Music Festival: The Best Bang for Your Buck
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, and no, it’s not Christmas. On the cusp of spring and summer, musicians are out on the road looking to bring their tunes to the masses. Even though some of the biggest fests like Coachella, Ultra, and Lollapalooza are already sold out, fear not; you can still get in on the best music parties of the season.
In this 3 part series, we’re breaking down a few of the best festivals that can get you some serious bang for your buck, and for our first installment we’re going to start with the best events in the indie/alternative scene.
Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL is put together by Pitchfork.com, the go-to media platform for everything independent (and weird) in the music scene. Hipsters everywhere might try and deny the pull this publication has on the music industry, but they are extremely influential and with that, you can expect a lineup of some of the best. So far, they have only announced a handful of artists for the 3-day summer event including Vampire Weekend, Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hot Chip and more. With a ton more bound to be added before July, the best part about Pitchfork is the price. At only $110 for the 3-day pass, you’re only looking at $37 per day for base costs—almost half the price of the other big fests. So get your tickets early, this one will sell out soon.
Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN is the haven for modern hippies, serving as the more granola alternative to big city fests. Resembling a neo-Woodstock, Bonnaroo is a 4-day campout with a whole slew of impressive acts this year, like the gods of alternative, Radiohead, as the top headliner. Other notable acts include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beach Boys, Alice Cooper, Phish, The Shins, and the Avett Brothers. The base price for the 4-day ticket comes out to be $64.75 per day, significantly more than Pitchfork but the lineup is stellar and the event is known to be legendary for those who are looking for the full festival experience.
Sasquatch! in George, WA has been giving a Pacific Northwest spin to the hot summer fests at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheatre. This 4-day festival rings up at about $78.75 per day, this might sound like a lot, but it’s an all-inclusive ticket with all fees, as well as parking and camping costs included. With a great lineup this year including Beck, Jack White, Bon Iver, The Roots, and Zooey D’s main musical squeeze, M. Ward, this year’s Sasquatch is going to be one heck of a party up in the mountains
