One of the most amazing aspects of going to college is the availability of new experiences for students. Through on-campus organizations, leadership opportunities, classwork, and events, colleges aim to help broaden students’ horizons. Many colleges across the country throw festivals as a way to celebrate all of the hard work that their students do. Over time these festivals have grown from picnics with maypoles to massive, all-out music festivals with big-name artists.
Source: Flickr user matt_hintsa.
Here are the 10 best college music festivals from coast to coast:
10. Tigerfest
Towson University – Towson, MD
Sponsored by Towson University’s Campus Activities Board (CAB), Tigerfest is an annual event in the spring that hosts a variety of events and musicians. The event took place over an entire week in 2022, and featured a silent disco, mini golf, carnival games, glow parties, brunch, and more! It’s definitely a sight to behold, and there’s something for everyone on campus.
9. Ivies Weekend
Bowdoin College – Brunswick, ME
Ivies Weekend has changed due to the pandemic, but it’s still worth a visit for students! Taking place over spring, past headliners have included Mac Miller and Reel Big Fish. Today, however, the Thursday night concert and Saturday concerts have been detached from the celebration. It remains to be seen though how this decades long tradition will continue to evolve in the coming years!
8. Spring Fling
Yale University – New Haven, CT
Source: Flickr user ragesoss.
Contrary to what you may believe about Yale University, this Ivy League school is not only top-ranked in academics. Each year the Yale College Council organizes its Spring Fling. Thousands of students, faculty, staff, and alumni attend. Macklemore, the Ying Yang Twins, Lupe Fiasco, and many many more amazing musicians have headlined the annual festival. The event lasts an entire day and tends to be scheduled between the end of classes and before exams begin in May.
7. W.I.L.D.
Washington University – St. Louis, MO
Held twice each year, Walk In Lay Down, lovingly referred to as WILD, is a day of music unlike any other. Blow up couches (yes like the ones you had in your room growing up) are set up and students get to relax in comfort as some of their favorite bands and DJs serenade them. Free for all students, past articles have included Mac Miller, Carly Rae Jepson, and the All-American Rejects.
6. Movin’ On
Penn State – State College, PA
Source: Flickr user pennstatelive.
With nearly 50 years of history and a process that allows the students to choose the lineup of performers, Movin’ On is one of the most anticipated events at Penn State. Headliners have ranged from Fall Out Boy to Gym Class Heroes and Fitz to Jack Harlow, which means there is something for everyone. It’s funded through the Penn State Student activity fee and is one of the 5 largest student-run music festivals in the United States!
5. Springfest
USC – Los Angeles, CA
Source: Flickr user tendou.
It isn’t surprising that USC made our list of top college music festivals. With well over 300 days of sunshine a year, the USC campus is practically begging for a festival. The annual daylong music festival is free to students, who can also bring 2 guests each. For everyone else, it’s $30. Local companies and student organizations can secure booths, and even students can take the venue stage to perform! And Dominic Fike from Euphoria performed in 2022.
4. Rites of Spring
Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
Source: Flickr user simonlynn.
The Rites of Spring annual festival at Vanderbilt University is a weekend event of pure music bliss in Nashville, “Music City USA” – and its been going on since 1971! Although Nashville is, by many people’s standards, the capital of country music, headliners have ranged from Kid Cudi to Sara Bareilles and everything in between.
3. Dillo Day
Northwestern University – Evanston, IL
Since 1972, Northwestern University caps its month-long Mayfest celebration with a day on the Lake Michigan shore known as “Dillo Day,” the largest student-run music festival in the United States. Named by a group of students from Texas, where the armadillo is a common sight, the day is filled with an amazing concert, games, and copious amounts of food. Over 12,000 were in attendance last year!
2. Sun God Festival
UC San Diego – San Diego, CA
A celebration of music and arts that regularly boasts attendance numbers in the thousands each year, the Sun God Festival is definitely the most anticipated day of the year at the University of California San Diego. Sponsored by the college for nearly 40 years, this festival is definitely a special treat for students. Past lineups have included Drake, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Macklemore, and more.
1. Slope Day
Cornell University – Ithaca, NY
Source: Flickr user policastro.
Slope Day has been a tradition at Cornell University since the early 1900s! The festival is a celebration of the end of that year’s classes as well as the college itself. This festival started off with activities like float parades and mock bullfights. It has since gained recognition across the country as one of the best college music festivals out there. With past performers like Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, Neon Trees, and Ludacris, we have to agree!
