Top 10 U.S. Music Festivals Ranked

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents.^[2] The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a 700-acre (280 ha) farm in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival typically starts on the second Thursday in June and lasts four days. It has been held every year except 2020 when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[2] and 2021 when it was canceled due to excessive rain from Hurricane Ida flooding the campground.^[3] Main attractions of this festival are the multiple stages featuring live music with a diverse array of musical styles including indie rock, classic rock, world music, hip hop, jazz, Americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, pop, electronic, and other alternative music. Musical acts begin Wednesday evening for early arrivers, continued throughout the festival with performances starting each day around noon, and some stages entertaining festival goers until sunrise.^[4]

Lollapalooza /ˌlɒləpəˈluːzə/ (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Music genres include but are not limited to alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, and electronic dance music. Lollapalooza has also featured visual arts, nonprofit organizations, and political organizations. The festival, held in Grant Park, hosts an estimated 400,000 people each July and sells out annually.^[3] Lollapalooza is one of the largest and most iconic music festivals in the world and one of the longest-running in the United States.^[4][5]

The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, Illinois. Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris at Grande halle de la Villette.^[1] The festival, which is normally held over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from the alternative rock, hip hop, electronic and dance music genres, although it has also ranged into hardcore punk, experimental rock and jazz in its lineups. While it started as a showcase for just the "cutting edge"^{[definition needed]}, it later took on a broader depth and vision, keeping the cutting-edge focus but also including important artists and acts that have influenced newer performers and artists.^[2] A branch planned for Berlin at Tempodrom in 2020 was cancelled.^[3]

South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin, Texas;^[1][2] both years, there was a smaller online event instead.^[3]

It was first held on Miami Beach, but besides a tenure at Bicentennial Park, and briefly being held at Virginia Key in 2019, it has primarily been held at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. It was a two-day festival from 1998 to 2006.^[2][3]

The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an array of genres and styles of music, including rock, electronic, hip-hop, indie, Americana, pop, folk, and more. It is produced by Founders Entertainment, a festival promotion company based in New York City, which also produces The Meadows Music & Arts Festival. Aside from the wide variety of music, the festival features a multitude of popular New York restaurants and food trucks, as well as activities and games.

The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based company C3 Presents, which also produces Chicago's Lollapalooza.^[3]

Louder Than Life is a rock and metal event that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.^[2] The event is known to also feature whiskey, craft beer, gourmet food and multiple exhibits.^[3] It has made a large economic impact on the city of Louisville.^[4]

Electric Forest is a four-day and one-weekend multi-genre event with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. It is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the Double JJ Resort. The original event debuted in 2008, under the name Rothbury Festival, and focused on jam bands and rock bands. In 2017 and 2018, the festival expanded to two weekends back to back before switching back to one weekend for 2019. The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Electric Forest is co-produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events. The 2015 event drew an estimated 45,000 attendees.