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Summer Music Festivals You Won’t Want to Miss!

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Summer is the time to hang out, lie by the pool and sleep in. But when you’re not busy relaxing, it’s also a great time to take a trip. And not just any trip. Summer is the season of music. According to Metrowize.com, from June to August, there are almost 30 music festivals all over the country, ranging from country to hip hop to alternative and rock. With so many to choose from, anyone can find one that’s worth the road trip. Some of them are lesser known while others attract thousands of people each year.
 
Even though it’s already passed this year, Bonnaroo is a one of the most famous festivals. It regularly brings in over 100,000 people, and this year had some majorly famous names. Judy Salazar, a senior in psychology, was one of those lucky enough to be there this year. “My favorite part about Bonnaroo was getting together with a whole bunch of people, who despite the Tennessee heat, still had a blast. And, of course, Eminem,” Salazar said.

That’s right. Eminem himself was one of this year’s headliners, performing songs from his last album that million of people love. Who knows who will headline it next year? Be sure to get your tickets early though — the presale tickets were sold out a full seven months before the concert took place in June.
 
Summerfest is another huge music festival, bringing in hundreds of thousands of music lovers every year. This year’s headliners include Kanye West, Katy Perry, Toby Keith and The Black Keys — just to name a few. It’s happening June 29-July 3 and July 5-10, so while it may seem to late to get tickets, start scoping out Facebook or stubhub.com for anybody trying to sell tickets last minute!
 
A third event that you still have time to plan for is Country Thunder. This year, it’s July 21-24 and tickets are still available! This event always has some of the big country stars playing, like Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts. It’s definitely worth the trip up to Wisconsin and something you won’t want to miss.

 
Any of these shows would be a blast to go to. Let’s face it, how often to you get to see all your favorite bands in one spot, during one weekend, for one price? And how often do you get to do that during the year’s greatest weather? It’s something that everyone should look into, no matter what kind of music you like, because there is a music-fest out there for everyone.

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!