The Top 3 Music Festivals of 2018
When it comes to music festivals, Burning Man, Coachella, and SXSW are the ones that come to mind for most people. But there are actually dozens, if not hundreds, of incredible music festivals taking place in 2018. And, what most people don't realize is, they extend to all genres like jazz or opera. Below are the top 3 music festivals you should add to your 2018 schedule. 1) Electric Forest: This festival presents both DJs and bands - including big names like Bassnectar and The String Cheese Incident. What makes this festival stand-out, though, is that it takes place in the forest. Then, because of the genre of music, there's a colorful light display that covers all the trees and wildlife surrounding the festival grounds. It makes for a once in a lifetime sight. This year, it'll be in Michigan from Jun 21-24, and again on June 28-July 1. 2) Cheltenham Jazz Festival: The Cheltenham Jazz Festival has been running over 20 years now. Each year, jazz musicians from all over the world create a line-up for a world-class jazz concert in May.
This is the biggest jazz festival in the world. This causes it to attract jazz musicians and fans from all over. Because of this, the local bars and towns are swarmed with undiscovered talent creating a cool theme throughout the area. This festival is worth experiencing because you don't just get to experience the best jazz festival in the world, but an entire city that is then overrun with jazz fans and undiscovered talent at the same time. 3) Levitation: Levitation takes place in Austin, Texas from April 26-April 29th. In fact, it was originally called the Austin Psych Fest. As you can probably tell by the original name, this festival pays homage to classic psychedelic rock from the 1960's, and how it has evolved to new, original sounds. The theme with this festival is pushing the boundaries and expressing yourself through music. Beloved veterans of the genre often make an appearance, and headliners this year include young up-and-comer Ty Segall and Panda Bear from Animal Collective. What makes the music festival experience different from just going to a concert is completely immersing yourself in the culture of the fans of that genre. Whether you journey to the forest for Electric Forest, or Cheltenham to immerse yourself with jazz, you find yourself in a community completely dominated by that musical genre. You enter a whole new world, and living it to the fullest is what the music festival experience is all about.
Josh Gruss is the Chairman, CEO and founder of Round Hill Music.