Whether you love to head-bang to rock n’ roll, shuffle to house music, or get down to hip-hop anthems, there’s guaranteed to be a festival out there for you. While there are thousands that take place across the US all year round, not all of them will leave you with a unique and memorable experience. With that in mind, we thought we’d share our selection of the top five coolest US festivals in 2020.
Shiprocked
If you like to bask in the sun and smell the ocean breeze, then Shiprocked is the perfect rock festival for you. You’ll be spending your days on a premier cruise ship from New Orleans sailing through Key West and Cozumel, Mexico and then heads back to Louisiana. The ship is your home for the 5 days you are aboard and is filled with all the amenities of a cruise ship, casino, mini golf, waterslides and spas, but this ship also comes with 5 different stages featuring performances by a variation of awesome rock bands such as Halestorm, Alter Bridge, The Stowaways and more.
Ill Points
Taking place in Miami’s art district, this modern indie festival is the ultimate choice for the contemporary music fan. This year’s lineup is a perfect blend of artistry across multiple genres, featuring the best of what pop culture has to offer. The captivating environments, large-scale mural and live graffiti across the Wynwood area makes III Points an escapist haven of art and culture. With acts like The Strokes, Robyn, Wu Tang Clan, Disclosure, and KAYTRANADA performing, this festival is sure to attract a massive crowd who know their music.
Dreamville
One of today’s biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, J. Cole has decided to honor his home of North Carolina with a festival of his own. Paying homage to his native city with a one-of-a-kind celebration of local culture, food and art in combination with a special lineup of today’s biggest acts performing alongside local up-and-comers.
The ground will also feature activities like mini golf, a festival marketplace with art vendors, an interactive art wall and a mini hip-hop museum. The event is intended to not only shine light on art that comes from North Carolina, but was also set up as a fundraiser benefiting the Dorothea Dix Park Conservatory and J. Cole’s own charity, the Dreamville Foundation, so attendees can enjoy themselves at the festival while contributing to a positive cause.
JMBLYA
Have you ever heard of a travelling music festival? If you live in the Texas or Arkansas area, you’re in luck. This two-day multi city festival will spend its first day at Fair Park near Dallas, Texas, then head down to Circuit of the Americas in Austin. JMBLYA brings a top-notch hip-hop lineup that showcases the most popular names in trap music across Texas and Arkansas every May. If you want to ride down an inflatable water slide and jump on a bungee-trampoline station before you catch some incredible live hip-hop performances then this is the festival for you. These fantastical festivities will be the icing on the cake of a Texas-sized adventure.
Rolling Loud
Are you a fan of Kendrick Lamar, Future, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Migos? If so, I would suggest you check out the largest hip-hop festival in the world, Rolling Loud. The three-day event started out in Miami in 2015 and due to its immense success has been able to expand to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong, before announcing their first Portugese event this year. With top-tier acts from across hip-hop, trap, and pop music, three massive stages, a plethora of food trucks and stands, and even a ferris wheel, Rolling Loud is most definitely not one to miss.