The sun shines, and the music takes over. During the summertime, music festivals of all shapes and sizes take place all over the United States. Indie music, grindcore, folk or hard techno fill the hearts of festival-goers with bliss and excitement. Apart from music, these events also offer other attractions like comedy and food festivals. Check out our list of top summer music festivals in the USA:

1) Bonnarco (Tennessee)

One of the largest summer festivals in the United States, Nonnarco is a four-day event that will sweep you off your feet. The main attractions of the festival are the multiple stages of live music. The festival is also very diverse and features a large diversity of music styles ranging from indie rock to world music, hip hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, electronica and other alternative music. The name of this party translates as "real good time". Apart from the music, you can don your don your tie-die and try carousels, slippery wet slides and silent discos. Past headliners include Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon, The Police, Radiohead, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

2) Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance (New York in photo)

Four days of music, art and evolution, the GrassRoots Festival is a laid-back event that attracts enthusiastic music lovers to rural New York to have the hippy time of their lives. Here you will find hundreds of aficionados of bluegrass, rockabilly, Irish music, rock ‘n‘ roll, country and Native American music, plus a load of other hippy stuff from stripy clown pants stalls to an art barn and healing tent (with herbal highs and remedies). A percentage of the money obtained from the event goes to good causes such as Doctors Without Borders and Musicians for World Harmony.

3) Pitchfork (Chicago)

Named after the hipster publication "Pitchfork", this small festival is a three-day event with exciting headliners that have included Björk, Belle & Sebastian and R. Kelly. Even though Pitchfork festival mainly focuses on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap, hip hop, electronica and dance music, it has also included acts from hardcore punk, experimental/avant-garde rock and jazz in its lineups.

Stretching alongside 75-acre lake, Summerfest is the world's largest music festival according to Guinness World Records. Also known as "The Big Gig", this 45-year-old festival takes place in the American state of Wisconsin and attracts over 900,000 people every year. 

During 11 glorious days of summer, over 800 acts and more than 1,000 performances take place on 11 different stages in Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. The music industry's hottest stars, emerging talent and local favourites come together in this world-class festival setting to create unforgettable live music experiences.

Summerfest's nature is eclectic and features music in different genres, from alternative to Zydeco. Since its foundation in 1968, legendary musicians such as Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan, plus popular stars such as Britney Spears, Tina Turner and Maroon 5 have graced the Summerfest stages.

Festival-goers around the world are eagerly looking forward to the next Summerfest, which last took place from Jun 26 – Jul 7, 2019.

Although the music performances are the main attraction of the event, festival-goers can take some time out with activities like paddleboating. The event also provides the opportunity to sample a wide variety of food from many Milwaukee-area restaurants. Other attractions include shopping vendors, fireworks - especially "The Big Bang" on opening night - family events and comedy acts. All shows are free with an admission ticket, except for some special acts that take place at the Marcus Amphitheater.

Even before a regular ‘Comedy Showcase' was established in 1975, live comedy acts have also been part of Summerfest's history. Comedians such as Jay Leno and Jon Stewart have made their appearances in their event and filled with the air of Milwaukee with laughs.

Admission is between US$8 and US$17, depending on the time of the day.

80s kid Ferris Bueller once said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." These words are particularly salient in our world today, because USA life is 100mph. In a major international city like San Francisco, it can be particularly difficult to get a moment to yourself, the streets can be jammed with noisy and your head is cluttered with all of life's worries. That is why it is important to take a step back, relax and enjoy the finer things in life.

One co-operative organisation that understands the importance of dislocating yourself every once in a while from the trappings of modern life are the organisers of Slow Art Days, SFMOMA. This is a creative grass roots group that is heavily involved in the modern art scene in San Fran, and they are setting art lovers a challenge.

They want you to join Open Space stalwarts like Tess Thackara, Emily Wilson, and Duane Deterville for an art experience like no other: A slow-look session in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This sounds peculiar, but the organisers want people to really engage with 5 unique pieces of artwork, so they ask you to look at a single piece of art continuously for 10 mins each. Then afterwards you will be able to discuss your thoughts and enjoy the refreshments they have allocated for guests.

Modern Art is too easy to scoff at and many detractors say that it is pointless or useless. But that is what is brilliant about modern art, it challenges the status quo, makes you think about things differently and disgruntles the unimaginative. Slow Art Day is an international movement that embraces long contemplation of art. Enjoying art slowly is a joy in itself, and this helps to promote deep thought and also allows you to engage with art from multiple angles. For more information about the event you can follow this link: http://SlowArtDay.com.

The 4th of July Independence Day celebrations in the USA are synonymous with huge firework shows. But the city of Boston stand out from other destinations because they are the originators of this proud tradition and in many ways the City of Champions remain the trend setters for spectacular rocket displays. Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is next on July 4, 2019 from 8PM.

Way back in 1973 David Mulgar proposed a novel way of rejuvenating the Esplanade concert which was struggling to capture the people's imaginations. After a discussion with the head of the Boston Pops Orchestra Arthur Fielder, his brainwave was to combine music with a new spectacle. This included playing Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and adding some very loud surprises.

The next year's festivities went off with a huge bang with the addition of howitzer cannons, rockets and the ringing of church bells. This signalled the birth of the modern day firework display as Fielder wanted to create a spectacle that sounded like the gates of hell had broken loose over the Charles River.

4 decades later the Boston Pops firework extravaganza is going stronger than ever and is widely regarded as the only place to see fireworks on the 4th of July. Hundreds of thousands of people make the journey from all over America and from further afield to stand on the banks of the river and celebrate the birth of the nation. But this number is dwarfed by the number of people who tune in on TV. Over seven million watch the 1-hour broadcast on CBS every year.

The Boston Pops has a rich and varied history having branched off from the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1885. Although most of their musicians are affiliated with the BSO, they approach their music with a more contemporary style with particular emphasis on light classical and popular music.