By Lauren Barber
As more and more festivals are releasing their 2018 lineups, one common factor has become apparent: the date of the festivals. Three festivals I’ve had my eye on attending this summer all happen to fall on the same weekend, August 2nd-5th.
Chicago’s infamous Lollapalooza takes place in Grant Park and is scheduled for August 2nd-5th, Saint Charles’ Hinterland is scheduled August 3rd-4th and Cedar Rapids’ first annual NewBo Evolve is scheduled for the 3rd-5th. What does this conflict leave for avid festival goers in the Iowa area? A big choice to make.
Lollapalooza is well known across the country and even globally, as its festivals are now being held in Europe and South America, as well as Chicago. The 4-day festival draws people from all across the United States and has something for everyone from EDM to Pop. Lollapalooza is hanging on to its elusiveness and continuing its pattern of releasing 4-day passes before the lineup before headliners have been officially announced. A 4-day pass to this event is $335 and one day passes vary from $120-$180, depending on the day.
Hinterland Festival is in its 3rd year and is continuously getting bigger and better. The festival is located right outside of Des Moines, making it accessible to people all across Iowa and even from the surrounding states. The festival spans over two days with 13 acts from around the world performing a variety of genres. Main headliners for the festival this upcoming season include CHVRCHES from Scotland, Sturgill Simpson from Kentucky, and Band of Horses from Washington. A 2-day festival pass is $95 with VIP passes available for $259.
NewBo Evolve is in its inaugural year and will take place in the NewBo area of Cedar Rapids. This festival is focused on two parts: culture/arts and music, with two main headlining musical groups, Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson. Other big draws to this festival are speakers including Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, and fashion designer Christian Siriano. Even though this is the first year of the festival, it is sure to draw in people from all backgrounds looking for both cultural and music experiences. To gain access to special speakers, a 3-day festival pass needs to be purchased for $375. If you only want to see either of the two headliners, individual tickets can be purchased for $70 for Maroon 5 and $54.50 for Kelly Clarkson.
If you are already booked up for that prime weekend in August like most of us are, there are two other Midwest festivals you can check out earlier in the summer. Des Moines’ 80/35 will be July 6th-7th with headliners Kesha and Phantogram and Chicago’s Pitchfork Festival will be July 20th-22nd with already announced headliner Tame Impala, and more still to come. These are just a handful of festivals that are taking place during the summer, which ones do you have your eye on this year?