Atlanta has seen multiple extreme weather events in the last few months — including rare back-to-back snowstorms — so springtime seems extra enticing this year. Soon it will be time to shake off the shivers and hit the road or hop a flight for a much-needed getaway, and there’s no better reason to travel than a food or music festival. Here are some big and off-the-beaten-path fests this spring, from the Black Hills of South Dakota and Texas Hill Country to the Baja Peninsula and spots closer to home.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Savannah Music Festival
One of Georgia’s largest annual music events, the Savannah Music Festival features top acts in multiple genres from around the globe over a two-week period in venues spread throughout the city. This year’s lineup runs the gamut from solo pianist Simon Mulligan and the Edmar Castañeda Quartet to jazz icon Branford Marsalis and jam band legends Leftover Salmon. Dance plays a big part of the festival this year with the Latin Dance Party featuring Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano and the Zydeco Dance Party with Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas. Blues legend Taj Mahal, a longtime favorite on the festival circuit, will perform at Lucas Theatre for the Arts on March 30. The festival closes out with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit performing at Johnny Mercer Theatre on April 12.
March 27-April 12. $20 and up. Multiple venues. 912-525-5050, www.savannahmusicfestival.org.
Credit: Blake Guthrie
Credit: Blake Guthrie
Juke Joint Festival
For blues fans seeking an authentic small town Americana experience, Clarksdale in the heart of the Mississippi Delta is the place to be during the second weekend in April. Steeped in blues history, music venues are found around almost every corner. The town takes on a fair-like atmosphere as outdoor stages, arts and craft booths, food vendors and children’s events fill the town. Venues include cafés, bookstores, music shops, art galleries, hotels, bars and time-honored juke joints like Red’s. Owner Red Paden died in 2023, but his beloved juke reopened last year. The main event takes place on Saturday, April 12, but many local businesses stage related events between Thursday and Sunday. Cat Head, an art gallery and bookstore, puts on the Cat Head Mini Blues Fest on the 13th. Local legends like guitar wiz Lucious Spiller and Deak Harp — whose harmonica shop is one of the festival venues — will perform along with a wide range of regional and national blues talent.
April 10-13. Free daytime events, $40 and up wristbands for nighttime events. Various locations in and around Clarksdale, Mississippi. 662-624-5992, www.jukejointfestival.com.
Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella brings top rock, pop and hip-hop acts to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, a venue that can accommodate audiences of up to 125,000 people per day. Multiple camping areas on the palm-lined grounds range from basic tent and car camping sites to more luxurious glamping options. Coachella’s first year in the fall of 1999 featured mainly alternative rock acts on one stage. The event has expanded significantly in both size and musical scope since then, now featuring a variety of acts on multiple stages over two weekends. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act Green Day will make their Coachella debut this year. Other headliners are Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Post Malone and Missy Elliott.
April 11-13, April 18-20. $599 and up for three-day weekend passes. Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Ave. 51, Indio, California. 760-398-3502, www.coachella.com.
Credit: Deadwood.com/Kinsy Selby
Credit: Deadwood.com/Kinsy Selby
Forks, Corks and Kegs Food, Wine and Beer Festival
Historic Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota has long been a go-to destination for history buffs and lovers of Old West lore. Adding to that allure in the modern era is a dynamic food and beverage scene in the region showcased at the Forks, Corks and Kegs festival. This two-day event showcases local chef-driven restaurants, vineyards and craft breweries during Wine Around, Dine Around and Appetizer Crawl events at various locations on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. Free transportation for attendees is provided between venues on the Deadwood Trolley. Deadwood Mountain Grand, a resort hotel and casino overlooking town, hosts the Grand Tasting, the closing event on Saturday night where participating breweries, wineries and specialty vendors will be on hand for the festival’s ultimate tasting experience.
April 11-12. $125 and up. Deadwood Welcome Center, 501 Main St., Deadwood, South Dakota. 605-578-1876, www.deadwood.com
Credit: Sharon Medina/Queens Night Market
Credit: Sharon Medina/Queens Night Market
Queens Night Market
Spring is one of the more popular times to visit New York when the city’s parks, gardens and greenspaces blossom to life with an abundance of outdoor activities. Add some culinary excitement to your trip by attending the Queens Night Market in Flushing Meadows Corona Park starting April 13 through Oct. 25. Last year the market nabbed the No. 1 spot in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice poll for best city food festival in the U.S., and Financial Times named it one of the best food markets in the world. A hallmark of the festival is the $6 price cap on food items, keeping the event affordable to help locals counter NYC’s sky-high cost of living. Nearly a hundred countries will be represented by the vendors and their food, allowing attendees to eat their way around the globe in one convenient location by trying such exotic dishes as Afghan kabuli pulao and chapli kababs, Egyptian hawawshi, Salvadoran pupusas and nuegados, and Romanian kürtőskalács.
4 p.m.-midnight, Saturdays April 13-Oct. 25. Free admission. 47-01 111th St., Queens, New York. queensnightmarket.com.
FoodieLand: Las Vegas
Foodieland isn’t a singular event but a rotating festival “celebrating food, community, culture and diversity” that moves around to major cities in the American West between March and October. Foodieland started in Berkley, California, in 2019 as a way to create a space for a multicultural food experience that focused on small businesses and vendors in the community. It received such a strong response that organizers decided to take the experience on the road and currently have events in 14 cities. In late-April, it lands in Las Vegas. The Vegas incarnation will be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with more than 110 food vendors from the local community and beyond. A sampling of vendors with eclectic offerings lined up for this year’s Las Vegas event are The Drunken Dumpling, Mojo Fried Yogurt & Tanghulu, Birrieria Michi, Honolulu Sushi Taco and Ms. B’s Taffy Grapes. Carnival games, live entertainment and shopping for art, crafts and novelty items round out the merriment.
April 18-20. $6. 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. N., Las Vegas, Nevada. foodielandnm.com/las-vegas.
Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival
The eastern Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia has staged the popular Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival for more than three decades. Three years ago it revitalized its format by bringing in more arts and cultural events and expanding the musical programming to include multiple genres. Now you can hear rock, pop, world beats, reggae, gospel and even country. Gretchen Wilson, known for her hit “Redneck Woman,” headlines opening night this year along with Jamaican reggae star Sizzla at Mindoo Philip Park in Castries, Saint Lucia’s capital. The city will also host plenty of arts and crafts events during the festival, but the main site for music will be at Pigeon Island Park on the north end of the island. Closing night, called The Ultimate Celebration, features superstar singer/songwriter and one of the world’s few EGOT members (winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award) John Legend. Helping to close things out are ’70s pop/soul hitmakers Earth, Wind and Fire.
April 30-May 11. $125 and up. Santa Lucia Tourism Authority, 1 Bella Rosa Road, Gros Islet, Santa Lucia. 758-458-7101, www.saintluciajazzandartsfestival.com.
Viva el Gonzo
Viva el Gonzo is the brainchild of American jam band Goose who curate the festival’s lineup with similar indie and alternative bands and DJs. It takes place over a three-day period in San José del Cabo at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The main event grounds, El Ganzo Oasis, feature lush tropical groves, elaborate earthen art installations and campgrounds a short walk from the beach on the Sea of Cortez where the festival has its own beach club, Crania. Twelve lodging options are within two miles of El Ganzo Oasis, ranging from small local boutiques to large all-inclusive resorts. Along with Goose, other main acts this year are folk rockers Dawes, Americana favorite the War on Drugs, the ambient sounds of Tycho and house music DJ LP Giobbi. Along with all the music and art, wellness events are part of the festivities, too, such as beach yoga and meditation sessions.
May 8-10. $550 and up for three-day passes. East Cape Road. s/n (Glorieta El Rey Pescador) Marina Puerto Los Cabos 23403, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. www.vivaelgonzo.com
Credit: Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation
Credit: Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation
Kerrville Folk Festival
Held at Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country, Kerrville Folk Festival, now in its 53rd year, has become a granddaddy of folk festivals, especially for fans of acoustic singer/songwriters. Fans come to camp in tents and RVs on the ranch’s campgrounds during an 18-day period where established and emerging songwriters perform. Experienced festivalgoers will tell you that the campgrounds are where the magic happens. You never know who will show up and play at the impromptu jam sessions that occur after the official performances are done on the main stage. Some notable acts performing this year on the main stage are Shovels & Rope, Dave Alvin, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Peter Rowan.
May 22-June 8. $45 and up day passes, $165 and up weekend passes. 3876 Medina Hwy., Kerrville, Texas. 830-257-3600, www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org.
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