Festival season starts early in April with Coachella and ends in September with TomorrowWorld. For those who haven't been to a festival in their lives, I highly recommend it. While our parents may tell us that any festival we go to will never be as great as Woodstock, it's an experience worth being a part of.
Coachella and Bonnaroo are probably the two most famous festivals in the United States and in the past few years, both have grown to become a huge commercial draw. To give you an idea of what you would see at a festival, I would describe it as a plethora of people dressed up in a multitude of outfits. As far as the music is concerned, it really depends on the festival you go to. Coachella and Bonnaroo have lineups that include alternative, electronic, rap, rock and reggae. If you find yourself at Tomorrowland or TomorrowWorld, then you're going for the EDM and dubstep scene, which seems to be the focus of a lot of festivals these days.
The interesting thing that has transpired in the past half decade is the growth of festivals in the South. Yes, there is Ultra, the EDM party of the year down in Miami, but I am talking about the rest of the South. There's Buku Music Festival in New Orleans, Counterpoint, Music Midtown and TomorrowWorld in Atlanta as well as Hangout Music Festival in Orange Beach, Alabama. This gives all Auburn students the opportunity to experience something that is once in a life time.
So what else are you going to get out of going to a festival? Well I'd have to say that if you're going to one of these crazy experiences, there is a very good chance that you will spend a three day period partying uncontrollably. If your lucky there are plenty of extra activities that you can do while at a festival, such as neon light rooms or booths devoted to the promotion of companies that sponsor the festivals. The other great thing about these huge summer parties is that you get the opportunity to not only see your favorite bands, but you get to discover up and coming acts that you might not see otherwise. I'd say the hardest thing to do at a festival is budgeting your time to see every act that you came to see. There are so many different options, making it like Christmas for all music lovers.
If you have the opportunity get yourself to a festival, do it before it's too late. It's not going to be a cheap trip, but it's entirely worth it. If money is a factor for you, keep in mind that many festivals let you volunteer and attend for free! Check out each festivals' individual website to learn more.
