12 nearby music festivals to catch in 2018
In case you missed the memo, High Water Fest is sold out. But don’t fret– with festival season just starting to heat up, there are plenty of other opportunities across the Southeast to grab your flower crowns, find some fringe, + bust out those hula-hoop skills you never thought would be of value post-elementary school field days.
We rounded up 12 festivals we’re excited about + broke them down by category so you can choose your own adventure. By the way– we only included festivals happening within a five-hour drive of Charleston (which is why you may notice Bonnaroo + Hangout are absent).
In our backyard
High Water Fest | 📆 April 21-22 | 📍North Charleston | 💸 General Admission tickets sold out, some available for purchase on Stubhub | 🎤Jason Isbell, Band of Horses, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, + more
Bluegrass Festival | 📆 March 30-31 |📍Awendaw | 💸 $35 in advance; $50 day of | Live bluegrass music across four stages, food trucks, craft beer, camping + more
Jam bands
Barnstock | 📆 July 22 | 📍Huntersville, N.C. | 💸$20+ | 🚗 ⏱ 3.5 hours | 🎤 Perpetual Groove, Atlas Road Crew + The Broadcast | Pro tip: Don’t forget to BYOB
SweetWater 420 Fest | 📆 April 20-22 | 📍Atlanta, G.A. | 💸 $123+ | 🚗 ⏱ 5 hours | 🎤 The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sturgill Simpson, + more
Wanee | 📆 April 19-21 | 📍Live Oak, F.L. | 💸 $229.95+ | 🚗 ⏱ 5 hours | 🎤 Widespread Panic, Dark Star Orchestra, St Paul & The Broken Bones, + more
Country
Carolina Country Music Fest | 📆 June 7-10 | 📍Myrtle Beach | 💸 $189+ | 🚗 ⏱ 2 hrs | 🎤 Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, + Cole Swindell
Folk rock
Shaky Knees | 📆 May 4-6 | 📍Atlanta | 💸 $99+ | 🚗 ⏱ 5 hours | 🎤 Jack White, Queens of the Stone Age, The National, The War on Drugs, + more
Tuck Fest | April 19-22 | 📍Charlotte | 💸 $0+ | 🚗 ⏱ 3 hours | 🎤 Shakey Graves, Lettuce, Susto, Deer Tick, + more. | Pro tip: Couldn’t snag tickets to High Water in time? This is your next best bet. Tuck Fest features many of the same acts as High Water, for free. Expect to pay $6 for parking + expect another fee if you want to watch the live acts from the terrace.
Camp out
Albino Skunk Festival | 📆 April 12-14 | 📍 Greer, S.C. | 💸 $140+ | 🚗 ⏱3.5 hrs | 🎤 Susto, D.B Rielly, Front Country, The Goodbye Girls, + more
Merlefest | 📆 April 26-29 | 📍Wilkesboro, N.C. | 💸 $45+ | 🚗 ⏱ 4.5 hours | 🎤 Steep Canyon Rangers w/ Steve Martin, Elephant Revival, Hubby Jenkins, Wayne Henderson, + more | Camping info here
Hulaween | 📆 Oct. 26-28 | 📍Live Oak, F.L. | 💸 Ticket prices not yet announced, but will go on sale next week. | 🚗 ⏱ 5 hours | 🎤 Last year’s lineup: Vince Staples, Bassnactar, Portugal. The Man, + more | Check the Hulaween website for updates
Deep cuts
Moogfest | 📆 May 17-20 | 📍Durham, N.C. | 💸 $99+ | 🚗 ⏱ 4.5 hours | 🎤 Armen Ra, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Chelsea Manning, Midori Takada, Maliibu Miitch, + more | FYI: Moogfest feels like a smaller SXSW, with panels on subjects ranging from technology to the arts
Spring LEAF Festival | 📆 May 10-13 | 📍Black Mountain, N.C. | 💸 $138+ | 🚗 ⏱ 4.5 hrs | 🎤 Rising Appalachia, Snarky Puppy, Ani DiFranco, Bokante, + more | Trailblazing is this year’s theme, featuring artists who have forged their own path + been musical pioneers
My first festival experience was at Georgia’s Counterpoint (RIP) in 2014 + my most recent was at Lollapalooza last year.
Here are my tips for having the most fun + being the best fellow festival-goer you can be:
- Turn off your cell phone. 📱
- If you’re tall, let short people stand in front of you. 🙌
- Watch out for wooks.
–Jen, Multimedia Producer
