What better way to shake off the winter doldrums by attending one of America’s best music festivals? Most of the biggest and best-known music fests have announced musical lineups and ticket sales have been strong. Yet, even if you’re late in booking tickets and lodging, it’s not too late to get started. On the other hand, the best ones tend to sell out quickly so the time for you to act is sooner than later. Get your 2023 spring off to a great start by attending one or more of these top music festivals.
Note: Some major events like SunFest do not appear here only because musical acts were yet to be announced.
Boston Calling Music Festival
Harvard University Athletic Complex
65 N. Harvard St.
Boston, MA 02134
www.bostoncalling.com
Dates: May 26-28, 2023
You can call it an end of spring music festival or an unofficial start to summer. But with acts like Foo Fighters, The Lumineers, Paramore and Alanis Morrisette, it’s definitely a top music fest. Furthermore, you can see more top acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nial Horan and The Flaming Lips. In all, there will over 50 musical acts across four outdoor stages and over 30 food vendors. First held in 2013, Boston Calling Music Festival draws about 40,000 attendees. To get to Harvard University Athletic Complex, take Boston’s red line to the Harvard station, then walk across the Anderson Memorial Bridge.
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BottleRock Napa Valley
Napa Valley Expo
575 Third St.
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 253-4900
www.bottlerocknapavalley.com
Dates: May 26-28, 2023
Another music fest held over Memorial Day weekend, BottleRock Napa Valley will have one of its most exciting lineups ever. Simply look up and down the 2023 billing and you’ll spot several high profile musical acts. While Lizzo, Post Malone, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Lil Nas X are enough to draw you in, there is a whole lot more to see. For instance, also appearing are ’80s rockers like Duran Duran, Cheryl Crow and The Smashing Pumpkins. If that’s not enough, you’ll have Niles Rodgers and Chic, Los Lobos, War, Taj Mahal and Wu-Tang Clan on the schedule. Even further, you’ll have Mike Campbell (Tom {Petty, Fleetwood Mac) and the Dirty Knobs, and Paris Jackson. That’s not to mention local acts like Moonalice and The Stone Foxes. With the exception of secondary markets, all that remains available are single day tickets. Nevertheless, BottleRock is one spring music festival that you must take notice of.
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Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Empire Polo Club
81-800 Ave. 51
Indio, CA 92201
(855) 801-5706
www.coachella.com
Dates: April 14-23, 2023
As surprising as it may seem, both general admission and VIP tickets remain for the second weekend of Coachella. However, ticket availability might not last much longer. That’s because several big-name acts will appear this year at the venue south of Palm Springs. Take for instance, the headliners, Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean. In addition, the 2023 lineup includes Gorillaz, Becky G, Rosalía, Björk, Blondie and Calvin Harris. As this time, all of the hotel/ticket packages are sold out, as well as some camping options. In spite of this, you may be able to find lodging options although prices are at a premium. If you want to keep your budget within reason, your best bet is camping onsite.
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EDC Las Vegas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
7000 N. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89115
www.lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com
Dates: May 19-21, 2023
If electronic dance music if your thing, what could be better than EDC Las Vegas? General admission and VIP tickets are still available, but don’t wait much longer. While camping tickets also available, it appears that all affiliate shuttle services are sold out. Like in years past, EDC 2023 will feature several EDC heavyweight musical acts. In further detail, the lineup includes Arming van Burren, Charlotte de Witt, Grimes, Illenium, Tiësto and Zedd. Known as the largest electronic dance music festival in North America, you can expect up to 135,000 festivalgoers each day. Although camping is the most affordable, you have plenty of hotel options, including Hotel EDC (Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World).
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iHeart Country Festival
Moody Center, University of Texas
2001 Robert Dedman Drive
Austin, TX 78712
www.iheart.com/iheartcountry-festival
Date: May 13, 2023
Unlike other spring music festivals on this list, iHeart Country Festival is just held on a single day. Moreover, it’s being held indoors at the 15,000 seat Moody Center albeit with the largest event floor in the country. Nevertheless, it’s one of the highlights of the spring music season, with many of your favorite country music artists. Topping the 2023 music lineup are Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Sam Hunt. Still, there are other country stars that will appear, like Elle King, Parker McCollum, Justin Moore and Jordan Davis. At this time, most tickets are already sold except for those offered through the Capital One VIP presale. Nevertheless, you may able to purchase a ticket through resale sites like StubHub or SeatGeek.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Fairgrounds Race Course
1751 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 410-4100
www.nojazzfest.com
Dates: April 28 to May 7, 2023
One of America’s most popular spring music festivals, the Jazz Fest is known for showcasing an eclectic group of musical acts. Indeed, this year is no different, with headliners like Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Santana, Dead & Company and Jon Baptiste. That’s not to mention additional top name acts like The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Gary Clark Jr., Wu-Tang Clan, H.E.R. and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. What’s more, the impressive lineup also includes Melissa Etheridge, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Leon Bridges, Trombone Short, Kenny Loggins and even Tom Jones. At this time, all ticket tiers are available, including general admission, VIP and hotel packages. The Sheraton New Orleans is the affiliate hotel. However, you may already have a favorite hotel, whether it’s in the French Quarter or elsewhere.
Rolling Loud
Hollywood Park Grounds
1001 Stadium Drive
Inglewood, CA 90301
www.rollingloud.com
Dates: March 3-5, 2023
Get your spring music festival season to an early start with music from many of the biggest names in hip hop. As a matter of fact, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Future, Lil Wayne and Tyga will all appear at the California version of Rolling Loud. But then again, tickets are selling fast, as are shuttle passes and festival parking. One option you have right now is to use the festival’s layaway plan and reserve your tickets. In addition to those top name acts, are many more like DaBaby, Soulja Boy, Lil Baby, Don Toliver, Polo G and Kodak Black. The three-day hip hop fest is being held at the Hollywood Park Grounds, adjacent to SoFi Stadium.
South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival
Austin Convention Center
500 E. Cesar Chavez St.
Austin, TX 78701
www.sxsw.com
March 13-18, 2023
SXSW doesn’t actually happen before spring official arrives. But no list of America’s best spring music festivals would be complete without it. Most of all, SXSW isn’t just a music festival either but a multimedia event that can draw close to 300,000 attendees. For the most part, the SXSW Music Festival is a showcase of emerging musical talent like Armani White and The Lemon Twigs. Nevertheless, you’ll also see familiar acts like the emo puppet band Fragile Rock and the iconic British rock band The Zombies. In addition to the Music Festival, SXSW features a Film & TV Festival and Comedy Festival. Among those appearing are Eva Longoria, Nick Jonas, Chris Pine, Hugh Grant and Martin Luther King III
Stagecoach
Empire Polo Club
81-800 Ave. 51
Indio, CA 92201
www.stagecoachfestival.com
Dates: April 28-30, 2023
One of the biggest country western music festivals this spring is at the same venue as Coachella. In fact, it’s said to be the highest-grossing festival of its kind in the world. Like Coachella, it’s hosted by Goldenvoice and a host of the biggest names in country music will be on hand. For instance, the three headliners are Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton. On the other hand, there are many other popular acts like Jon Pardi, Old Dominion, Brooks & Dunn and Elle King. In addition, you have rockers like ZZ Top, Melissa Etheridge and Bryan Adams, along with others like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nelly and Diplo. Almost all tiers of tickets and packages are still available. On the other hand, most of the affiliate lodging is sold out although you can join a waitlist.
Ultra Music Festival
Bayfront Park
301 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
www.ultramusicfestival.com/
Dates: March 24-26, 2023
Like EDC Las Vegas, the Ultra Music Festival should be a bucket list if you love electronic dance music. In the first place, the Ultra Music Festival is among America’s largest spring music festivals drawing around 165,000 EDC lovers. As for the top-heavy lineup, there will be more than 30 headliners and over 80 supporting acts. In detail, you can see artists like Afrojack, Alesso, Armin van Buren, David Guetta, Grimes, Martin Garrix, Tiësto and Zedd. In addition are other notable headliners like Camelphat, Charlotte de Witte, Eric Prydz, Hardwell and Swedish House Mafia. General admission for Tier 3 tickets are available but it won’t be much longer when the price goes up. As far as hotel accommodations, many featured spots are still accepting reservations, including Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay and Novotel Miami Brickell. To get to the Ultra Music Festival, use public transportation like the Metromover and Brightline.
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About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012-2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.