Rock n’ Hit The Road 2015 Summer Music Fests

Music fans know that one of the best ways to hear a plethora of their favorite bands all at once is to save up and road trip to one of the big summer music festivals.

We’ve got all the info on music fests within an eighthour drive of northern Michigan. So, put on your sunglasses and let’s rock on down the road.

1. ELECTRIC FOREST FESTIVAL Rothbury, Michigan - June 26-29 Rothbury Fest, Electric Forest Fest – whatever you call it, this Bonnaroo-like weekend is really the only big one in western Michigan and it features plenty of room to noodledance to acts like Skrillex, Edward Sharpe, Galactic with Macy Gray, Yonder Mountain String Band and returning faves, The String Cheese Incident. Good camping gear is a must-have for this fest, as are mud boots and a tolerance for bongos and patchouli. TIX: General admission plus camping tix start at $259.50, but are selling fast. CONNECT: electricforestfestival.com

2. SUMMERFEST Milwaukee, Wisconsin - June 24-28 and June 30- July 5 Summerfest often feels like a challenge; the organizers seem determined to represent every possible genre of music, and they do get pretty close to succeeding. Over 11 days, and on an equal number of stages, they welcome 900,000 people to performances that, this year, will include The Rolling Stones, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Carrie Underwood, Aloe Blacc, Sheryl Crow, Tonic and Public Enemy. TIX: General one-day admission starts at $19, 3-day passes at $45 CONNECT: summerfest.com

3. PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL Chicago, Illinois - July 17-19 All the cool kids arrive by bicycle, but you can take the train or your car too. Whichever way you travel, you’ll be in for three days of topnotch music at this Lolla alternative. Pitchfork’s more curated lineup doesn’t cast too wide a net, instead focusing on buzz bands and proven indie favorites, which this year include Wilco, Chvrches, Sleater-Kinney, Run the Jewels, Caribou, Parquet Courts, Todd Terje, Chance the Rapper and Madlib. TIX: One-day passes start at $65 CONNECT: pitchforkmusicfestival.com

4. LOLLAPALOOZA Chicago Illinois - July 31-Aug. 2 Lolla, which takes up most of Grant Park for the entire weekend, seems more like a pop-up music town than just a festival, between the eight stages, Chow Town’s mini-restaurant row and the various markets and swag booths. This year’s lineup includes headliners Paul McCartney, Sam Smith and Florence and the Machine, all great reasons to make the reasonably-easy drive from northern Michigan to spend three days in Chi-Town. (And don’t miss our expanded coverage of Lolla right here in Express!) TIX: Start at $110 and climb to detailed VIP packages. CONNECT: lollapalooza.com

5. NORTH COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL Chicago, Illinois – Sept. 4-6 North Coast takes place in Chicago’s Union Park and this year will include performances from The Chemical Brothers, Chromeo, The Roots, Tycho, Widespread Panic, Knife Party, Portugal. The Man, Kill the Noise, Steve Aoki and Atmosphere. A series of contests and after-parties add even more to the musical festivities, which North Coast calls "Summer’s Last Stand" (even though Riot Fest is right on their heels as the last show of the season). TIX: Start at $159 for a general admission three-day pass CONNECT: northcoastfestival.com

6. RIOT FEST Chicago, Illinois – Sept. 11-13 Riot Fest aims to really wrap up the summer with one last blast of music, with live sets from headliners No Doubt, Iggy Pop and Modest Mouse, plus additional performances from the likes of Alkaline Trio, Flogging Molly, Kongos, The Airborne Toxic Event, De La Soul, Rodrigo Y Gabriela and hometown Chicago faves, OK Go, plus carnival thrill rides. Conjuring up one last weekend’s worth of danceable energy? That part’s all up to you. TIX: Start at $189.98 CONNECT: riotfest.org

Round Trip Rockin’! 

If you’re looking to really get away, here are some of the best music fests in more distant locales, but you’ll need a plane ticket:

ROCK WERCHTER – Werchter, Belgium, June 25-28 - www.rockwerchter.be/en Featuring: Chemical Brothers, Foo Fighters, Elbow, Hot Chip

ROSKILDE FEST – Roskilde, Denmark, June 27-July 4 - roskilde-festival.dk Featuring: Florence and the Machine, Pharrell Williams, Muse, Ryan Adams

SOUNDWAVE – Tisno, Croatia, Aug. 6-10 - soundwavecroatia.com Featuring: Jay Electronica, Mala, Maribou State, Craig Charles

V FESTIVAL – Chelmsford/Staffordshire, U.K., Aug. 22-23 - vfestival.com Featuring: Kasabian, Sam Smith, Jessie Ware, Stereophonics

ROCK EN SEINE – Paris, France, Aug. 28-30 - www.rockenseine.com/en Featuring: The Libertines, Alt-J, Interpol, The Offspring

BESTIVAL – Isle of Wight, U.K., Sept. 10-13 – bestival.net Featuring: Jurassic 5, Underworld, Mark Ronson, Jungle

View On Our Website