With the official start of summer fast approaching and the festival season officially having already begun, AllHipHop.com wants to make sure that some of the hottest and must-see festivals are on your radar.
Yes, you may have missed South By Southwest in March, Coachella in April, or The Bamboozle or Soundset festivals in May, but beginning this weekend with The Roots Picnic and Hot 97’s Summer Jam, 2012 is safe to say that you haven’t missed everything, except for maybe a Tupac hologram, yet.
We have chosen to highlight some of the largest, most diverse festivals happening all over the United States for the next several months, which will include appearances from The Roots, Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Maybach Music Group, De La Soul, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and many, many more! YES! Check out our preview of this summer’s must-see festivals below:
- Where: Penn’s Landing – Philadelphia, PA
- When: June 2-3
- Who: The Roots, De La Soul, Rakim, Wale, Kid Cudi, Diplo, The Hood Internet, Danny Brown, Mr. MFN eXquire, OCD: Moosh & Twist, James Murphy (DJ set), Major Lazer, and many more!
- Tickets: 2-day Passes – $96.90; 1-day Pass – $63.00
- Where: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
- When: June 3
- Who: Main Stage: Slaughterhouse, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Waka Flocka, J. Cole, French Montana, Maino, Tyga, 2 Chainz, Mavado, Young Jeezy, Trey Songz, Big Sean, Wale, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled & Friends and surprise guests! Festival Village: A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., Azealia Banks, Schoolboy Q, Pusha T, Fred the Godson, B. Martin, and Brown Sugar.
- Tickets: $59.60 – $220.20
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2012:
- Where: Great Stage Park – Manchester, TN
- When: June 7-10
- Who: Black Star, Ludacris, GZA, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Danny Brown, Major Lazer, Das Racist, Questlove, Yelawolf, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, and many more!
- Tickets: 4-day Passes – $259.50; VIP-Passes for 2 – $1399.50
- Where: Randall’s Island – New York, NY
- When: June 23-24
- Who: Kid Cudi, Atmosphere, Major Lazer, Santigold, K. Flay, and many more!
- Tickets: 2-day Passes – $180.00; 1-day Pass – $105.00
- Where: Henry Maier Festival Park – Milwaukee, WI
- When: June 27-July 1; July 3-8
- Who: The Roots, Common, Atmosphere, Lupe Fiasco, Ziggy Marley, Kool & The Gang, and many more!
- Tickets: $7.00 – $36.00
- Where: Brooklyn, NY
- When: July 8-14
- Who: Busta Rhymes and Friends with other acts to be announced shortly!
- Tickets: Some events free; Concert tickets $22.09-$69.57
- Where: Union Park – Chicago, IL
- When: July 13-15
- Who: A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Clams Casino, Big K.R.I.T., Schoolboy Q, Flying Lotus, AraabMUZIK, and many more!
- Tickets: 1-day Pass – $45.00
- Where: Dover, DE
- When: July 20-22
- Who: Lupe Fiasco, Tinie Tempah, Chiddy Bang, The Black Keys, The Killers, and many more!
- Tickets: 3-day Passes – $218.00; VIP-Passes – $595.00-$1195.00
- Where: Randall’s Island – New York, NY
- When: July 28-29
- Who: Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Matisyahu, AraabMUZIK, The Airplane Boys, The High Times Cannabis Cup Band, The Black Keys, and many more!
- Tickets: Regular 2-day Pass $139.99-$179.99; VIP 2-day Pass – $239.99-$289.99
- Where: Grant Park – Chicago, IL
- When: August 3-5
- Who: J. Cole, The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, Santigold, Wale, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Outasight, Overdoz, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, and many more!
- Tickets: 1-day Pass – $95.00
- Where: West Coast: San Bernardino, CA & Mountain View, CA; East Coast: Holmdel, NJ
- When: August 18-September 16
- Who: Nas, Common, Ice Cube, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Method Man & Redman, Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, Hit Squad Reunion, Immortal Technique, Tyga, Big Daddy Kane, Mac Miller, Atmosphere, Deltron 3030, Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Prodigy, E-40, Too $hort, J. Cole, and many more!
- Tickets: 2-day Passes – $184.00; VIP 2-day Passes – $384.00; High Roller 2-day Pass – $984.00
- Where: Somerset, WI
- When: August 24-26
- Who: Nas, Black Star, Yelawolf, AraabMUZIK, Mr. MFN eXquire, Pretty Lights, and many more!
- Tickets: $100.00 – $300.00
- Where: Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Philadelphia, PA
- When: September 1-2
- Who: Jay-Z, The Roots, Odd Future, Rick Ross, Wale, Meek Mill, Rita Ora, The Knocks, Pearl Jam and many more!
- Tickets:$135.00 – $899.00
Wowzer.
Check back this summer for recaps/coverage of many of the festivals listed above!