Summerfest 2008 (Image: Dori, CC BY-SA 3.0 US)

1. SummerFest

Jun. 28 - Jul. 2 & July 4-9 • Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee • summerfest.com • This will be the 50th year of Milwaukee’s Summerfest, billed as the “World’s Largest Music Festival”. An incredible lineup of top-notch headliners featuring performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul Simon, Pink, The Chainsmokers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Shins, Peter Frampton, Walk the Moon, Huey Lewis and the News, AWOLNATION, Third Eye Blind, Ludacris, and many, many more.

2. Rock the Garden

July 22 • Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis MN • walkerart.org • Held at the beautiful and newly renovated Walker Arts Center, this one-day festival includes a headliner concert by Bon Iver and performances by The Revolution, Benjamin Booker, Car Seat Headrest, Dead Man Winter, Margaret Glaspy, Bruise Violet, and Dwynell Roland.

3. Pitchfork Music Festival

July 14-16 • Union Park, Chicago • pitchfork.com/festival/chicago • A music festival in Chicago hosted by the Pitchfork music magazine. Includes performances by LCD Soundsystem, A Tribe Called Quest, Solange, George Clinton, and many more.

4. Mile of Music

Aug. 3-6 • Appleton • mileofmusic.com • The 5th coming of Appleton’s music festival includes 900 live musical sets, 70 venues, all in 1 mile of great music. There’s a whole mile of safe, walkable, no-cover charge, events to explore. All original music from various genres like indie rock, country, soul, R&B, jazz, folk, and more. Check out craft shops, restaurants, cafes, and more.

6. Lollapalooza

Aug. 3-6 • Grant Park, Chicago • lollapalooza.com • One of the country’s biggest music festivals, Lollapalooza has been serving up great talent since 91. Performances by Chance The Rapper, The Killers, Muse, Arcade Fire, The XX, Lorde, Blink 182, Foster the People, The Shins, and many more. Also features Chowtown, serving up the best of Chicago’s local restaurants and eateries for festival-goers to enjoy.