Travel Tips

Biggest US music festivals in 2027 and when to go

The biggest music festivals in the US, with what each one is actually like, where it happens and when it runs.

The biggest music festivals in the US are Coachella in Indio, Lollapalooza in Chicago, EDC Las Vegas, Austin City Limits in Austin and Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. All five run over multiple days and all five sell out well in advance.

Below are those five in more detail, then fourteen festivals across the 2027 calendar, in the order they happen. Each entry has the city, when it falls, and what the festival is actually like. Most 2027 dates are confirmed between six and nine months ahead, so the month is the thing to plan around and the exact dates follow.

In this article

The biggest music festivals in the US

Festival	City	When in 2027	The vibe
South by Southwest	Austin, TX	March	Industry showcase across the whole city, not a field. Discovery over headliners
Okeechobee	Okeechobee, FL	March	Camping festival in Florida scrub. Electronic and jam bands, small and loyal
Coachella	Indio, CA	April, two identical weekends	The one everyone pictures. Pop and hip-hop headliners, desert heat, art installations
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage	New Orleans, LA	Late April into May	Daytime, family-friendly, food as much as music. Jazz, gospel, zydeco, brass
EDC Las Vegas	Las Vegas, NV	May	Runs overnight at the Motor Speedway. Electronic only, production-heavy
Bonnaroo	Manchester, TN	June	A farm. Most people camp all four days. Broadest bill on the list
Governors Ball	Queens, NY	June	Reachable on the subway, so no car or campsite. Pop, hip-hop and indie
Lollapalooza	Chicago, IL	Late July into August	Four days in Grant Park with the city around you. Rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic
Outside Lands	San Francisco, CA	August	Golden Gate Park, fog and layers. Strong food and wine alongside the music
Louder Than Life	Louisville, KY	September	Largest rock and metal festival in the country. Four days, serious food offering
Shaky Knees	Atlanta, GA	September	Indie and rock in a city park. Laid-back, no camping
Austin City Limits	Austin, TX	Early October, two weekends	Zilker Park, broad bill, and Austin itself as the rest of the trip
Camp Flog Gnaw	Los Angeles, CA	November	Dodger Stadium car park turned carnival. Hip-hop, R&B, alternative
Lights All Night	Dallas, TX	New Year’s Eve	Indoor EDM, two nights, ends the year

Coachella in Indio, California is the one most people picture, and it runs across two identical weekends in April. Lollapalooza takes over Grant Park in Chicago for four days.

EDC Las Vegas runs overnight at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which no other festival on this list does. Austin City Limits also splits across two weekends, in Zilker Park. Bonnaroo is the outlier: a farm in Manchester, Tennessee, where most people camp on site for the full four days.

Music festivals to plan for in 2027

These nine have already run this year. Dates for next year are confirmed where organizers have published them.

1. South by Southwest (SXSW) — Austin, TX, March 2027

A cultural giant, SXSW blends music, film and tech, making it a launchpad for new talent and creative innovation. It is distinct from the dedicated music focus of Austin City Limits, but it draws countless music fans eager to discover emerging artists and see groundbreaking ideas across creative industries. Past performers include Prince and Amy Winehouse.

Venue: various venues across Austin, Texas
Genre: indie, rock, electronic, hip-hop, country and more
Why it’s worth going: discover new music, meet people in the industry, and see Austin at its busiest

Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival — Okeechobee, FL, March 2027

As the last of the winter chill fades, this festival mixes music, art and wellness under the Florida sun. It offers an immersive experience beyond just the music: art installations, wellness sessions, and a welcoming, inclusive crowd.

Past headliners have included Kendrick Lamar and Mumford & Sons.

Venue: Sunshine Grove, Okeechobee, Florida
Genre: electronic, indie, rock, hip-hop, jam bands
Why it’s worth going: art installations, yoga sessions and a strong sense of community alongside the bill

Coachella — Indio, CA, 9-11 and 16-18 April 2027

A must for every festival lover, Coachella packs a musical punch.

The desert’s most recognizable event, Coachella sets the standard for star-studded line-ups and festival fashion. As one of the largest music festivals in the world, it draws global attention and books the biggest names in pop, rock and electronic music. The Empire Polo Club becomes a hub of music, art and celebrity sightings. Past headliners have included Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

Venue: Empire Polo Club, Indio, California
Genre: pop, rock, indie, electronic, hip-hop
Why it’s worth going: the star power, the Ferris wheel, and the fact that it runs twice so you have two chances at a ticket

If it’s your first time, read our first-time Coachella tips and the Palm Springs guide for Coachella weekend. Couldn’t get a ticket? You can still experience Coachella without a ticket from just outside the grounds.

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — New Orleans, LA, April to May 2027

Jazz Fest is the larger of New Orleans’ two spring festivals and the one people fly in for. It runs across two long weekends at the Fair Grounds Race Course, with a dozen stages covering jazz, blues, gospel, zydeco, funk and brass, and a food line-up that people plan their day around as seriously as the music. It is a daytime festival, which leaves the evenings free for the clubs on Frenchmen Street.

Venue: Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans, Louisiana
Genre: jazz, blues, gospel, zydeco, funk, brass bands
Why it’s worth going: the breadth of Louisiana music in one place, and a food offering that is genuinely part of the event rather than an afterthought

EDC Las Vegas — Las Vegas, NV, May 2027

EDC Las Vegas is the largest electronic music festival in North America, and the only one on this list that runs overnight: gates open in the evening and the music goes until sunrise.

It takes over the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a set of enormous themed stages, carnival rides and a scale of production that is the reason people go. Daytime is for sleeping, which makes it a very different trip to plan than a festival that finishes at eleven.

Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada
Genre: electronic dance music — house, techno, trance, bass, hardstyle
Why it’s worth going: the production scale, the overnight format, and Las Vegas itself either side of the weekend

Our full guide to EDC Las Vegas covers tickets, camping and getting to the Speedway.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival — Manchester, TN, June 2027

Known for its around-the-clock performances, Bonnaroo is a camping festival like no other. It provides an immersive four-day experience with diverse musical genres and spontaneous late-night jam sessions, and the strong sense of community is a large part of why people return.

After a previous edition was canceled due to severe weather, Bonnaroo came back with a notably high-energy crowd. Past headliners have included Paul McCartney and Jay-Z.

Venue: Great Stage Park, Manchester, Tennessee
Genre: rock, electronic, hip-hop, country, Americana and more
Why it’s worth going: the scale, the late-night surprise sets, and the fact that almost everyone camps on site

Governors Ball — Queens, NY, June 2027

Governors Ball is New York City’s big summer festival, held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens and reachable on the subway, which makes it one of the few major US festivals you can do without a car, a campsite or a hotel near a field. The bill leans pop, hip-hop and indie, and the city is the rest of the trip.

Venue: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York
Genre: pop, hip-hop, indie, electronic
Why it’s worth going: a major festival you can reach by subway and sleep at home after

Lollapalooza — Chicago, IL, July to August 2027

USA Music Festivals_Lollapalooza.

A massive city takeover and one of the best-known festivals of the summer. Lollapalooza brings a huge and diverse line-up to Grant Park in the heart of Chicago. It is one of the country’s most renowned urban festivals, a music, food and art celebration, and its broad musical spectrum often includes indie and alternative acts alongside the headliners. Past headliners have included Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Venue: Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois
Genre: rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic
Why it’s worth going: a city-center festival with a range of music, food vendors and art installations

For the full rundown, see our complete guide to Lollapalooza. Staying in the city for the weekend? If you are want peace of mind before you land be sure to grab an eSIM for Chicago.

Outside Lands — San Francisco, CA, August 2027

Set in Golden Gate Park, this eco-conscious festival blends music, gourmet food and local wines and beers. If you value sustainability and want the food and drink to be part of the experience rather than an afterthought, Outside Lands delivers both alongside a strong line-up. Past headliners have included Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Venue: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Genre: rock, indie, electronic, hip-hop
Why it’s worth going: the setting, and the Wine Lands and Beer Lands areas, which are a genuine draw in themselves

Staying in the city for the weekend? Grab an eSIM for San Francisco before you land.

Which are the best rock music festivals in the USA for 2027?

Lollapalooza, Chicago and Outside Lands, San Francisco — the strongest rock line-ups among the nine above, inside a broader bill
Louder Than Life, Louisville — the largest rock and metal festival in the country, in September
Shaky Knees, Atlanta — indie and rock in a city park, also September
Riot Fest, Chicago — sits in the same bracket, punk-leaning

For rock specifically rather than a rock strand, Louder Than Life and Shaky Knees are where to start.

Which are the best country music festivals in the USA for 2027?

Stagecoach, Indio — the largest country festival in the USA, on the Coachella site the weekend after
Austin City Limits, Austin — carries country and Americana inside a broad bill, in early October
Bonnaroo, Manchester — the same, in June

Country is the clearest gap among the nine above. Stagecoach is the one to plan around.

Which are the best electronic music festivals in the USA for 2027?

EDC Las Vegas — the biggest in the country, overnight at the Motor Speedway, two weekends in May 2027
Okeechobee, Florida — electronic and jam bands, camping, much smaller
Lights All Night, Dallas — closes the year indoors on New Year’s Eve
Camp Flog Gnaw, Los Angeles — leans hip-hop with an electronic edge, in November

Tips for making the most of your festival adventure

From coast to coast, the USA hosts music festivals for every taste. Follow these tips for an easier time of it.

Buy your tickets early: the biggest festivals sell out fast, so act on presales and general on-sale dates.
Secure accommodation in advance: hotels, Airbnbs and campsites near festival grounds get scarce and expensive quickly, so book as soon as you have your ticket.
Pack for all conditions: be ready for sun, rain and long days with little shade. Sunscreen, a hat, comfortable shoes and a portable charger, and always check the festival’s prohibited items list. What to pack for the USA covers the rest of the trip.
Prioritize hydration and regular meals: use the free water refill stations and eat properly to keep your energy up.
Use the festival app for schedules and maps: download it in advance to plan who you’re seeing, navigate the stages and catch any changes.
Stay with your group and be aware of your surroundings: agree meeting points, keep an eye on your belongings, and note where security and medical are.
Be open to discovering new music: explore the smaller stages and the art installations. The act you have never heard of is often the one you remember.
Sort your connection before you go: festival sites are the hardest places in the country to get a signal. Tens of thousands of people on the same few masts means messages stop sending and maps stop loading, exactly when you need to find someone. Mobile internet in the USA covers the options.

Groove on the move and stay connected with Holafly!

A Holafly USA eSIM plan gives you unlimited data, 5G speeds and 24/7 support. It installs before you fly and works the moment you land. On a festival weekend that is the difference between finding your group and standing still.

Every Holafly eSIM includes Always On: 1 GB of monthly backup data, at no added cost, across 150+ destinations. If you are doing more than one festival this year, Holafly Plans is a pay-monthly subscription. One eSIM covers 160+ destinations, with no long-term contract.

Plans that may interest you

eSIM USA

eSIM New York

Tom O'Leary

SEO Content Specialist

I am a Liverpool-based SEO content specialist with years of experience crafting content that connects. I combine my love for clear communication with a passion for travel and languages (currently diving into Japanese!). At Holafly, I'm here to help you understand everything about staying connected abroad, turning technical jargon into straightforward advice you can actually use.

Read full bio