12 nearby music festivals to catch in 2018

In case you missed the memo, High Water Fest is sold out. But don’t fret– with festival season just starting to heat up, there are plenty of other opportunities across the Southeast to grab your flower crowns, find some fringe, + bust out those hula-hoop skills you never thought would be of value post-elementary school field days.

We rounded up 12 festivals we’re excited about + broke them down by category so you can choose your own adventure. By the way– we only included festivals happening within a five-hour drive of Charleston (which is why you may notice Bonnaroo + Hangout are absent).

In our backyard

High Water Fest | 📆 April 21-22 | 📍North Charleston | 💸 General Admission tickets sold out, some available for purchase on Stubhub | 🎤Jason Isbell, Band of Horses, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, + more

Bluegrass Festival | 📆 March 30-31 |📍Awendaw | 💸 $35 in advance; $50 day of | Live bluegrass music across four stages, food trucks, craft beer, camping + more

Jam bands

Country

Folk rock

Tuck Fest | April 19-22 | 📍Charlotte | 💸 $0+ | 🚗 ⏱ 3 hours | 🎤 Shakey Graves, Lettuce, Susto, Deer Tick, + more. | Pro tip: Couldn’t snag tickets to High Water in time? This is your next best bet. Tuck Fest features many of the same acts as High Water, for free. Expect to pay $6 for parking + expect another fee if you want to watch the live acts from the terrace.

Camp out

Deep cuts

Spring LEAF Festival | 📆 May 10-13 | 📍Black Mountain, N.C. | 💸 $138+ | 🚗 ⏱ 4.5 hrs | 🎤 Rising Appalachia, Snarky Puppy, Ani DiFranco, Bokante, + more | Trailblazing is this year’s theme, featuring artists who have forged their own path + been musical pioneers

My first festival experience was at Georgia’s Counterpoint (RIP) in 2014 + my most recent was at Lollapalooza last year.

Here are my tips for having the most fun + being the best fellow festival-goer you can be:

Turn off your cell phone. 📱
If you’re tall, let short people stand in front of you. 🙌
Watch out for wooks.

–Jen, Multimedia Producer