Flashing strobe lights, neon utopias and great music calls to some students during the scorching summer weekends. Luckily for students in the Memphis area there are plenty of music festivals within driving distance this summer that will beckon those who want to enjoy an unforgettable weekend.
First on the docket is a hometown classic. Memphis in May is one of the most notable music festivals, especially fpr those who live in the capitol of rock and roll. On May 1 though 3 many big names are coming out to Memphis to perform. Ed Sheeran, Wale, Lenny Kravitz and other groups are just a couple of the lineup that was announced for Memphis in May.
“I go every year,” Connor Stowell, 22, said. “Some years are better than others, but I must say I always enjoy at least four to five shows that come out for the weekend. This year I can’t wait to see Of Mice and Men and Five Finger Death Punch. Not to mention it’s an overall cheap festival”
Three day passes start at $95 while a single day is just $40.
Another festival within a week’s of Memphis in May is “Hangout” in Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 15 through 17. For those that can’t attend a gigantic beach festival like the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Hangout is just as fun with a pretty stellar lineup. Foo Fighters, Skrillex and Lupe Fiasco will all be in attendance.
“My family has gone to Gulf Shores ever since I was a kid, and well since we’ve all grown up family vacations to the beach aren’t as fun anymore,” Chase Pendley, 21 and a former University of Memphis student, said. “We decided to amp it up a bit and just go down for the Hangout, since we all enjoy the lineups they bring.”
General admission begins at $250.
After Memphis in May and Hangout, the next festival on the list is surrounded by rolling hills an hour out from Atlanta in Kingston Downs, Georgia. Counterpoint Music Festival is a fairly new festival bringing in big electric dance music names such as Zedd, Knife Party and Zomboy.
Counterpoint combines camping and music and takes it to another level with their camping grounds being surrounded by beautiful hills, a river on three sides of the venue, and a gorgeous view of the Appalachian Mountains in the distance.
“This is the first year I’m going,” John Harper, a University of Memphis student, said. “I’ve always been heavily into EDM music, and since Counterpoint is so close I can’t miss it.”
Advanced three day passes start at $175, while single day passes are at $65-$95.
Finally, the biggest music festival in Tennessee, Bonnaroo, should be on everyone who lives in the Mid-South’s list of festivals to go to. The lineup is absolutely amazing with appearances of Munford & Sons, Deadmau5, Kendrick Lamar, Bassnectar and Childish Gambino. On June 11 through 14 in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival will bring titans of every genre together for an amazing performance.
“Bonnaroo has been great every year I go,” Chance Grasmik, 20, said. “I remember when Kanye West and other folks were there and the overall atmosphere was overwhelming.”
Grasmik said that he has attended Bonnaroo every year since he was 17. The lineup is always great and it’s something that everyone who lives in Memphis and Tennessee should go to at least once.
Bonnaroo tickets for general admission are at $325. They are also offering a payment plan for those that don’t have the money with five payments at $66.
