10 Great Fests in June: Bluegrass, emo nostalgia and a zombie apocalypse
Howdy Seekers, and welcome to our latest fest preview!
Festival season is officially in full swing, and we want to make sure our Music Roadtrip users know what’s on the horizon. Whether you like country, K-pop or zombies — yes, zombies — we’ve got you.
Here’s a crash course on some of the best U.S. fests taking place in June. You can find more (and grab tickets) in the Music Roadtrip app, available now for iOS and Android.
Is there an awesome new fest we need to add to our app? Drop us a line at editor@musicroadtrip.com and we’ll get it sorted.
CMA Music Festival
Location: Nashville, TN
Dates: June 4–7
Headliners: Ella Langley, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Cody Johnson
Founded: 1972
The Country Music Association (the same group that puts on the CMA Awards) has thrown this annual fan gathering in Music City for more than 50 years.
While the biggest names in country headline nightly ticketed concerts at the Titans’ stadium, you can also see hundreds of rising and veteran country acts for free on outdoor stages throughout downtown.
Chicago Blues Festival
Location: Chicago, IL
Dates: June 4–7
Headliners: Multi-artist lineup
Founded: 1984
Every year, Chicago’s blues scene takes center stage for one of the country’s great free music festivals. Some 500,000 fans gather in Millennium Park and venues across the city for several days of performances from blues legends, rising artists and hometown favorites.
This year’s lineup includes Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band, Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop, Ruthie Foster, and a massive 55 Years of Alligator Records showcase featuring Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Toronzo Cannon and more.
High Tide
Location: Charleston, SC
Dates: June 5–6
Headliners: The Chainsmokers, Louis the Child, Elderbrook
Founded: 2022
We ain’t ever getting older! How we wish that were true — but you’ll probably feel that way, at least, shouting along to The Chainsmokers’ 2016 smash “Closer” on a Friday night in Charleston.
This is the fifth annual High Tide, which brings more than 50 DJs and a handful of live acts to the banks of the Cooper River for two days of bass drops, sunsets and selfies.
The Governors Ball
Location: Queens, NY
Dates: June 5–7, 2026
Headliners: Lorde, Kali Uchis, A$AP Rocky, Jennie
Founded: 2011
Only the very first Governors Ball was held at its namesake — Governors Island, off the coast of Manhattan — before it got way too big for the place. The three-day fest now calls the Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens home, with K-Pop superstar Jennie (of Blackpink) and NY rap giant A$AP Rocky among the headliners.
Railbird
Location: Lexington, KY
Dates: June 6–7, 2026
Headliners: Tyler Childers, The Lumineers, Zach Top, Ella Langley
Founded: 2019
Held on a Kentucky horse racing track — “The Red Mile” — Railbird specializes in Americana, bluegrass and the cooler side of country, alongside curated bourbon experiences featuring hand-selected barrels from some of Kentucky’s most respected distilleries.
Bonnaroo
Location: Manchester, TN
Dates: June 11–14, 2026
Headliners: Noah Kahan, The Strokes, Skrillex
Founded: 2002
If there was a Mount Rushmore of modern American music festivals, Bonnaroo belongs right next to Coachella, Lollapalooza and ACL. But it needs to be said that this Tennessee festival — and its fans — are cut from a different cloth.
Unlike those other fests, practically everyone that goes to Bonnaroo camps on site for four days or more. That commitment makes for one of the greatest audiences around, and the fest’s eclectic performers — this year includes Noah Kahan, Skrillex and The Strokes — definitely feel the difference.
Warped Tour (D.C.)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Dates: June 13–14, 2026
Headliners: Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, Killswitch Engage, The Used
Founded: 1995
For 25 years, the Vans Warped Tour spent every summer bringing punk rock, skateboarding — and eventually, lots and lots of emo bands — to teenage misfits across the country.
While the tour eventually fizzled out, those teenage misfits are now all grown up, with a travel budget and enough nostalgia to revive Warped as a destination event in 2025. This year, there are five Warped weekends scattered across North America, and D.C. gets the first crack.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Location: Telluride, CO
Dates: June 18–21, 2026
Headliners: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Larkin Poe, Gregory Alan Isakov
Founded: 1974
You can’t beat the sights of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado — nor the sounds of acclaimed names in bluegrass, folk, and Americana — at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
The camping culture is part of the magic too, with fans gathering for late-night jam sessions and communal hangs in campgrounds scattered throughout the valley.
Summer Smash
Location: Bridgeview, IL
Dates: June 12–14, 2026
Headliners: Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Skrillex
Founded: 2018
This rap megafest is the brainchild of music video director Cole Bennett — whose Lyrical Lemonade YouTube channel is among the most influential platforms in hip-hop.
Expect headliners Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti and Chicago’s own Chief Keef to work up a massive mosh pit at SeatGeek Stadium.
Zombie Apocalypse
Location: Long Beach, CA
Dates: June 19–20, 2026
Headliners: Excision, Subtronics, Pendulum, Zomboy
Founded: 2023
Hosted at the famously haunted RMS Queen Mary, this EDM festival is an immersive experience that leans hard into its own B-movie lore. The pitch: a zombie outbreak has taken over, and the only way to stop it is with massive doses of dubstep and heavy bass.
Electric Forest
Location: Rothbury, MI
Dates: June 25–28, 2026
Headliners: Griz, Kaskade, Disco Lines, Excision
Founded: 2011
Electronic music among the trees — that’s the magic of this long-running, camp-focused EDM fest in a nutshell.
The festival’s Sherwood Forest area is packed with glowing art installations, secret parties, roaming performers and random surprises, while campers spend four days bouncing between bass-heavy DJ sets and hammock hangs in the trees.
