The 10 Best Festival Lineups for Summer 2021

Rolling Loud Miami

Probably the hypest festival crowd to return this summer, Rolling Loud announced a triumphant return to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium by dropping a beefed-up lineup so bloated with hip-hop A-listers it gave us heartburn. A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Swae Lee, Lil Baby, Gucci Mane, Playboi Carti, Moneybagg Yo, Curren$y, Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rick Ross are just a few of the insane names that grace this year's lineup. Those uninterested in rap shouldn't even remotely consider going to Rolling Loud, but for rap die-hards, this lineup is the stuff of legends.

(July 23-26th, 2021)

Lollapalooza

Modest Mouse, Limp Bizkit, and Trippie Redd on the same lineup? Sure, why not? Lolla is known for booking a versatile roster of guests and their 2021 lineup will no doubt continue that trend. Miley Cyrus, Angels & Airwaves, Young the Giant, All Time Low, Playboi Carti Journey, and Roddy Ricch are just a few of the insane performers listed on this year's stacked lineup.

(July 29 - August 1)

Bonnaroo

With their 4-day passes already entirely sold out, Bonnaroo's Manchester return is set to be one of the most interesting of them all. Grand Ole Opry is headlining, which is sure to be a trip, along with the Foo Fighters, Tame Impala, Dead Mau5, Janelle Monae, Nelly, Lizzo, Deftones, and My Morning Jacket.

With one of the most eclectic lineups out of the bunch, the festival rolled out some heavy-hitting performers to celebrate its 20th anniversary. And while "Bonnroovians" will have to wait until early September this year to hit the Farm, the festival itself is looking like it will be just as fun as it always is. "It's exciting to see Tennessee stages come back to life in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this internationally acclaimed festival, Tennessee governor Bill Lee said of Bonnaroo's return in a press release.

(Sep 2 - 5)

Electric Zoo

The EDM-focused festival will return to Randall's Island this year on Labor Day weekend, and the lineup is a near-perfect compilation of electronic music's biggest names and newest talents. Alesso, ArtBat, Audien, Tiesto, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Zomboy, Alan Walker, Illenium, and Kai Watchi are just a few of the names on the stacked lineup that are sure to melt faces and unite rave girls via candy bracelets once again. The best part is, what's been announced isn't even the full lineup. An additional 50 acts are expected to be added to the roster later this summer.

(Sep. 3 - 5)

Summerfest

Pop heads and Old heads will unify in solidarity this year at Summerfest, as the Milwaukee festival announced a 2021 line-up studded with stars both new and old. The Jonas Brothers headline alongside Dave Matthews Band, ZZ Top is on the same roster as Chance The Rapper and Hinder, and 311 and Jesse McCartney will also be there. With other contrasting acts like G-Eazy, Zac Brown Band, and Miley Cyrus, Summerfest is set to be the most bizarre culture-clash of the summer.

(Sep. 2 - 18)

Pitchfork Fest

Pitchfork Fest snagged some of the biggest names in alternative music for this year's lineup in what equates to a hipster's wet dream. St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Thief, Kim Gordon, Thundercat, Angel Olsen, and Erykah Badu are just a few of the legends to grace this year's lineup. The fest is also celebrating its 15th anniversary, and reassured ticket buyers that they would give full refunds if the dates had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19 issues, a pledge that other festivals have not openly made.

(Sep. 10-12)

Riot Fest

Chicago's adrenaline-fueled Riot Fest is set to be a knockout this year. This completely sold out festival will find The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Coheed and Cambria, NOFX, and Motion City Soundtrack sharing a stage alongside Lupe Fiasco (who will perform his legendary album The Cool in its entirety,) Run The Jewels, and Machine Gun Kelly. Overall, the festival seems poised to be nothing but pure rock and roll energy. If that's not enough, Riot Fest is expected to make even more lineup announcements as early as next week!

(Sep. 17 - 19)

Governors Ball

The historic NYC festival will finally get to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year at Citi Field. While this festival isn't until the end of September, the lineup is just stellar. Billie Eilish, Dababy, J Balvin, Post Malone, Burna Boy, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, and Phoebe Bridgers are just a handful of the magnetic acts secured for the 3-day festival. After the pandemic decimated New York City this fall, we're sure that there will be no crowd as joyous and celebratory as this one.

(Sep. 24 - 26)

Austin City Limits

Both 1-day passes and 3-day passes are completely sold out for this year's Austin City Limits fest, and for good reason. The lineup not only includes legends like Stevie Nicks and George Strait but current A-listers like Dababy, Billie Eilish, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, and Tierra Whack. Austin City Limits prides itself on being the most diverse lineup in the festival circuit and judging by the fact that all single-day tickets completely sold out in two hours, that sentiment seems to remain true in 2021. Too bad this one isn't until October.

(Oct. 1 - 10)

Outside Lands

Held in San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park, the Outside Lands lineup is one of their most stacked in recent memory. The Strokes, Tyler, the Creator, Kaytranada, Vampire Weekend, Zhu, Kehlani, Rufus Du Sol, Flo Milli, and Brittany Howard all make appearances on the lineup, and to think that one could see Nelly and Tame Impala in a single day is beyond exciting.

(Oct. 29 - 31)