The 10 Best Festivals for June 2013

Image via Complex Original

Date: May 30 - June 2, 2013
Location: Ozark, AR
Notable Acts: STS9, Baauer, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Araabmuzik, Kidnap Kid, RL Grime, RUN DMT, HeRobust, Icona Pop, GRiZ, Felix Cartal, Figure, Amon Tobin, Snoop Lion
Price: $184

Waka Waka Waka! Wakarusa is one of the stable festivals in the American southeast, taking place each summer in the Arkansas Ozarks. At this point Waka is nine-years-old, so you know that means they come correct every year. Wakarusa has a wide variety of activities that go much further than the huge lineups; you everything from the ambiance and enviorment of Mulberry Mountain to the various activities like the Friday night costume parade, daily yoga, disc golf tournament to the more educational music workshops where you learn about wood instruments are your's to indulge in. Waka even has a conscious with its Conscious Alliance Food Drive, where you can donate non-perishable food items to help those in needs. The festival gets rave reviews, it's got longevity, and it's a steal. It's this weekend, so if you can still get there, you really have to make an effort!

www.wakarusa.com

Date: June 1 - 2, 2013

Location: Houston, TX

Notable Acts: Calvin Harris, Bassnectar, Passion Pit, Borgore, Mord Fustang, Savoy, Super Mash Bros, Quad City DJs

Price: Sold Out

Okay, this isn't an EDM-only festival and we can tell you about a bunch of the big names, but you already knew that right? So I feel it is very necessary to enlighten you to the fact that the Quad City DJs are performing. Say who?! The Quad City DJs, AKA the marvlous music magicians who made "C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train)," as well as being featured on the seminal soundtrack to Space Jam. I don't know about you, but that's enough for this '90s kid to buy a ticket. The thought of hearing that live? Too many feels to even keep writing this.

www.fpsf.com

Date: June 7 - 9, 2013

Location: New York, NY

Notable Acts: Pretty Lights, Crystal Castles, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Dillon Francis, The Knocks, Theivery Corporation, Icona Pop, Paper Diamond, Griz

Price: $470 (VIP)

If you were set on going to a dope festival Moonrise weekend, don't worry! You still can! Governor's Ball is back for another year in NYC. With a healthy balance of indie, dance, and hip-hop, this is going to be, pardon my pun, a BALL. Unfortunately for late-comers, the festival is sold out of GA tickets. You extra affluent folk though can still cop a three-day VIP ticket and witness some amazing acts. Kanye West is sure to be performing new material from his upcoming Yeezus album and The xx will be there too, stll touring off their second album Coexist. For you dance-only heads, there's still a number of options. There won't be any heavy, heavy bass, but there'll be grooves a plenty. With a view of the NYC skyline, Randall's Island is one of the premeire festival locations on the east coast. Electric Zoo always takes it over at the end of summer, but Governor's Ball is another great option.

governorsballmusicfestival.com

Date: June 13 - 16, 2013

Location: Manchester, TN

Notable Acts: Araabmuzik, Paper Diamond, Pretty Lights, Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun, Wolfgang Gartner, Boys Noize, Porter Robinson, Conspirator, Clockwork, Four Tet

Price: $269

We're about two weeks out now, but you already knew about 'Roo didn't you? This four-day fest is an annual pilgrammage for many festheads, bringing together a diverse palate of indie, rock, comedy, hip-hop, cinema and, most recently, dance. It's a music AND arts festival to the fullest. This year you can catch DAD favorite Wolfgang Gartner spin his dynamic electro house sets and then pop over to the comedy tents and see Daniel Tosh and his antics. This year the festival is also bringing the cast of Comedy Central's Reno 911 to do a live in-person Bonnaroo Drug Safety Seminar and show off some unseen footage from the show. If this isn't something that interests you that's cool too because you can still see and experience a host of other pieces of true Americana at this festival. A shade under $250 is a bargain by festival standards these days, but considering the length of the festival and all the supplies needed, you know it's going to be an an expensive trip. If you can round the cash up, this is going to be one heck of an experience.

www.bonnaroo.com

Date: June 14 - 16, 2013

Location: Chicago, IL

Notable Acts: Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, Moby (DJ Set), 12th Planet, Carnage, Nero (DJ Set), Flosstradamus, Dirty South, Nicky Romero, Krewella, Oliver, Porter Robinson, Zomboy, Zedd, Wolfgang Gartner, Tommy Trash, Zeds Dead, DJ Green Lantern, Excision, Figure, Boys Noize, Bingo Players

Price: $180

Now that Moonrise has fallen, Spring Awakening might be your best bet for a serious helping of bass. Headliner Bassnectar is flanked by big bass names like Flosstradamus, 12th Planet, Zeds Dead, Zomboy, and more. Spring Awakening will also bring a number of crossover acts like hometown favorite Krewella and the award-winning Calvin Harris, but perhaps most interestingly and noteworthy, Moby. I have personally have never seen Moby DJ, but I am a huge fan of his, as his landmark album Play had a huge affect on me as a youngin getting into electronic music. Moby has wowed crowds for years with his diverse offerings and him rocking a headlining spot in Chicago makes the festival worth it on its own. At $180 bucks for three-days (that's what is left), there's no question that this festival is a fricken steal compared to some of the others.

www.springawakeningfestival.com

Date: June 20 - 24, 2013

Location: Twain, CA

Notable Acts: Justin Martin, Dj Sliink, GRiZ, Nadastrom, Beats Antique, Break Science, EPROM, Luminox, Mark Farina

Price: $180

They won't be bringing any Tiêstos or van Buurens, but for those willing to look past the urge to splurge on big names, The Bounce Festival is a mighty fine option. With a flair for the eclectic electronic, TBF will bring a host of names sure to intrroduce you to some whole new sounds. Dirtybird Justin Martin and OG house DJ Mark Farina will each bring their own house vibes, one a look into the bass-y future and the other a blast from the past. Sliink brings a combo of trap and Jersey club, while EPROM brings his mind-boggling future bass/trap madness. There's really no obvious threads behind the lineup except that these artists are largely on the cutting edge of their respective sounds. For $160 pre-sale and $180 at the door, this is no question a bargain. It's a camper, though, so make sure you've got room in your whip for tents!

thebouncefestival.com

Date: June 21 - 23, 2013

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Notable Acts: Tiesto, Steve Angello, DJ Craze, Porter Robinson, NERVO, Hardwell, Knife Party, A-Trak, Baauer

Price: Sold Out

The crown jewel of Insomniac Events CEO Pasquale Rotella's baby has grown into a massive international operation. With preceeding dates in New York and Chicago, the Las Vegas-edition of the Electric Daisy Carnival takes place at the Las Vegas Motorspeedway, where thousands of ravers will descend in search of PLUR, a good time, new love, old friends, and some bangin beats (or at least some combination). The festival's lineup wasn't even announced before it sold out, which is a great example of how well Insomniac is winning. With increasingly loud rumors of a sell-off, Pasquale's impending criminal doom, and talk of an EDM bubble burst, this year's version of EDCLV might be the end of an era. We have no doubt that the lineup for this festival will be absolutely top-notch and diverse, so if you think you need to really experience a festival, find a scalper or someone willing to sell you their tickets. With the insane lineups Insomniac brings and unmatched production values, this one is worth every penny.

electricdaisycarnival.com

Date: June 27 - 30, 2013

Location: Rothbury, MI

Notable Acts: String Cheese Incident, Pretty Lights, Knife Party, Above & Beyond, GrizMatik, A-Trak, Krewella, Headhunterz, Empire of the Sun, Lotus, Kill The Noise, Tommy Trash, Baauer, Benny Benassi, Passion Pit, Oliver, Flosstradamus, RL Grime, Danny Brown, NERVO, Grimes, Madeon, Ryan Hemsworth, Craze

Price: $259

The Midwest campout known as Electric Forest is back for another edition. Previously known as Rothbury, since Insomniac has been involved, EFF has grown into a special brand of its own. Bringing together a a huge blend of electronic acts, jam bands, and live comedy, EFF has endeared itself to Midwest ravers as one of the must-attend festivals. The famous String Cheese Incident will play three shows along with headliners Pretty Lights, Empire of the Sun, Knife Party, and Above & Beyond. The lineup also brings in it-rapper Danny Brown. The choice might seem odd until you realize that not only is he signed to A-Trak's Fool's Gold imprint, but he absolutely slays on trap beats. EFF has a diverse lineup and great production values (as any Insomniac Event does), but the real draw here is Sherwood Forest. The forest location is unmatched by anyother festival (although Shambhala is similar), and provides a different and intimate setting than other festivals. This isn't a parking lot affair. This is a let's get down and dirty and re-connect with mother nature shindig and you best believe it's going to be a heck of a time.

www.electricforestfestival.com

Date: June 27 - 30, 2013

Location: Gibbons, AB

Notable Acts: Krewlla, Benny Benassi, Knife Party, Eric Prydz, NERVO, Showtek, Dirty South, 12th Planet, Borgore, Bingo Players, gLAdiator, Datsik, Cazzette

Price: $279 (CAD)

Camping festivals are always special. When you're roughing it with other ravers you always learn new things, try new things, and listen to new music. Boonstock Festival in Gibbons, Alberta is another chance for you Northwest ravers to get your groove on. It's not on the same scale as the end-of-summer Shambhala pilgrammage, but Boonstock still has quite the lineup, ranging from the Australian duo Knife Party to the auto-tuning, brostep-booming Krewella. More than just dance music, Boonstock also brings together bands like Godsmack, Sublime (with Rome), Dropkick Murphys and more. And with a Thursday night kick-off show and three full days afterwards, there's no doubt that this festival is going to be one hell of a party. If you can make it through all three-and-a-half days, bravo and hats off to you.

www.boonstock.ca

Date: June 28 - 29, 2013
Location: Quincy, WA
Notable Acts: Tiësto, Kaskade, Adam F, Adventure Club, Andy C, Armanni Reign, 3Lau, Borgore, Bro Safari, Calvertron, Caspa, Cazzette, Chris Lake, Christopher Lawrence, Connor Cruise, Crizzly, Designer Drugs, Destructo, Dig-Dug, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Donald Glaude, Eric Prydz, ETC!ETC!, Feenixpawl, Figure, Flinch, Fury & MC Dino, Gareth Emery, Gramatik, Headhunterz, Infected Mushroom (Live), Jacques Lu Cont, James Egbert, Jaytech, Kill The Noise, Lazy Rich, Liquid Stranger, Loadstar, Lucky Date, Luminox, Madeon, Markus Schulz, Michael Woods, Morgan Page, Mt. Eden, Myon & Shane 54, NERVO, Noisia, Pegboard Nerds, Porter Robinson, Savoy (LIVE), Schoolboy,Sound Remedy, Swanky Tunes, Tommy Trash, Trolley Snatcha, Tydi, Zeds Dead,
Price: $181

For all the fuss about Ultra Music Festival or any of the EDCs, USC Events' Paradiso Music festival is another one you really need to consider putting those savings on. The festival is back for a second showing once again taking up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest at the The Gorge Amphitheatre where they will bring some of EDM's biggests acts. USC Events seems to be taking a page out of the Insomniac book though with their carnival style amusement rides and thier art installations. We're not hating at all though and in fact we think it's great.

paradisofestival.com