August’s best music festivals, from jazz to juggalos
Hey Seekers!
How’s your summer treating you? Any festival action yet? If not, no worries — the season’s just getting started. On top of all the great fests going down this month — check our previous issue for those — we’re getting ahead of the game and showing you what’s on the horizon in August.
Here’s a preview: folk and jazz in the Rockies, Juggalo mayhem in Missouri, and the return of the Lilith Fair — in spirit, at least.
Oh, and also absolutely no sign of the action winding down. We’ve got loads more fests to discover through October.
In fact, you can start the search yourself with the free Music Roadtrip app.
It’s a guide to the venues, record stores, museums, landmarks and hidden corners that give a town its sound and its soul. It’s available for free download on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
On to the fests!
Salmon Fest
Where: Ninilchik, Alaska
When: July 31–Aug. 2, 2026
Top acts: Trampled by Turtles, Goth Babe, Guster, Molly Tuttle, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Founded: 2011
Tickets and info:https://salmonfestalaska.org/
Held at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, Salmonfest brings roots, jam, folk and Americana to one of the most gorgeous corners of the country, and has donated more than $300,000 to salmon-related initiatives across Alaska since 2015.
HARD Summer
Where: Los Angeles, California
When: Aug. 1–2, 2026
Top acts: Kali Uchis, Knock2 B2B Zedd, Charlotte de Witte, Mau P, RL Grime, Sammy Virji, Tokischa, Shygirl presents Club Shy
Founded: 2008
Tickets and info: https://www.hardsummer.com/
HARD Summer is one of Southern California’s defining electronic music festivals, with roots in the HARD Events brand that ruled L.A.’s 2000s dance scene. Held at Hollywood Park next to SoFi Stadium, the fest recognizes that EDM, hip-hop and pop share an energy that goes beyond genre, and builds its lineup around that connection.
WE Fest
Where: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
When: Aug. 5–8, 2026 Top acts: Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, Brooks & Dunn, Little Big Town, Flatland Cavalry, Jamey Johnson, Nate Smith
Founded: 1983
Tickets and info: https://wefest.com/
WE Fest has been bringing country fans to Soo Pass Ranch since the early ’80s, and the place is built for the long weekend: 400 acres of campgrounds, with room for up to 35,000 campers.
Outside Lands
Where: San Francisco, California
When: Aug. 7–9, 2026
Top acts: Charli XCX, RÜFÜS DU SOL, The Strokes, The xx, Baby Keem, Turnstile, Djo
Founded: 2008
Tickets and info: https://sfoutsidelands.com/
Outside Lands has become one of the O.G. destination festivals of the modern era, taking over Golden Gate Park every summer since 2008 with a lineup that feels as cool as Coachella, just in a smaller, foggier, more San Francisco-sized slice.
Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
Where: Lyons, Colorado
When: Aug. 7–9, 2026
Top acts: Jesse Welles, Ani DiFranco, Valerie June, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, S.G. Goodman, Steve Poltz, Junior Brown, The Strumbellas, Tommy Prine
Founded: 1991
Tickets and info: https://bluegrass.com/folks
Is he the next Dylan, Guthrie, or Prine? One thing’s for sure: Jesse Welles is the most talked-about songsmith folk music has seen in a minute. He’s joined at the beautiful Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado, by a lineup of folk vets, songwriting greats and modern roots standouts.
Telluride Jazz Festival
Where: Telluride, Colorado
When: Aug. 7–8, 2026
Top acts: The Disco Biscuits: Powered Down, Lettuce: Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Miles Davis, Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble, Robert Randolph, Endea Owens & The Cookout, Theo Croker
Founded: 1977
Tickets and info: https://www.telluridejazz.org/
Telluride Jazz Festival has the history, setting and name of a classic jazz gathering, but heads up: this year’s fest is a jam-band fiend’s dream. The festival returns to one of Colorado’s most stunning mountain towns with a lineup designed to slap your sandals off your feet.
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
Where: San Jose, California
When: Aug. 7–9, 2026
Top acts: Patti LaBelle, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Cory Wong, Zapp ft. Tuxedo, Afro-Cuban All Stars, Joe Bataan, The Soul Rebels
Founded: 1990
Tickets and info: https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is the flagship event from San Jose Jazz, a nonprofit that has provided live music, education and community programming in the heart of Silicon Valley for 40 years. The fest turns downtown San Jose into a walkable weekend of jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, funk, soul, R&B and global sounds spread across eight stages.
Gathering of the Juggalos
Where: Macks Creek, Missouri
When: Aug. 19–22, 2026
Top acts: Insane Clown Posse, Tech N9ne, The Pharcyde
Founded: 2000
Tickets and info: https://juggalogathering.com/
There’s simply nothing else like the Gathering. The annual family reunion for face-painted, tatted-up, Faygo-soaked Insane Clown Posse fans has been the subject of fascination and ridicule from the world at large for decades now, but that hasn’t stopped the Juggalos from building one of music’s most devoted outsider communities.
Skydog: The Shoals Experience
Where: The Shoals, Alabama — Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa + Shoals Convention Center
When: Aug. 28–30, 2026
Top acts: Jackson Dean, Wet Willie featuring Jimmy Hall, Maggie Rose, The FAME Gang, Spooner Oldham, Mike Farris, Gary Nichols, Scott Sharrard, Peter Levin, Sons of Legion, The Family, The Shoals Sisters
Founded: 2026
Tickets and info: https://skydogshoals.com/
Named for Duane Allman’s nickname and set in the birthplace of Southern rock, the inaugural SkyDog: The Shoals Experience brings music, food, film, storytelling and Southern culture to the Renaissance Shoals Resort and Convention Center. The idea is a “cruise ship on land,” with the hotel, convention center, outdoor stages and surrounding experiences all celebrating the legacy of one of America’s most mythic music regions.
Daisy Chain Fields
Where: Irvine, California — Great Park
When: Aug. 29, 2026
Top acts: Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, KATSEYE, Bikini Kill, Garbage, The Breeders, Santigold; special guests Stevie Nicks, Karen O, Sarah McLachlan
Founded: 2026
Tickets and info: https://www.daisychainfields.com/
Daisy Chain Fields arrives with a mission statement, a monster lineup and the clear sense that Olivia Rodrigo is trying to build something bigger than another festival. The inaugural Irvine event brings together multiple generations of trailblazing female performers while directing net proceeds toward nonprofits that support and advocate for women and girls.
