4. ATP: I’ll Be Your Mirror
Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey
When: September 21-23, 2012
Afghan Whigs are coming to New Jersey and bringing friends.
Here’s how your typical All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) festival works. ATP invites a wicked band like The Afghan Whigs to headline, then lets that artist pick the rest of the lineup or as they explain it — it’s like seeing a mix tape live. ATP throws parties like this around the world and lately have been dipping into the NYC area. It’s very far from your ordinary music festival, more like going to a hipster summer camp.
5. Burning Man Festival
Where: Black Rock Desert, Nevada
When: August 26-September 2, 2013
Flying kites at Burning Man. Photo Credit: John Curley/Flickr
If you’ve ever tried to tell someone about an acid trip who wasn’t there tweaking out with you, then you’ll understand that we can’t possibly explain Burning Man with a a few sentences. Suffice to say that Burning Man takes the concept of a “festival” and twists it into something so insanely glorious that you’ll never forget it.
6. Punk Rock Bowling Festival
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
When: May 25-27, 2013
Some of the alley competition at the 2010 Punk Rock Bowling Festival
Leave it to Sin City to blend two amazing concepts into a tasty sandwich of punk rock and bowling. Three days of music featuring the best of old school along with new acts. It starts in the late afternoon so that it doesn’t interfere with the 200+ teams competing in the bowling tournament. Strike!
7. Sturgis Rally
Where: Sturgis, South Dakota
When: August 5-11, 2013
It doesn’t get any stranger than Sturgis…
A massive biker rally set in the desolate Black Hills of South Dakota sounds like the last place for a music festival. Boy, were we ever wrong. There’s at least a dozen massive campgrounds at Sturgis and each boasts an amazing and baffling collection of headliners and artists. And if you need a break from the music, there’s sanctioned ultimate fighting downtown at The Knuckle Saloon.
rad!