Summer 2015 Guide to Rock and Indie Music Festivals

Every summer is packed with hundreds of noteworthy music festivals and conferences, and 2015 is no exception — especially when it comes to indie and rock (and indie rock) music.  In fact, this season is shaping up to be one of the best yet, with festivals like Sasquatch, Firefly, and the Leeds Festival stretching from Alabama to Portland to the United Kingdom and beyond.  We’ve already put some of our favorites into chronological order for you, including venues, ticket prices, and of course, the lineups.

May: Alabama to Boston

Hangout Festival

VIP tickets are already sold out!  All that’s left now is General Admission, so get ’em while they last.

• Location — Gulf Shores, AL
• Venue — Gulf Shores Public Beach
• Date — May 15 – 17
• Tickets — $249, 18+
  • Free for kids under 10, but must be accompanied by an adult
• 2015 Performers — Beck, Foo Fighters, Umphrey’s McGee, Spoon, Phantogram, Paramore, Cold War Kids, TV On The Radio

Boston Calling

• Location — Boston, MA
• Venue — City Hall Plaza
• Date — May 22 – 24
• Tickets — $50 – $350
• 2015 Performers — Pixies, St. Vincent, Beck, Tenacious D, Tame Impala, TV On The Radio, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper

Want to drop us a line while you’re in Boston?  Call us at (617) 517-4193 or take the old-fashioned route and send us some snail-mail.  Mail your demos to this address:

P.O. Box 52116

Boston, MA 02205

Sasquatch 2015

• Location — George, WA
• Venue — The Gorge Amphitheatre
• Date — May 22 – 25
• Tickets — $350
• 2015 Performers — Modest Mouse, Robert Plant, The Decemberists, Kendrick Lamar, Gogol Bordello, The War On Drugs

June: Houston to the UK

Free Press Summerfest

• Location — Houston, TX
• Venue — Eleanor Tinsley Park
• Date — June 6 – 7
• Tickets — $169 – $1,000
• 2015 Performers — Weezer, Belle And Sebastian, Band Of Horses, Ben Kweller, Flogging Molly, The Mountain Goats, The Decemberists, Mastodon

Download Festival

• Location — Donington Park, UK
• Venue — Donington Park (next to East Midlands Airport)
• Date — June 12 – 14
• Tickets — £83 – £225
• 2015 Performers — Muse, KISS, Marilyn Manson, Judas Priest, Lamb Of God, Rise Against, Slipknot, Billy Idol

Firefly Festival

Early Bird and Advance tickets are all sold out.  With just 7% of them left, Regular tickets are almost gone, too.  Buy now to avoid paying more for Encore and Last Chance passes.

• Location — Dover, DE
• Venue — Woodlands of Dover International Speedway
• Date — June 18 – 21
• Tickets — $299 – $249
• 2015 Performers — Morrissey, Paul McCartney, Kings Of Leon, Modest Mouse, Cage The Elephant, The Killers, Citizen Cope, Cold War Kids

Non-rock honorable mentions making an appearance: Snoop Dogg, Kid Cudi, Tycho.

Amnesia Rockfest 2015

Amnesia overlaps with Firefly this year.  Which will you pick?

• Location — Montebello, Quebec, CA
• Venue — Marina de Montebello
• Date — June 18 – 21
• Tickets — $120
• 2015 Performers — Pixies, Rancid, Deftones, Tenacious D, Slayer, System Of A Down, The Offspring, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Rob Zombie

Bonus artist: Snoop Dogg, who’s also on the Firefly lineup.

July: Portland to Australia

Rock USA 2015

• Location — Oshkosh, WI
• Venue — Ford Festival Park
• Date — July 15 – 18
• Tickets — $69 – $379
• 2015 Performers — Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Warrant, Whitesnake, Dokken, Queensryche, Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin

Project Pabst 2015

• Location — Portland, OR
• Venue — Zidell Yards, South Waterfront District
• Date — July 17 – 19
• Tickets — $40 – $75, 21+ only
• 2015 Performers — Blondie, Buzzcocks, Weezer, Passion Pit, TV On The Radio, Against Me!, The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo)

Splendour In The Grass

• Location — Byron Bay, AU
• Venue — North Byron Parklands
• Date — July 24 – 26
• Tickets — $155 – $365
• 2015 Performers — Death Cab For Cutie, Best Coast, Florence And The Machine, Ryan Adams, Tame Impala, The Church, The Wombats

August: Atlanta to England

The Wrecking Ball 2015

• Location — Atlanta, GA
• Venue — The Masquerade
• Date — August 8 – 9
• Tickets — $110 – $200
• 2015 Performers — Coheed And Cambria, Descendents, Glassjaw, Thrice, The Get Up Kids

The Peach Music Festival

• Location — Scranton, PA
• Venue — Montage Mountain
• Date — August 13 – 16
• Tickets — $155 – $1,000
• 2015 Performers — Willie Nelson, Santana, Rusted Root, Bob Weir with Billy And The Kids, Beats Antique, Gregg Allman, G. Love & Special Sauce

The Leeds Festival

• Location — Leeds, UK
• Venue — Bramham Park
• Date — August 28 – 30
• Tickets —  £213
• 2015 Performers — Metallica, Mumford & Sons, The Libertines, Mastodon, Simple Plan, Panic! At The Disco

Non-rock honorable mentions: Deadmau5 and Tyler, The Creator.

September: Seattle to D.C.

Bumbershoot 2015

• Location — Seattle, WA
• Venue — Seattle Center
• Date — September 5 – 7
• Tickets — $65 – $210
• 2015 Performers — Cake, Faith No More, Neko Case, Brand New, Brandon Flowers, The Melvins, Social Distortion

Non-rock honorable mention: Bassnectar.

Landmark Music Festival

• Location — Washington, D.C.
• Venue — West Potomac Park
• Date — September 26 – 27
• Tickets — $105 – $200
• 2015 Performers — The Strokes, Band Of Horses, The War On Drugs, The Kills

Non-rock honorable mentions: Drake, Chromeo, Dan Deacon.

Ready to switch musical gears?  Head over to our other summer 2015 festival guides, which cover:

• California Music Festivals
• Electronic Music Festivals
• Hip Hop Music Festivals
• Women’s Music Festivals

If you’re planning a vacation to Europe, Canada, or Australia this season, our international festival guide is meant just for you. If you’re permanently based outside the U.S., check out our international music promotion services to learn about how Planetary Group can help jump-start your musical career abroad.

Whether you’re a DJ, a band member, or a solo artist, we’re always interested in hearing from up-and-coming musical acts. Let’s start talking about your career goals — and how we can help you reach them.  Call Planetary Group at (323) 952-5050 and we look forward to hearing from you!