The summer slate of festivals can surely get a little overwhelming, as year after year, more and more events are added to an already-saturated calendar. That growth, given the fact that most of these concert events are totally cleaning up from a bottom line perspective, probably won’t change in 2012 (although lingering issues associated with last year’s spate of stage collapses may escalate insurance or other associated costs). But, as the pileup of summer is now in the rear-view mirror, autumn offers its share of enticing festivals, and there’s a little more differentiation and niche interests represented, in general. Today, we’re picking our top ten North American festivals of the fall. In chronological order:
POP MONTREAL
Fifty venues across Montreal, QC.
9/21-9/25
Proud Canucks like Fucked Up and Arcade fire join indie rock luminaries like Girls as well as newly-minted 40 Best New Bands of 2011 alums Araabmuzik, Dirty Beaches, Grimes, Sleep ∞ Over, Yuck and Purity Ring round out the citywide Pop Montreal fest.
Other notables: Japandroids, Frankie Rose, Moonface, The Raincoats, Laura Marling.
[TICKETS]
ATP NJ: I’LL BE YOUR MIRROR
Asbury Park, NJ
9/30-10/2
The masses come to ogle Jeff Mangum at this year’s US edition of the ever-rad ATP Festival, which is curated by Portishead. The fest just added Company Flow and Public Enemy to an already stacked lineup — Swans, Mogwai, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Portishead (obviously) and Cults will all play over the course of the weekend. ATP is the most neighborly, friendly, weird festival experience around, so if you’ve written off festivals entirely, you might want to check out an ATP. Community vibes, no VIP.
Other notables: Colin Stetson, Beak>, Chavez, Deerhoof, Mogwai, The Horrors, Shellac, Ultramagnetic MCs.
[TICKETS]
EAGLE ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL
10/1
Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock, CA.
Gauge L.A.’s local scene at Eagle Rock’s annual community affair, which this year features Health, Flying Lotus and a smattering of local bands. Also, with the suggested donation price of $5, the event definitely falls under the “why the hell not?” veil, rationally speaking.
Other notables: Nosaj Thing, Rooney.
[OFFICIAL WEBSITE]
RIOT FEST
10/5-10/9
Multiple venues across Chicago, IL.
This year’s incarnation of Riot Fest features a pretty-damn-stellar lineup of heavy rockers — Danzig, the Descendents, Helmet highlight a bill that also features the likes of Weezer and Social Distortion.
Other notables: Nachtmystium, X, The Business.
[TICKETS]
TREASURE ISLAND MUSIC FEST
10/15-10/16
Treasure Island. San Francisco, CA.
Hopefully you’ll be there in the wake of another Giants World Series afterparty, but even if you’re not, SF’s Treasure Island has a lot to offer when it comes to grandiose indie rock and indie dance bands. Cut Copy, Beach House, Empire Of The Sun, Explosions in the Sky and the Antlers play across two days on San Francisco’s immensely odd manmade island, Treasure Island. For those in want of the singular, strange, and best of all outdoor events, you could certainly do worse.
Other notables: Dizzee Rascal, Shabazz Palaces, Warpaint, The Oh Sees.
[TICKETS]
CMJ MUSIC MARATHON
10/18-10/22
Multiple venues across NYC.
Though the entire list of announced attendees won’t be firmed up until October, if even then, the increasingly fractured CMJ music festival will offer its fair share of long-established stars (Wild Flag) as well as its upstart hype feeders (Purity Ring). With an unofficial slate that’s long since eclipsed the massiveness of the official CMJ Music Marathon, just about anybody can and will show up this week.
Other notables: Dum Dum Girls, Neon Indian, Purity Ring, Wild Flag, Talib Kweli, Zomby, Zola Jesus, Kendrick Lamar, Joker, Gauntlet Hair.
[REGISTER]
HALIFAX POP EXPLOSION
10/18-10/22
Multiple venues across Halifax, NS.
Once a pop-only festival, Nova Scotia’s Halifax Pop Explosion has extended into other independent genres. Spread over cool-looking venues, the festival is definitely in its own lane with regard to singularity.
Other notables: Fucked Up, Jeff The Brotherhood, No Joy, Titus Andronicus, The Thermals.
[TICKETS]
HARD HAUNTED MANSION
10/28-10/30
Shrine Expo Hall. Los Angeles, CA
Electro heavy-hitters like Fatboy Slim and Skrillex hit up the latest edition of the HARD Festival series in Los Angeles.
Other notables: Soulwax, Rusko, Major Lazer.
[TICKETS]
MOOGFEST 2011
10/28-10/30
Asheville Civic Center and various other venues. Asheville, NC.
Asheville’s MoogFest boasts an impressive array of options, from Brian Eno’s “Illustrated Talk” to a confounding amount of notable indie acts like the Flaming Lips, TV On The Radio, St. Vincent, the Antlers and the Drums among many others.
Other notables: Chromeo, Araabmuzik, Glasser, Ford & Lopatin, Dan Deacon Ensemble, M83, Moby, Toro Y Moi.
[TICKETS]
FUN FUN FUN FEST
11/5-11/6
Auditorium Shores. Austin, TX.
Fun Fun Fest is organized into four, loosely arranged stages: an indie rock-centric stage, a heavy rock stage, a hip-hop stage and a comedy stage. So, it’s pretty hard, maybe even impossible, to go wrong here. With three famous fests now — Austin City Limits, SXSW and now FFF — Austin’s claim “Live Music Capital Of The World” isn’t in jeopardy.
Other notables: Black Milk, Baths, Cannibal Corpse, Cold Cave, G-Side, Hot Snakes, Death Grips, Passion Pit, Odd Future, Tinariwen, Tune-Yards, Spoon.
[TICKETS]
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Which fall fests are you attending?
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Moogfest is a killer. I mean, I want you to look at their lineup and tell me what more could you want. The best festival of the year according to my tastes.
I wish I could go…
PJ Harvey isn’t playing Pop Montreal (they’re just showing a movie about her).
I would have included Neon Marshmallow on this list: http://neonmarshmallow.com/news
Good spot. Amended. Thanks!
Iceland Airwaves.
http://www.icelandairwaves.is/
we decided to narrow in on festivals on the continent only, but Amrit and Scott are BOTH attending Iceland Airwaves!
I bet they can’t wait to see Austra in Iceland.
Fun Fun Fun Fest is such a perfect festival. The hardcore and punk listening 17-year-old in me would love the heavier sounds while the “matured” elder statesman that I am today would dig the other stages. I’ve never been, but since it’s a sister offshoot of the FYF Fest (which I have attended,) I have to imagine it’s a good time.
I get that you are based in the US and I also get that Pitchfork is a rival, however, some of us in Europe are very much looking forward to the Pitchfork Paris festival – surely that lineup deserves some attention!
A3C Music Festival
Is Panda Bear going to be added to ATP NJ…?
yep! http://www.atpfestival.com/newsview/1109191547.php
That’s the UK Jeff Mangum-curated event :(
ah, yes, you’re right! I changed that above. Sorry about that.
Halifax Pop Explosion seems great, but I don’t know a cheap way to get there from the northeast US without paying a bunch of money. Shouldn’t there be a ferry or something from Maine? Mehr.
Athens PopFest!!!
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest!
Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, M. Ward, Kurt Vile, The Low Anthem, Robert Plant
CMJ, Moogfest, Fun Fun Fun Fest…good grief! So many I want to go to, but my schedule won’t allow it. Looks like I’m out of the festival scene until the summer. Yessir, it’s going to be a long winter…
treasure island, baby. i’m counting down the days. it also appears that you neglected to mention battles, flying lotus, st. vincent, DFA 1979, malkmus, YACHT and friendly fires being there. a mere oversight, i am sure.
Not anticipating Orlando Calling (www.orlandocalling.com)? First year festival that has The Killers only US show in 2 years, The Raconteurs, Pixies, Avett Brothers, Gogol Bordello, The Roots, Kid Cudi, OAR, Iron and Wine and then completely switches things up for day 2 with Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton which, to be fair, isn’t a Stereogum-friendly line-up but big names nonetheless and has some up-and-coming cool bands like Aunt Martha and The Apache Relay. For a first year festival, it’s looking pretty solid.
Mexico has one too on October 15, Corona Capital w/ Strokes, Portishead, Mogwai, Editors, Santigold, The Rapture, Wild Beasts Etc…
What about Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. A three day festival with soundgarden, snoop, social distortion etc. Always a great time. I think you dropped the ball not mentioning this great festival.
http://thevoodooexperience.com/2011/
Treasure Island looks enticing this year and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is always amazing but I’m going to start my festival season off with the Fall Flood Festival that KCPR is putting on in San Luis Obispo. With a line up as eclectic as KCPR’s format, there is something for everyone at this two day all ages music festival that taking place in venues all over town. Dengue Fever, Zion I, Little Wings, Quinn DeVeaux, Waters, Grand Lake, Man/Miracle, Los Rakas, Blackstrap Molasses, the Shants and much,much more all for one low price of $25. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=227029150680337
Ted Leo’s not playing HPX. That was a concert they through back in the summer called M Fest.
In Holland we have: Le Guess Who
http://www.leguesswho.nl/festival/
panda bear / stephen malkmus & the jicks / my brightest diamond / bill callahan / gang gang dance / suuns / john maus / low / still corners / other lives / fool’s gold / fruit bats / zola jesus / zomby / givers / akron/family / shabazz palaces / nisennenmondai / braids / pinback / pink mountaintops / okkervil river / ema / com truise / free the robots / nurses / the besnard lakes / tarwater / forest fire / i break horses / anika / part chimp / puro instinct / om unit / slugabed / cheveu / bass drum of death / doshy / baconhead / bo ningen / richard buckner / the devil’s blood / dan haywood’s new hawks / roll the dice / gross magic / holloys / a winged victory for the sullen / oy division / pursuit grooves / babe rainbow / group inerane / art melody / socalled / orchestra of spheres / stranded horse
Fun Fun Fun Fest is THREE days, the 4th , 5th and 6th. Wouldn’t want people to miss a whole day of fun.
Can’t believe you missed THE FEST in Gainesville! http://www.thefestfl.com/fest10/
There is something like 200 bands playing…
FunFunFun Fest is giving away two pairs of weekend passes to lucky festival-goers who use their official ridesharing service Amovens.com to find a ride to the show.
Post an ad for a ride on the site, or offer a seat in your car, and you’ll automatically be entered to win.
Go to http://us.amovens.com/events/FFFFest2011/0/ to learn more.