Anticipating the lineup arrival for a music festival can be a grueling process, but good things come to those who wait. The holiday season has officially arrived for festival enthusiasts. Rumors and speculation for the 2017 music festival circuit are in full-swing as various lineups are continuing to be announced. Some fans are rejoicing with the recent confirmations, while other fans are hoping to see different results and awaiting additional lineup releases. Let’s take a look at the top North American festivals to keep on the radar for 2017:
Carolina Rebellion
Location: Concord, NC
Dates: May 5 – May 7, 2017
Official Website: http://carolinarebellion.com/
Headliners: Soundgarden, Def Leppard, Avenged Sevenfold
Why You Should Go: The 7th Annual Carolina Rebellion features an impressive lineup with Soundgarden, Def Leppard and Avenged Sevenfold at the top of the list, while boasting a strong supporting cast including A Perfect Circle, Volbeat, Chevelle, Korn, The Offspring, Mastodon, Highly Suspect, In Flames, Every Time I Die and many others. Camping options with shuttle to and from the festival grounds are available, the music festival continues to offer its notable BBQ “Pig Out Village” for good eats, and the grounds are well situated offering easy accessibility for attendees. Fans will be hard-pressed to find a lineup as strong as Carolina Rebellion for 2017 and are encouraged to move on tickets quickly.
Rock On The Range
Location: Columbus, OH
Dates: May 19-21, 2017
Official Website: http://rockontherange.com/
Headliners: Metallica, Soundgarden, Korn
Why You Should Go: Rock on the Range has a strong lineup to support their 11th annual installment of their festival in Columbus, OH. Fans are also encouraged to purchase their tickets sooner than later for the music festival, as Rock on the Range is Metallica’s only confirmed date for 2017 in North America at this time. Rock on the Range also features a large majority of the more notable bands playing at Carolina Rebellion two weekends prior, however other big names unique to the festival include Bush, Primus and Thrice. Rock on the Range also features a vendor village as well as a photo exhibit for fans. But the key takeaway for this music festival is Metallica, and fans should acquire tickets before it is too late.
Firefly Music Festival
Location: Dover, DE
Dates: June 15-18, 2017
Official Website: https://fireflyfestival.com/
Headliners: TBD
Why You Should Go: While the lineup is still pending release, Firefly Music Festival offers a unique experience to music festival-goers that other festivals find difficult to replicate. Fans argue the music festival could expand its horizons and include more hard rock and/or metal acts. While that is certainly true, the festival prides itself on offering a good mix of rock, alternative, hip-hop, edm and folk to appeal to as large of an audience as possible. Notable acts last year included Mumford and Sons, Kings of Leon, Blink-182, Earth Wind & Fire, Tame Impala, Flogging Molly, Pepper, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Grouplove and many others. Emphasizing their various campgrounds and RV options located in the Woodlands of Delaware, Firefly continues to place great emphasis on their arcade, brewery, coffee house, silent disco, and top-notch food vendors. The official website was also recently overhauled to include multiple surveys for attendees to fill out to help craft a “fan-curated” experience. Anticipation grows for the lineup release date (which has yet to be announced), but rumors are swirling on various forums that headliners this year for the festival could include Muse, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Keep your eyes peeled for the lineup announcement coming soon.
MUSINK
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Dates: March 17-19, 2017
Official Website: http://musinkfest.com/
Headliners: NOFX, The Used, Pennywise, Bad Religion
Why You Should Go: The Travis Barker-led Music Festival is back for its 10th year in Costa Mesa, CA and recently announced a strong set of punk rock legends including NOFX, The Used, Pennywise and Bad Religion as its featured headliners. Other acts include Glassjaw, Goldfinger, Story of The Year and Lagwagon. Alongside the music, the festival also features a tattoo convention and car show featuring hundreds of sought after tattoo artists. Last year the music festival had a great reception as well with a lineup including Deftones, Circa Survive and Atreyu.
Amnesia Rockfest
Location: Montebello, Canada
Dates: June 22-25, 2017
Official Website: http://www.amnesiarockfest.com/en/
Headliners: TBD
Why You Should Go: For fans looking to travel to a music festival outside of North America while not venturing too far, Amnesia Rockfest should fit the bill just fine. Renewed for their 11th year, Amnesia Rockfest has showcased big names in their lineup every year, including Jane’s Addiction, Blink-182, At The Drive-In, Rise Against, Puscifer and Lamb of God in 2016. VIP, RV and regular camping options are available for attendees with hotels in close proximity, and the Rockfest team highly encourages those who attend the festival to camp on-site for the “complete” experience. The lineup is expected to be released early 2017.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
Location: Manchester, TN
Dates: June 8-11, 2017
Official Website: https://www.bonnaroo.com/
Headliners: TBD
Why You Should Go: Bonnaroo has been able to keep consistent with featuring a few hard rock and metal acts over the past several years, and 2016 was no different as Pearl Jam, Clutch, Lamb of God, and Dead and Co. were all on the bill. The 700-acre farm promotes many activities to include an annual 5k race, giant board games, yoga, and parades. However none are quite as appealing as the Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp, in which 20 hand-selected musicians each day from around the country to jam and collaborate with one another in fully loaded, custom-built studios. For those who are looking to stay busy between performances, Bonnaroo will surely satisfy. The lineup has yet to be released for 2017 and typically sees a later release around January-February.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Location: Indio, CA
Dates: April 14-16 & April 21-23, 2017
Official Website: https://www.coachella.com/home/
Headliners: TBD
Why You Should Go: Ferris wheels and California sun. Art installations and pie eating contests. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival continues to be a powerhouse in the music festival scene, and secured Guns N’ Roses, Volbeat, Rancid, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids and Gary Clark Jr for their lineup in 2016. Similar to Bonnaroo and Firefly, Coachella attendees will find that the festival attracts artists of all genres but historically has been able to include several recognizable acts within the rock scene. 2017 should be no different, and a lineup announcement is expected in the near future.
70000 Tons of Metal Cruise
Location: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Haiti
Dates: February 2-6, 2017
Official Website: https://70000tons.com/
Headliners: TBA
Artists: Anthrax, Gojira, Devil Driver
Why You Should Go: Who doesn’t love a five-day cruise coupled with heavy guitar riffs and face-melting sets? Look no further than the 70000 Tons of Metal Cruise, which sets sail in February from Miami, FL to Labadee, Haiti. While headliners have not been announced, 39 of the 60 acts have been listed on the festival’s website to include Arch Enemy, Anthrax, Gojira, Devil Driver and more. Every member on board is considered VIP, the bars never close, and the cruise also features various workshops and clinics with the artists for those who feel so inclined. The additional 21 acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Hangout Music Festival
Location: Gulf Shores, AL
Dates: May 19-21, 2017
Official Website: http://hangoutmusicfest.com/
Headliners: Mumford and Sons, Twenty One Pilots, Frank Ocean
Why You Should Go: Unique to the music festival scene, Hangout Music Festival offers fans the chance to jam out in the sand on the beaches of the Gulf Shores for a weekend.. Unfortunately, you won’t find any hard rock music here with the recent lineup announcement. There are plenty of opportunities for fans to scratch their EDM and hip-hop itch, however the festival is lacking for rock/alternative artists in 2017 aside from Weezer, Franz Ferdinand and a nice surprise with Sigur Ros. With other lineups pending and big names expected to be released, music festival enthusiasts should look elsewhere in 2017.
The music festival landscape should continue to reveal itself and take shape over the coming weeks and fans will certainly be keeping an eye on the next wave of announcements. Additional festivals worth monitoring that typically see lineup releases later in the year include Lollapalooza (Chicago), Riotfest (Chicago and Denver), Shaky Knees (Atlanta), Rock in Rio (Las Vegas), KROQ Weenie Roast (Irvine), Governor’s Ball (New York) and the Shindig Music Festival (Baltimore).
