eats, Lululemon, and More

Indio, California
Roughly 250,000 attendees trekked to the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California, over the six days of Coachella, the highest-grossing music festival in the country. This year, producer Goldenvoice introduced the event’s first-ever AR-equipped stage, which festivalgoers could interact with via the Coachella app. As always, top musical talent delivered unexpected moments, like Kanye West’s Easter Sunday service and Ariana Grande’s showstopping performance that featured an ‘NSync reunion. Nearby, brands including YSL Beauty, Absolut, and BMW hosted parties and activations. Next: April 10-12, 17-19, 2020
See more: Coachella 2019: See Inside the Biggest Parties and Brand Activations

Chicago
Set in Chicago’s Grant Park, the 2019 Lollapalooza lineup featured top talent like Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, and Tame Impala. The festival drew 100,000 music fans per day, who came to see more than 170 bands play on eight stages. Kacey Musgraves paused her show to lead a chant to end gun violence, a call in response to the recent mass shootings in California and Texas. American Eagle, Pepsi, and Revlon were among the brands with highly Instagrammable activations. Next: July 30-August 2, 2020
See more: Lollapalooza 2019: Inside Guest-Focused Brand Activations from Brands Like Pepsi and Cupcake Winery

Milwaukee
Billed as the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest, presented by American Family Insurance, takes over Milwaukee’s Henry Maier Festival Park every year to host 800,000 attendees over 11 days. In 2019 alone, the powerhouse lineup of performers ranged from Jennifer Lopez to Lil Wayne to Lionel Richie. Produced by Milwaukee World Festival, this year’s program added new elements like a display of classic cars from SpeedKore Performance Group and a Playstation gaming activation. Next: Summer 2020

Up from #6
New Orleans
Jazz Fest celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with nine days of music at venues all over New Orleans. Alanis Morissette, Pitbull, Diana Ross, and Gary Clark Jr. were among the headliners that performed for the event’s 475,000 attendees. The Rolling Stones were set to make their festival debut but had to pull out due to Mick Jagger’s heart surgery. Next: April 23-May 3, 2020

Austin
Headliners at the 2019 Austin City Limits Festival vary from time-tested favorites like Guns N Roses and The Cure to newer acts like Mumford & Sons and Childish Gambino. Over the course of two weekends, the diverse event at Zilker Park will feature more than 125 performances, along with non-music programming like the ACL Eats Food Court, the Austin Kiddie Limits family-friendly mini-fest, and an art market. Next: October 4-6, 11-13, 2019

San Francisco
More than 200,000 people come to this three-day event each year at Golden Gate Park, which showcases the best music, art, comedy, food, and drink in the Bay Area. The 2019 festival included the return of popular features like the Discussions About Virtually Everything (D.A.V.E.) speaker series, the GastroMagic series of chef-performer pairings, and Grass Lands, a curated cannabis experience for attendees ages 21 and over. Next: August 2020

Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston’s Spoleto Festival returned for the 43rd year in 2019, with ticket sales once again topping $3 million. Despite extreme heat and pouring rain, more than 63,000 people came out over 17 days to see internationally renowned performance artists showcase their music, dance, and theater talents. The 2020 festival will open with the world premiere of an opera by Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens based on the autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, an enslaved African man brought to Charleston in 1807. Next: May 22-June 7, 2020

Nashville
Downtown Nashville hosted 90,000 fans during CMA Fest 2019, a unique event where Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and hundreds of country artists donate their time and talents to raise money for music programs across the country. ABC once again aired a primetime special with highlights from the four-day event, including Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Keith Urban performing the mega hit “Old Town Road.” Now in its 48th year, the sold-out festival brought in a record $65 million in direct visitor spending. Next: June 4-7, 2020

New to the list
Philadelphia
Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival featured attention-grabbing appearances by Travis Scott, Cardi B, and Lizzo, whose performance was watched from backstage by none other than Beyoncé, who danced along in a photo that went viral. Despite talks of moving the festival to another Philadelphia location, the action returned to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway where it’s been held every Labor Day weekend since 2012. New features this year included a towering Ferris wheel in the center of the Parkway and Cause Village, where attendees could register to vote, volunteer for local nonprofits, and get involved with social reform movements. Next: August 29-30, 2020