Summerfest
June 22-24, June 29-July 1, and July 6-8, 2023
Guinness World Record as the ‘World’s Largest Music Festival’ (1999)
In 2023, Summerfest will celebrate its 55th anniversary, a milestone for one of the most iconic music celebrations in America. Since its inception, Summerfest continues to distinguish itself by hosting the industry’s biggest acts at a world-class festival park and providing an unforgettable live music experience for fans of all ages, at an admission price that defies industry standards.
During the festival, the spotlight shines on over 800 acts, over 1,000 performances, 12 stages, delectable food and beverages, and interactive activities, all in a world-class festival setting.
The line up announced so far for 2023 includes Eric Church, Elle King, Zac Brown Band, Marcus King, James Taylor, Sherryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Odesza, Zach Bryan, Imagine Dragons and AJR.
Located in downtown Milwaukee, Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is one of the most iconic celebrations of music in America, hosting the industry’s biggest acts for an unforgettable live music experience. Since its inception in 1968, Summerfest continues to distinguish itself as a premier national music festival and has developed an unrivaled reputation, consistently featuring hundreds of performances on 12 stages, throughout the 75-acre festival grounds along Lake Michigan.
Tickets: GA starts at $26 for entry; Headliner performances start at $75 per night
Lollapalooza
August 3-6, 2023 (Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois)
An Extraordinary Festival that has Become a Global Phenomenon
Lollapalooza, which started as a traveling show with different locations each year, adopted the Coachella-model in 2003 and is now Chicago’s biggest music festival. With 9 stages, and 170+ bands from all over the world, every Lolla lineup makes hands wave, heads nod, and crowds holler.
It is a full mile inside Lollapalooza grounds, from north to south. The main gates on Michigan Avenue are at about the halfway mark and wide open inside for foot traffic. The food tents of Chow Town and specialty vendor areas usually are the first thing you meet, with Buckingham Fountain and merch sellers just behind. Turn south for the T-Mobile, north for the Bud Light Seltzer stage. Box toilets and aid stations are plentiful most everywhere. The daily capacity is about 100,000 fans.
The Kidzapalooza area caters to the youngest fans, with concerts, music workshops, and interactive art exhibits. For adults, side stages offer up-and-coming artists an opportunity to perform for a wider audience, and DJs play a varied selection of electronic music in the festival’s dance tent. Headlining acts appear on a staggered schedule, allowing attendees time to travel between stages, as well as minimizing the amount of excess noise, or “sound bleed,” that could intrude on a given performance.
Chow Town offers the most delicious festival food, drinks and sweets from the Windy City’s favorite restaurants. Offering patrons much more than the typical “carnival” type fare, with an emphasis on fresh, reasonably priced items from the Chicago area.
Last year’s festival featured artists Metallica, Green Day, J.Cole, and many more performers. Ticket upgrades are available for private lounges, premium perks, and supreme sights.
As a festival that began as a touring event, it only makes sense that they’d want to keep the tradition alive. In 2011, Lollapalooza marked it’s territory by expanding into South America, performing it’s first international show in Santiago. São Paulo became another destination in 2012 as well as Buenos Aires, in 2013. The very first Lollapalooza in Europe was held in Berlin in 2015. Today, the event is part of the cultural identity of Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Germany — and who knows where it may show up next.
Tickets: Starting at $175 (1-Day); $350 (4-Day)
AmericanaFest
September 19-23, 2023 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Best Movement Festival that Started with the Creation of a New Genre
The annual event brings together fans and music industry professionals alike, offering five days of celebration through seminars, panels and networking opportunities by day and raw, intimate showcases each night.
The 23rd annual AMERICANAFEST will take place September 19-23, 2023, gathering thousands of artists, fans, and industry professionals from all over the world in Nashville, TN. 2023 promises to once again be the must-attend event for anyone who loves the melting pot of Americana’s influences including roots, folk, country, blues and soul-based music. Each year, AMERICANAFEST brings together legendary artists, the next generation of rising stars, fans, and industry professionals for multiple days of music and education.
Check back for the lineup details once announced.
The conference portion features numerous panels, seminars, exclusive day time performances, and much more, proudly providing Nashville’s most educational music industry forum. This special event covers the interests and needs of artists, managers, labels, radio stations, publishers, agents, promoters, retailers, legal and business affairs executives, merchandisers and new media professionals – all enthusiastically attended and presented by music industry leaders. And FYI, you do not have to be a member of the Americana Music Association or in the music industry to purchase a Conference + Festival Pass and attend all the events.
The Americana Music Association’s critically acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards ceremony will once again serve as the hallmark event of the week, celebrating the roots music community’s brightest musicians on the evening of Wednesday, September 20 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Tickets for the show will be on sale at a later date.
If you choose not to be a part of the entire AMERICANAFEST experience through a Conference + Festival Pass, then Festival Pass is the option for you. For multiple nights, AMERICANAFEST will feature hundreds of live performances at Nashville’s most prominent venues and much, much, more! However, passes do not guarantee entry if venue is at capacity. If there is a must-see band on your list we suggest arriving to the venue early.
Since 1999, the Americana Music Association has helped American roots music assume an elevated and secure place in the artistic and commercial life of the nation. Early the following year, the Association hosted its first annual Americana Night at South by Southwest, and then in September 2000, the Americana Music Association held its first convention at the Hilton Suites in downtown Nashville. The Americana Honors and Awards were added to the convention in year three, and the evening proved moving and historic.
Over time, the fall event attracted larger groups of fans and industry conferees. In response, the organization formally changed the name of its event to the Americana Music Festival and Conference, welcoming not just those in the business, but anyone with a passion for music. By 2008, the event had expanded to four days, moved its Awards Show to the historic Ryman Auditorium, and attracted nearly 1,000 industry professionals, plus a cumulative total of over 12,000 visitors for the nighttime showcases.
The Recording Academy added the category of “Best Americana Album” in 2009, and Merriam-Webster included the musical term into the dictionary in 2011. The annual fall festival and conference has attracted some of the most important figures in the history of Americana Roots Music, including Mavis Staples, Gregg Allman, Judy Collins, John Prine, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Solomon Burke and Lyle Lovett.
Tickets: Starting at $125
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