Credit: Anthony Mooney Festival season is in full swing here in the Americas, and with Music Festival’s ever-growing in popularity, it seems like new festivals pop up every year! You have your mainstream festivals, your alternative festivals, and your genre-centric festivals, but more unique festivals have coming into fruition as of late, focusing more on the whole festival experience instead of focusing JUST on the music. Let’s take a look at some unique festivals happening in the coming months in the USA!
Lightning in a Bottle Festival - May 24th to May 28 - Bradley, CA
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivera Founded by the art collective “DoLab,” which has had a mainstay stage at Coachella since the beginning of the festival, “Lightning in a Bottle” is a festival that seeks to promote sustainability, social cohesion, personal health, and creative expression, as well as have a great lineup of musical acts. Headlined this year by “Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals,” LiB is much more than a music festival, with a slew of extracurricular activities to partake in. You could take a wellness workshop, a lake-side yoga class, partake in one of the many talks and discussions (with topics ranging from eco-sustainability to emerging technology), an art class, or join your fellow festival-goers for some water-sports at the nearby lake. There is always something unique going on at Lightning in a Bottle and it’s a festival you aren’t going to want to miss. For more information, visit: http://lightninginabottle.org FORM Acrosanti Festival - May 11th to May 13th - Mayer, AZ
Described as a “creative retreat and Festival held in the desert eco-city of Acrosanti, AZ,” FORM is a 3 day barrage of creative workshops, concerts, keynotes, outdoor/wellness activities and plenty more. Formed by the band “Hundred Waters”, FORM strives to be different. With headlining acts such as Chance The Rapper, Charlie XCX, and Skrillex, FORM has music from all genres. For more information, visit: https://experienceform.com/ Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas 2018 - May 18th to May 20th - Las Vegas, NV
Credit: aLIVE for Insomniac Easily the most recognizable and unique festival in the world, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC for short) is the most renowned electronic music festival in the world. With specialized stages for almost every genre of electronic music, EDC takes over the Las Vegas Speedway for 3 days in a nonstop transcendental experience that can only be experienced at EDC. Whether you're dancing to the biggest DJs at Kinetic Field or headbanging at the BassPod, EDC will be an experience you will never forget. And new for this year, CAMP EDC provides daytime activities and community restoration to make sure you're in tip-top shape for your raucous night ahead. For more information, visit: https://lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com/ Elements Lakewood Festival - May 25th to 27th - Lakewood, PA
Chris Lazzaro/Freedom Film LLC Taking place over Memorial Day weekend, Elements Lakewood is much like the first festival on our list, Lightning in a Bottle. It takes place next to a lake, it had a genre-spanning lineup, it offers wellness seminars and yoga classes, and is all about conscious living. The main difference here is that Elements takes place in the woodlands of Lakewood Pennsylvania instead of the coast lake of Bradley California. Headliners for this festival are Rezz, Troyboy, and Jai Wolf. For more information, visit: https://www.elementsfest.us Shaky Knees - May 4th to May 6th - Atlanta, GA
One of the only remaining rock-centric festivals in the country, Shaky Knees has quickly become the premiere indie festival in the country. With headliners like Jack White, Queens of the Stone Age, and the National, prepare for a rocking good time. For more information, visit https://www.shakykneesfestival.com/ Sunfest - May 2nd to May 6th - West Palm Beach, FL
Touted as “Florida’s Coachella,” Sunfest has a lineup that spans multiple genres and a price-point that is VERY hard to beat. With a 4 day pass only costing 85 dollars, Sunfest is the go-to festival for those on a budget. Some of the world-class headliners include Zedd, Sublime with Rome, Nick Jonas, Billy Idol, Logic, and Grouplove, just to name a few. While the festival itself is pretty bare-bones, the price of entry is very hard to beat. For more information, visit: https://www.sunfest.com/