TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL June 17-20, Telluride, Colo. Top acts: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Del McCoury Band, Lyle Lovett Tickets: $60 per day, $185 for the weekend 2009 attendance: 10,000 bluegrass.com/telluride Now in its 37th year, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has grown to 10 times its original size—and would likely continue if venue capacity weren’t capped at 10,000. Telluride is a family-friendly summer festival with a wealth... 

ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL July 2-4, New Orleans, La. Top acts: Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Earth Wind & Fire, De La Soul Tickets: $159-636 2009 attendance: 270,000+ essence.com/festival The Essence Music Festival was created 15 years ago by the lifestyle magazine for black women. Artists you’ll find headlining the event embody the messages found in its pages: women whose music preaches empowerment and independence. Educational seminars... 

FORECASTLE FESTIVAL July 9-11, Louisville, Ky. Top acts: The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Drive-By Truckers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Tickets: $60 per day, $150 for the weekend 2009 attendance: 23,000+ forecastlefest.com So over the big-name festivals everyone’s heard of? Get in on the next big summer thing by checking out Forecastle. Founded in 2002 as a free event spotlighting local bands, it has since outgrown three subsequent venues, attracted the... 

IOWA STATE FAIR Aug. 12-22, Des Moines, Iowa Top acts: Keith Urban, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Sugarland, Colbie Caillat Tickets: $25-47 2009 attendance: 1 million+ iowastatefair.org Looking for the king of state fairs? Head to Des Moines. Founded in 1854, the 11-day fair saw a record-setting 1.1 million visitors in 2008. This must-see slice of Americana offers nightly concerts over a range of genres, though country and nostalgia-type fare feature... 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKS FESTIVAL Aug. 13-15, Lyons, Colo. Top acts: John Prine, Ani DiFranco, The Swell Season, Richard Thompson Tickets: $110 for a 3-day pass 2009 attendance: 3,500 per day bluegrass.com/folks For a selection of the best in song craftsmanship, look no further than this Colorado festival nestled in the mountains, a sister event to the well-known Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Now in its 20th year, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival attracts... 

KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL May 27-June 13, Kerrville, Texas Top acts: Indigo Girls, Slaid Cleaves, Sara Hickman, Randy Rogers, Porterdavis Tickets: $25-40 per day Site space: 50 acres kerrville-music.com One of the longest summer music festivals, Kerrville runs for 18 days and features more than 60 folk acts, as well as songwriting seminars, guitar workshops and open mic nights. Attendees can camp out on the Quiet Valley Ranch for an extended stay or... 

LEVITT PAVILIONS May – Sept., Los Angeles; Pasadena, Calif.; Westport, Conn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Arlington, Texas Top Acts: Todd Snider, Cowboy Junkies, Dionne Warwick, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Tickets: Free levittpavilions.org A nationwide nonprofit committed to promoting arts in the community, Levitt Pavilions offers free concerts at five locations throughout the summer months. Relax on the lawn and soak up the sounds of blues, zydeco,... 

CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL June 26, Bridgeview, Ill. Top acts: Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, John Mayer, Vince Gill Tickets: $100 2007 attendance: 28,000 crossroadsguitarfestival.com When the legendary Eric Clapton assembled a group of guitar virtuosos for an all-day show in 2004, it was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime line-up. But he organized a repeat performance in 2007 and again this summer. More than 25 guitarists will gather... 

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL July 2-5, Portland, Ore. Top acts: Taj Mahal, Little Feat, John Mayall, Booker T. Tickets: $10 plus two cans of food, per day 2009 donations: 87,577 pounds of food waterfrontbluesfest.com You can’t beat the admission price for the country’s second-largest blues festival. The fundraiser for a local food bank asks for a minimal donation each day in exchange for more than eight hours of music on four stages overlooking... 

BONNAROO June 10-13, Manchester, Tenn. Top acts: Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Weezer Tickets: $249 2009 attendance: 75,000 Site space: 700 acres bonnaroo.com It’s safe to say the majority of outdoor music events these days have taken their cues from Bonnaroo. “It’s America’s best-known camping festival,” says Bongiovanni. Since 2002, the event has grown from a laidback jam to a 24-hour carnival of... 

LOLLAPALOOZA Aug. 6-8, Chicago, Ill. Top acts: Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Cypress Hill, MGMT, Erykah Badu Tickets: $215 2009 attendance: 225,000+ Artists: 150+ lollapalooza.com In the ’90s, Lollapalooza criss-crossed the country as the premier alt-rock summer tour, after getting its start as an extended farewell for Jane’s Addiction organized by lead singer Perry Farrell. Slow ticket sales eventually forced it... 

VANS WARPED TOUR June 25-Aug. 15, kick-off in Carson, Calif. Tickets: around $30, varies by city Top acts: The All-American Rejects, Andrew WK, Bring Me the Horizon, We the Kings Stages: 5+, depending on venue vanswarpedtour.com The line-up for the 2010 Warped Tour was announced via YouTube by Tiffany Mink, a 23-year-old music blogger sporting a nose ring, which offers a general idea of the event’s demographic. But the tour is a bargain. High-profile... 

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL June 10-13, Nashville, Tenn. Top acts: Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band Tickets: $30+ per day, $110-300 plus fees for a 4-day pass 2009 attendance: 56,000 per day average cmafest.com If you’re in the mood for country music this summer, there’s no shortage of options. But not only does this reasonably priced four-day festival boast more than 150 hours of music, it offers the increasingly rare opportunity... 

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL July 16-18, Chicago, Ill. Top acts: Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, Big Boi Tickets: $40 per day 2009 attendance: 49,000 pitchforkmusicfestival.com Founded in 1996, Pitchfork Media quickly became a leading voice in online music criticism, and its accompanying festival is poised for the same brand of success. Just five years old, it drew an impressive crowd last year, and three-day passes have...