Montana Folk Festival
Butte, Montana
Beautiful, rugged Butte, Montana, makes the perfect backdrop for the Montana Folk Festival, a free, three-day event in mid-July that celebrates American folk culture. The festival takes place in Butte’s historic downtown, with mountains in the background, and features performances and demonstrations on six stages by more than 200 folk musicians, dancers and craftspeople. Visitors often enjoy participatory dancing at the festival, as well as folklife demonstrations and artisan marketplaces that highlight the work of 50 traditional artists and crafts vendors. There’s also a market dedicated to showcasing Native American art.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride, Colorado
Bluegrass music may have gotten its start in the Appalachian Mountains, but its biggest celebration takes place in the Rockies. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival is four days of live music in a Colorado box canyon 8,750 feet above sea level. Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, the festival features bluegrass luminaries such as Bela Fleck, Chris Thile and Sam Bush along with hundreds of others who are known to take risks and give special performances for the 14,000 fans in attendance. The festival always takes place over the weekend closest to the summer solstice in June.
Essence Festival
New Orleans
In a city known for big parties, the Essence Festival stands apart as one of the most soulful and impactive. Now in its 24th year, the festival is a production of Essence Magazine and draws nearly 500,000 attendees who gather in the New Orleans Superdome for three days of music, culture and empowerment each year in July. The lineup of performers reads like a who’s who of the rhythm-and-blues and hip-hop worlds; it includes Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. Speakers and authors such as Steve Harvey, Al Sharpton and Magic Johnson also make appearances.
Bayfront Blues Festival
Duluth, Minnesota
There’s no better time to visit the Upper Midwest than late summer, which is why the Bayfront Blues Festival attracts more than 20,000 fans each August. The festival takes place on the banks of shimmering Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota’s Bayfront Park and is one of the largest events in the region. In the 25 years since the festival began, notable blues and rock artists such as Buddy Guy, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett and Blues Traveler have performed there. Groups can get one-day tickets, three-day passes and special VIP packages.
