28 summer music festivals from New York to Virginia – UPDATED

A comprehensive guide to the festivals within driving distance of Philadelphia from May through September.

DelFest

The 8th annual DelFest is Del McCoury and his musical family’s homage to all things bluegrass, May 26-29 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland, nestled along the Potomac River in the scenic Appalachian Mountains. Artists include the Del McCoury Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, Yonder Mountain String Band, the Infamous Stringdusters with Nicki Bluhm, Keller Williams, and more along with crafts, children’s activities and camping. Photo by Type II Photography – Roger Patteson.

Cape May Music Festival

The Cape May Music Festival returns for the 27th year with a mix of music, May 29 through June 16, presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities. Enjoy Irish and brass band music, classical music, jazz and more from the 35 piece Atlantic Brass Band, New York Chamber Ensemble with soloist Stacy Shames, Deirdre Reilly (pictured), Bay-Atlantic Symphony, the Jōst Project, a Champagne Jazz Brunch, and more at various venues in Cape May, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Deirdre Reilly.

NEPA Bluegrass Festival

The NEPA Bluegrass Festival takes place June 2-5, with live traditional and progressive bluegrass music on two stages from Marty Raybon (pictured), Spinney Brothers, Driftwood, Hillbilly Gypsies, Nothin Fancy.  Expect activities for the whole family including craft vendors, a jam tent, workshops, food, Sunday Gospel sing and jam, and free camping, Lazy Brook Park, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania.

Crawfish Fest

The 27th annual Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest offers a taste of New Orleans, June 3-5, with Big Sam’s Funky Nation (pictured), Bonerama, Papa Mali, funky Meters, and more, along with camping, crafts, and food, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest.

Capital Jazz Fest

The 24th annual Capital Jazz Fest is June 3-5 with nearly 30 acts on two big stages including New Edition, En Vogue, Will Downing, Brian Culbertson, the Isley Brothers, Lalah Hathaway, David Sanborn, Toni Braxton, Brand New Heavies (pictured) and more at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland. Photo courtesy of Capital Jazz Fest.

The Roots Picnic

The 9th annual Roots Picnic brings the Roots back home to Philadelphia, Saturday, June 4, noon (doors open at 11am), with headliners such as Future, Usher, Leon Bridges and more including the Roots, Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Streets, Philadelphia. Rain or shine. Photo courtesy of the Roots Picnic.

Mad Tea Party Jam

Mad Tea Party Jam takes place June 16-19 with Papadosio, Twiddle, Tauk, Desert Dwellers and more, plus camping, artists and workshops, at Four Quarters Interfaith in Artemas, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of Mad Tea Party Jam.

 

Stonehenge Music Festival

The Stonehenge Music Festival is back June 16-18. The group-run music and arts venue set on top of 117 acres of historic northeast Pennsylvania features Mark Diomede and the Juggling Suns Project, Steal Your Face, Pure Jerry, Mason Porter (pictured), Mountain Sky Orchestra, Mike Montrey Band, and more plus camping and family activities, Jermyn, Pennsylvania.

DCJazzFest

DCJazzFest at the Yards is back for two days, June 17-19, with Cécile McLorin Salvant (pictured), Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet, The Chuck Brown Band, Kamasi Washington, Igmar Thomas & Revive Big Band with Talib Kweli, Bilal, and Ravi Coltrane, Yards Park at Capitol Riverfront, 355 Water Street, S.E. (off M Street near the Navy Yard), Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of Cécile McLorin Salvant.

Firefly Music Festival

The annual 4 day summer music experience, the Firefly Music Festival comes back to The Woodlands for a 5th year, June 16-19, with Mumford & Sons, Kings of Leon, Florence & the Machine, the Deadmau5, Ellie Goulding, Disclosure, Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, M83, The 1975, Chvches, Earth Wind & Fire and more than 100 additional acts, along with the Beercade, Coffee House, Market, Thicket, and Hammock Hangout. The festival offers camping and is all ages, rain or shine in Dover, Delaware. Photo courtesy of Firefly Music Festival.

The DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival

The DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, called the “largest free jazz festival on the East Coast,” celebrates the local jazz trumpeter June 21-25, with Maya Belardo, Miles Jaye, Jibaro con Tumbao with Miguel Orlando, Adriel Gonzales, Nadjah Nicole, Saul Rubin Trio, Aniya Jazz, Kim Waters, Robert Glasper and more plus special events including Sax in the City, June 23 and a free Block Party, June 24, Rodney Square, 11th and Market Street, Wilmington, DE.

Madsummer Meltdown

Madsummer Meltdown 7 takes place June 24-26 in Schuylkill Haven, PA, a music and camping festival featuring more than 30 musical acts on four stages – outdoor and indoor – including Deep Banana Blackout, Red Baraat, Whitewater Ramble, Big Mean Sound Machine, and more. Expect food and craft vendors, workshops, and scheduled activities for adults and children. The 60 acre rustic fairground offers plenty of camping space, permanent restrooms and showers, nature trails, trout fishing waters, and electricity access for RVs. Presented by Jibberjazz Productions. Photo by Karl McWherter.

Hampton Jazz Festival

The 49th annual Hampton Jazz Festival takes place June 24-26 with Gladys Knight, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (pictured), Michael McDonald, Charlie Wilson, Boney James, Stephanie Mills and more at the Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia. Photo courtesy of the Hampton Jazz Festival.

 

New York Hot Jazz Festival

The New York Hot Jazz Festival features Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9, a collaboration between Henry Butler and Steven Bernstein, the Hot Sardines, and trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg performing with the New York Hot Jazz All-Stars featuring Anat Cohen (pictured) on clarinet, Vince Giordano on bass, Joe Saylor (from Jon Batiste’s band) on drums, Dalton Ridenhour on piano and trombonist Wycliffe Gordone, June 25, 2pm-7pm, SummerStage in Central Park, New York City. Photo by Dragan Tasic.

Merryland Music Fest

The organizers of the All Good Festival bring you the inaugural Merryland Music Fest, July 9-10, at the historic Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland. Artists among the over 21 acts include Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, The String Cheese Incident, Grace Potter, Stephen “Ragga” Marley, Greensky Bluegrass, Lotus, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, alternating on two stages, along with artisans, crowd performers, and more. Catch the kick-off concerts on Friday, July 8 in Baltimore and Washington D.C. Photo courtesy of Merryland Music Fest.

Camp Bisco

The Disco Biscuits once again host Camp Bisco, three days of music, art, camping and water park fun at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain Waterpark, July 14-16, with the Disco Biscuits (pictured) Odesza, BigGrizMatik (Big Gigantic + GRiZ + Gramatik), Lotus, RL Grime, STS9, Zeds Dead, Hermitude, Jai Wolf, Josh Wink, Keys N Krates, Lettuce, and more, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Photo by Tim Dwenger.

The XPoNential Music Festival

The XPoNential Music Festival is July 22-24, featuring a lineup of established and up-and-coming artists, including Ryan Adams (pictured), Kurt Vile and The Violators, Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark, Jr., Brandi Carlile, Old Crow Medicine Show, Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, and more along the Camden waterfront at Wiggins Park and on the Main Stage at BB&T Pavilion (formerly Susquehanna Bank Center). In addition to continuous music, the family-friendly festival offers food and craft vendors along with the Kids Corner area in the Children’s Garden. Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images.

Farm Fest

South Jersey’s Farm Fest (Future of Artistic and Revolutionary Minds) is July 22-24. Held at Paradise Lake Campground in Hammonton, New Jersey, with a mix of jam, electronica, Americana and funk artists. Headliners include The Floozies, Emancipator, Savoy, Boombox, Liquid Stranger, and more. Plus, workshops and live visual art. Photo courtesy of Farm Fest.

Floyd Fest

Floyd Fest offers nine stages of great music including Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, Femi Kuti and Positive Force, Anders Osborne, Greensky Bluegrass, Pimps of Joytime, Monophonics, and more, July 27-31, along with artists, vendors, workshops, children’s activities and more, Floyd, Virginia. Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images.

People’s Festival

The 22nd annual People’s Festival and tribute to Bob Marley takes place in his first American hometown, Wilmington, Delaware, Saturday, July 30 with live music, international food, worldwide arts and crafts, and performances by Ky-Mani Marley, Alika, Richard Raw, and more, Tubman-Garret Riverfront Park, Water Street. Photo courtesy of Peoples Festival.

Musikfest

Musikfest, the nation’s largest free music festival, is back for its 33rd year, August 5-14, with 500-plus shows on 16 indoor and outdoor stages (free concerts on 15 of 16 stages) throughout the City of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Among this year’s performers are Lady Antebellum, Don Henley, BOSTON, Lucky Chops, Here Come The Mummies, MarchFourth Marching Band, Jameson Rodgers, Ginkgoa, Gedeon Luke & the People, The Accidentals, Slingshot Dakota, Cold Fronts, Mariachi Flor de Toloache, Ceramic Animal, Chubby Carrier, Joe Grushecky, The Pine Leaf Boys, Blair Crimmins and the Hookers, Sierra Hull and The Insidious Rays. The festival also features 60 food vendors, 45 artisans, street performers and tons of family fun. Photo by Ted Colegrove.

Moonrise Festival

The Moonrise Festival returns August 6-7, with Bassnectar, Tiesto, Zedd, Bro Safari, Excision, Tritonal, Flux Pavilion, Griz, Marshmello, Young Thug, and more at the Pimlico Race Course, 5201 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland.  More acts will be released at the end of May.

 

Peach Festival

The Peach Festival began five years ago as the first-ever Allman Brothers Band-inspired festival in the Northeast Pennsylvania region and has grown into a summer festival staple. Headliners include Gregg Allman, Trey Anastasio Band, The String Cheese Incident (pictured), Umphrey’s McGee, and many more including Anders Osborne and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, August 11-14, with music, art, camping and water park fun at Montage Mountain Waterpark, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Photo by Adam McCullough.

The Philadelphia Folk Festival

The Philadelphia Folk Festival celebrates its 55th year August 18-21 at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township near Schwenksville, PA. The seminal summer event – the longest continuously-running outdoor music festival of its kind in North America – features Los Lobos, The Lone Bellow, Del & Dawg, The Wood Brothers, Anderson East, Darlingside, Buckwheat Zydeco, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Peter Yarrow, Pine Leaf Boys, and many more, with lots to do for families, including crafts, The Great Groove Band, jugglers, storytellers, kid-oriented musicians, food and more. Photo by Jon R. Luini/chime.

LOCKN’

LOCKN’ Festival features headliner Phish (pictured), Ween, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lettuce, Galactic, Keller’s Grateful Grass/Gospel, Brandi Carlile, and more, August 25-28, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Arrington, Virginia. Photo by Rene Huemer.

 

Made In America Festival

The Budweiser Made In America Festival makes its way to Philadelphia Labor Day weekend, September 3-4, with a lineup curated by Jay Z with concerts on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Lineup not yet published but tickets are available. Photo courtesy of the Budweiser Made In America Festival.

Deep Roots Mountain Revival Festival

The inaugural Deep Roots Mountain Revival Festival pays homage to its West Virginia roots with Bluegrass, Country, Jam Bands, and Rock, September 15-18, nestled within the picturesque mountains of the “Mountain State” on the original site for the All Good Music and Arts Festival. Headliners include Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, the David Grisman Sextet (pictured), Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Melvin Seals and JGB, Cabinet, and more, Masontown, West Virginia. Tickets on sale May 3. Photo by Dylan Muhlberg.

Philly United Jazz Festival

Odean Pope headlines the 4th annual Philly United Jazz Festival, Saturday, September 17, 12pm-10pm, South Street West between Broad and 16th Streets, Philadelphia. Other performers include the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble (pictured), Inter-Stellar Space with Bobby Zankel, Sam Reed, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, the United States Army Jazz Band and more, presented by Lifeline Music Coalition.  Free.  Photo courtesy of Philadelphia United Jazz Festival.

 

 

To submit an event to be considered for the Music Festival Guide, email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.