Welcome to Okayplayer's Top 16 Summer Festivals of 2013. It's just about summa summa summatime and for us, the music-obsessed, that means it's time to scrape together some cash and hit up as many festivals as possible! Acts like Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar are going to be hard to miss, hitting the main stage and rocking many a crowd from New York to Manchester, TN. On the other hand, Shuggie Otis, Prince, and D'angelo are a few artists making rare, one off appearances. To help you better narrow down your ultimate search, we at Okayplayer bring you the 2013 Festival Guide. Click through for full artist lineups, ticket information, and everything else you will need to know to assure that you attend the hottest fests this summer. Our top summer festivals 2013 round-up begins here.
The foodie-friendly Great GoogaMooga Festival goes May 17th-19th at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Put together by the same people that do Bonnaroo, the eat-in features 85 food vendors, 75 brews and over 100 wines, not to mention 20 musical acts. This year's headliners include: De La Soul, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Red Baraat andThe Flaming Lips.
One of Okayplayer's annual favorites, UCLA JazzReggae Festival takes place May 26th-27th in Los Angeles, CA. Representing LargeUp x Okayplayer sweet spot this year are: Santigold,Common, Ziggy Marley, Barrington Levy and Mr. Vegas.
You already knew but The Roots Picnic is (ahem) the shit. We are coming home to Philadelphia, PA on June 1st for this one, with a powe-packes line-up of The Roots, Gary Clark Jr, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Naughty by Nature, Grimes, Araabmuzik, DJ Premier, Trinidad Jame$, Robert Glasper, A-Trak, Solange, Joey Bada$$ and so much more...
Hot 97's Annual Summer Jam happens June 2nd in East Rutherford, NJ: Wu-Tang Clan, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel, Wale, A$AP Rocky, Chris Brown, 2 Chainz Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, and Vinny Cha$e are all on the bill for 2013.
Governor's BallJune 7-9th on Governor's Island, New York, New York: this years headliners include Okayplayers Kanye West, NaS, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, The XX, Gary Clark, Jr.
Bonnaroo descends on Manchester, TN on June 13th-16th. Nas, R. Kelly, Wu-Tang Clan, Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Amadou & Mariam, araabMUZIK and Kendrick Lamar all grace this years bill...and stay tunee for super-jam details!
An easy drive from Philly (the center of the Okayplayer map, natch) the Firefly Festival in Dover, Delaware happens on June 21st-23rd and offers a rare chance to see 2013 Public Enemy, not to mention Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend, Kendrick Lamar, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Toro Y Moi, and Action Bronson.
UKplayers, hopefully you already grabbed tix for the Glastonbury Festival, June 26th-30th Pilton, England: The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Portishead, Chic ft Nile Rodgers, Public Enemy, Nas, The Weeknd, Major Lazer, Lianne La Havas, Toro y Moi, The Child of Lov, Alice Russell, Rodriguez, Solange, Michael Kiwanuka, James Blake, Gary Clark Jr, Tyler The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt
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On Saturday June 28th thru Sunday June 30th, Los Angeles will get ate by the BET Experience Music Weekend, which features Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Miguel, The Jacksons, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg er, Lion, Kendrick Lamar, New Edition, J. Cole and more doing the damn thing on multiple stages plsu attendant celebrations of film and food. Hit the link below for tickets (including VIP packages with travel options and whatnot)
If R&B is your bag, there is only the Essence Festival, taking place July 5th-7th in New Orleans, Louisiana: Beyoncé Knowles, Solange Knowles, Biz Markie, Maxwell, New Edition, Alice Smith, Jill Scott, LL Cool J, Daley, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Janelle Monae, Bilal, Chrisette Michele, Emeli Sande.
This year's Montreux Jazz Festival (July 5-20 Montreux, Switzerland) features the one and only Prince plusJames Blake, José James, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Rodriguez, Shuggie Otis, Ben Harper, Charles Bradley, Lianne La Havas, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus and Gaslamp Killer.
Our potnas at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival do the damn thing July 8th-13th in (duh) Brooklyn, NY: Pusha T, Redman and EPMD are guaranteed to rock. There will also be a moment of silence followed by tribute performance for The Beastie Boys Adam "MCA" Yauch. There's still more to be announced...
North Sea Jazz Festival rocks the boat July 12th-14th in Rotterdam, Netherlands with The Roots, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, José James, Kendrick Lamar, Medeski Martin & Wood, Santana, Dirty Loops, Lianne La Havas, Snarky Puppy, Jennah Bell, Cody ChesnuTT, Gary Clark, Jr. and Chick Corea.
Lovebox Festival happensJuly 19th-21st in London, England, The bill: Flying Lotus, Jurassic 5, The Gaslamp Killer, A-Trak, Mark Ronson and--most importantly--D'Angelo.
Lollapalooza hits Chicago, Ill on Aug 2nd-4th. Highlights include Major Lazer, 2Chainz, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, The Postal Service, The Cure(!), Vampire Weekend, The National, Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips, Disclosure and Chance The Rapper.
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San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival takes over Golden Gate Park on August 9th-11th...quite a few of the usual suspects but highlights include another chance to see D'Angelo alongside Vampire Weekend, Wilde Belle, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Trombone Shorty, Bombino, Fishbone and some lesser known acts, including a young dude on the come up who calls himself SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY. Ya'eard?
Made in America brings us 360 degrees back to Philadelphia, PA, closing out the summer on August 31st- Septempber 1st: Beyoncé, Nine Inch Nails, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 2Chainz, Public Enemy, Solange, Miguel, A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul & Jay Rock have been announced and there may yet be time for some surprises. Hov only knows.
