When: May 27-28
Where: Atlantic City, NJ
More Info: Here

When We Were Young, the Las Vegas festival predicated on Warped Tour nostalgia, was the first of its kind. But it looks like the East Coast will get its turn, as well. Adjacent is here to make sure that When We Were Young won’t monopolize the pop-punk playing field. Patrons can relive their wristband-clad glory days on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey over Memorial Day weekend.

The lineup is pretty impressive, to say the least. Paramore and Blink-182 (with Tom DeLonge, mind you) headline the two-day event as the genre’s respected vanguard. Other Warped Tour-core artists like Thursday, Motion City Soundtrack, and Jimmy Eat World will also perform, alongside more contemporary artists including indie staple Japanese Breakfast, New Jersey’s very own Bleachers, and hardcore frontrunners Turnstile. Smaller, rising acts like The Linda Lindas, Pinkshift, and Soul Glo are scheduled to perform, too.

When: May 27-28
Where: Miami, FL
More Info: Here

It’s become common for festivals to have several editions that occur all over the globe. Lollapalooza, Primavera, and Pitchfork have all migrated to various continents and countries to reach brand-new audiences. This year, Afro Nation, the Afrobeats-driven music festival that started in 2019 in Portugal, heads to the United States for the first time. After successful stints in Puerto Rico and Ghana, it’s now Miami’s turn to get in on one of the world’s leading Afrobeats festivals.

Taking place at the city’s LoanDepot Park, attendees can relax in one of the stadium’s nearly 37,000 seats or upgrade to the Golden Ticket or VIP access to watch sets on the main floor. Those same Golden Ticket-holders can experience exclusive, official pre- and post-festival parties. Meanwhile, the lineup includes headliners Burna Boy and Wizkid alongside Asake, Rema, and many more.

When: May 26-28
Where: Boston, MA
More Info: Here

When Boston Calling made its grand debut in 2013, it took place at the comparably modest City Hall Plaza. It also happened twice a year, once in May and once in September, until the 2016 edition, when they put the pedal to the metal and transformed into a once-a-year fest. For the past decade, Boston Calling has become one of the premier music festivals in the United States, and they’ve upscaled their lineup year after year with big-ticket artists. Take one of 2013’s two headliners, The National, who now occupy the third slot on Friday right below that night’s two headliners Foo Fighters and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The Lumineers and Alanis Morissette take the Saturday night stage while Paramore and Queens of the Stone Age hold down the Sunday night bill. There are quite a few big names in the smaller font, too. Country star Maren Morris, indie-psych luminaries the Flaming Lips, former One Direction member Niall Horan, the highly prolific jammers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers appear on the poster, too.

When: May 26-28
Where: Napa, CA
More Info: Here

At this point, BottleRock Napa Valley, the music festival targeted toward wine aficionados, has monopolized the market for music fans who also love vineyard tours. Although there are technically no vineyard tours at BottleRock, you likely won’t even need to go to one during your time in Napa. You can definitely get a feel for countless wine-makers at the many, many tents dotting the festival grounds.

The lineup is possibly the fest’s most exciting rendition yet. Some of the highlights include ‘90s alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins, sad-dad crooners The National, new-wave icons Duran Duran, indie darling Japanese Breakfast, and disco legends Nile Rodgers & Chic. While you flit between stages, you can stop at various tasting stations from countless vineyards.

When: May 27-29
Where: Detroit, MI
More Info: Here

Detroit is well-known for its techno scene. It was among the leading cities in the genre’s rise to prominence in the 1980s, just as Chicago concurrently did the same for house music. So it would only make sense for the city to have a sprawling techno music festival to celebrate that respected legacy. Movement started in 2000 under a different name entirely: the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. Since then, it’s conveyed techno’s kinetic energy through its name change in 2006.

Over Memorial Day weekend, festival attendees can catch DJ sets from artists like Basement Jaxx and Bonobo plus live performances by Carl Craig and Jon Dixon, Audion, Kevin Reynolds, and myriad others. Several artists, including Zeds Dead and Multiples, will also perform what are described as “hybrid,” “altered states,” or “hardware live” sets.

When: May 27-28
Where: Chicago, IL
More Info: Here

Grant Park is home to more than just its primary staple, Lollapalooza. Last year, Sueños, a reggaetón-focused music festival, celebrated its inaugural edition in Chicago. As its website describes, the festival is “bringing the biggest Latin lineup Chicago has seen” for a couple of days during Memorial Day Weekend. 2022’s version saw gargantuan stars like J Balvin and Ozuna head to the Windy City. This year’s iteration mirrors the skyrocketing heights of that caliber, as quite a few larger-than-life stars are slated to perform.

The two-day fest’s headliners include the incredibly influential reggaetón duo Wisin y Yandel, Colombian urbano artist Feid, Tijuana’s banda outfit Grupo Firme, and Latin trap icon Nicky Jam. The festival also features free water stations, an amenity that should be far more common on the festival circuit than it actually is, and the usual suspects, like a towering Ferris wheel and various food vendors.

When: May 19-21
Where: Las Vegas, NV
More Info: Here

Plenty of EDM music festivals are daylong club parties. Their teams book approximately 500 DJs and producers to make sure the dancefloor never stops going. If you enjoy a night out at the club or EDM in general, then you might be delighted to learn that’s exactly what EDC, or Electric Daisy Carnival, does best. In Las Vegas, you can catch kinetic performances from EDM acts like JSTJR, Audiofreq, and Hybrid Minds. Other artists on the gargantuan bill include DJ Snake, A-Trak, David Guetta, and Grimes, who will be doing a DJ set.

That’s not even mentioning what the website describes as “the most important headliner of all: YOU.” After all, what is a dancefloor without the dancers? As is always the case with Electric Daisy Carnival, this will be a weekend to remember with countless DJ sets. They don’t call it the largest electronic music festival in North America for nothing.

When: May 19-21
Where: Gulf Shores, AL

Rarely does a music festival so effectively convey its ethos through its name alone. Hangout Music Fest lays everything out, plain and simple. It’s a festival predicated on the joys of, well, hanging out. Maybe there will be some kicking back, chilling it out, and taking it easy, too. Set on the sandy, luminescent Gulf Shores beaches in Alabama, patrons can don their bathing suits and soak in the sun (or rain, depending on the weather).

Lineup-wise, there’s all types of genre representation. The headliners range from Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Kid Laroi to Skrillex and Paramore. There’s a lot of variety in the smaller fonts, as well: rising Memphis star-rapper Glorilla, post-Passion Pit alt-radio acts Coin and AJR, Warped Tour vets the Maine and Mayday Parade, and the bass virtuoso/anime enthusiast Thundercat. The main draw, though, is the location itself: Gulf Shores, which is known for its sandy, natural beauty.

When: May 20-21
Where: Queens, NY
More Info: Here

Since 2018, Head in the Clouds has centered artists of Asian descent in each year’s lineup. That trend continues this year, as Head in the Clouds makes its way to New York for the very first time. Following its original stints in Los Angeles, plus 2022 editions in Jakarta and Manila, Queens will host Head in the Clouds during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It’ll take place at Forest Hills Stadium, which happens to celebrate its centennial anniversary this year.

2023’s lineup includes the likes of beabadoobee, Rich Brian, ITZY, NIKI, MILLI, and plenty of others over the course of two days. The fest has also partnered with Heart of Dinner, a non-profit organization focused on remedying food shortages that affect Asian American seniors. 88rising, the multi-hyphenate music company, presents the festival alongside Coachella and Stagecoach titans Goldenvoice.

When: May 13
Where: Pasadena, CA

A festival named after one of the biggest songs by The Cure implies a lineup based on goth-rock nostalgia. Just Like Heaven is brimming with nostalgic fervor, but you won’t be catching Echo & the Bunnymen or the Psychedelic Furs. Rather, this Pasadena fest capitalizes on the halcyon days of blog-rock. Since 2019, Just Like Heaven has seen artists like Passion Pit, Miike Snow, and the Rapture come back to the fore.

Whereas last year took more of an indie-rock focus with artists like Interpol and Modest Mouse headlining, this year takes it back to synth-pop. MGMT will perform their seminal debut, Oracular Spectacular, in full. M83, Future Islands, and Empire of the Sun hold the second line, right underneath Just Like Heaven vets Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Also worth mentioning is the Bravery, the Faint, and a slightly more contemporary act, Fever Ray (unless you count Karin Dreijer’s 2000s work in the Knife). Put on your deep-red skinny jeans and cue “Time to Pretend;” this looks like another heavenly year.

When: May 24-29
Where: Kern County, CA
More Info: Here

Buena Vista Lake, located in Kern County in Southern California, is a refuge of idyllic waters, camping grounds, and lush trees. It’s the type of environment that doesn’t exactly conjure electronic music, but Lightning in a Bottle turns the lake into a long party over Memorial Day Weekend. The festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with this rendition, and it’s offering what the website describes as a “boutique camping experience” that includes shaded lounges, private showers, and daily yoga classes, so you can practice mindfulness before the party gets going.

Divided by the Lightning, Thunder, Woogie, and Grand Artique stage, Lightning in a Bottle’s lineup covers a wide portion of the electronic spectrum. Alt-rock radio staples Phantogram, Dan Snaith’s indie-minded club project Caribou, mononymous house producer Zhu, and pop duo Soft Tukker are among the festival’s multitude of performers.

When: May 6
Where: Las Vegas, NV
More Info: Here

Y2K nostalgia is in full swing. It only makes sense, given that nostalgia cycles tend to go back 20 years from the present day. Amid endless television reboots, movie remakes, and band reunions, Lovers & Friends Fest revives the spirit of the 2000s. Last year, the festival premiered in Las Vegas, where it will take place once again during the first weekend of May. Lauryn Hill even performed!

For the 2023 edition, headliners include hitmakers like Usher, Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Pitbull, and Christina Aguilera. It all amounts to a very solid lineup, and you can fully experience the early 2000s hits at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. When it comes to Y2K-centered music festivals, Lovers & Friends seems to have marked its territory.

When: May 5-7
Where:Atlanta, GA
More Info: Here

There was a time when Lollapalooza was the biggest alternative rock festival on the planet, thought in recent years that has changed to something that is more omnivorous in its tastes, more far-reaching. But, if you long for the glory days when Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth closed out the night, then Shaky Knees is definitely your type of thing. Fortunately, this year’s lineup has plenty to get excited about all over the poster.

During the first weekend of May at Atlanta’s Central Park, you can catch fiery sets from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Mars Volta, drift off into space via the Flaming Lips, and listen to the guttural howls of Future Islands’ Samuel T. Herring. This will also mark Shaky Knees’ 10th anniversary, so it’s bound to be a special event in one way or another. I mean, Tenacious D and the Mars Volta are performing on the same day. Some wild stuff is inevitable.

When: May 13
Where: Las Vegas, NV

An entire festival revolving around nu-metal would have been the laughing stock among music critics in the early aughts. Since the genre’s prime, though, people have come around to nu-metal, embracing its hybridization of rap and rock. Sick New World, held on Las Vegas Festival Grounds, is the culmination of nu-metal in its purest form. Headlined by forebears like System of a Down, Deftones, Incubus, and Korn, Sick New World’s inaugural fest seems like nothing but great fun.

If this genre isn’t exactly your type of thing, then there’s some music that falls outside the nu-metal spectrum, too. Hardcore punks Turnstile, hyperpop pioneers 100 gecs, and goth-rockers the Sisters of Mercy will perform, as will bands like Death Grips, She Wants Revenge, and Fiddlehead. Sick New World looks, simply put, pretty sick.