Dates: March 12–19
Price: $795
Editor's Pick: Swedish House Mafia
For the ultimate springtime rave, trek to the streets of downtown Miami, FL. With a lineup featuring Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, AVICII, Calvin Harris, Major Lazer, Swedish House Mafia and Tiësto, amongst others, Ultra Music Festival has got your EDM taste buds covered. A daily itinerary consists of tanning in South Beach and then heading over to the homeland of glowsticks, glitter and neon lights. Surrounded by 330,000 ravers dressed in neon or close to nothing, there’s no reason not to dance, drop and roll. Literally. Choose either weekend and get ready to rave like you’ve never before. If you’re not already convinced, Ultra will be Swedish House Mafia’s final adieu. They’re surely going out with a bang. Get ultra pumped.
Dates: April 12–14 or April 19–21
Price: $349
Editor's Pick: Phoenix
Head over to the world’s hipster Mecca in Indio, CA if you’re looking for a spring break experience that imitates the legendary Woodstock. A Coachella weekend consists of scorching 90–degree weather, a guaranteed sighting of Alexa Chung, Heineken–sponsored beer gardens, flower girl–meets–hippie street style and the Ferris wheel ride of your life. Among over 100 performers, headliners include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, The xx, Two Door Cinema Club, Passion Pit, Modest Mouse and Local Natives. The list goes on. Basically, anyone’s who’s good is going to be there. You should be too. Whether you dance around or space out, it’s all fun and games when you’re camping in the middle of the desert. Look out for surprise appearances—last year, a hologram Tupac showed up.
SXSW
Dates: March 22–25
Price: $299.95
Editor's Pick: The Black Keys
Offering a truly authentic musical experience free of mainstreamers and posers alike, the SXSW Music Conference is the largest combined music festival and trade show in the world and the first major music festival this year. Get your rock–ready kicks over to the Lone Star State for a week of good music. Following the SXSW Trade Show conference, SXSW (say: South by Southwest) showcases 2,500 performers in over 100 venues. Standout performers include A$AP Rocky, The Black Keys, Grizzly Bear, Foster the People, Eminem, The Killers, MGMT, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, MSTRKRFT, Neon Indian, St. Vincent and Temper Trap will be performing all around funky, hip Austin, TX, for a nonstop music party with a Texan vibe.
