American Music Festivals Offer More Than Meets the Ear

There's something so profoundly American about listening to music outside, particularly in the summer. Baby Boomers will reflect on Woodstock and any American of any generation can likely tell you their first concert and their best concert whether it be the Philharmonic or acid rock.

This explains the surge of planning and promotion of new music festivals every year, from Bonnaroo in Tennessee to Coachella in California. Some of the more dedicated fans hit several a year, packing up their cars and touring the country. Many festival-goers opt for a rustic "camp" feel; sleeping in back seats or tents, eating fair food, swatting mosquitos and praying it doesn't rain (sometimes really hoping it will.) Some festivals do not offer camping "accommodations" and instead partner with local hotels to offer ticket "bundles" complete with festival passes, accommodations, and shuttle service to and from the event itself.

The crowds are flush with "millennials." You've read about them; the kids of the boomers, supposedly tech-savvy and entitled, who want things their way and want their idealistic demands answered sooner rather than later.

But why would millennials, for all their entitlement, choose to pay inflated ticket prices to sleep on the ground and wait in line for hours for a shower?

Hangout Music Fest offers the music and a beach vacation all rolled into one. Set on gorgeous Gulf shores, it's everything you want from a music festival with coastal winds and white sands to keep you cool while dancing. It takes the festival experience and removes the work that comes with camping and instead just allows you to wander out on the beach every day, where your favorite bands happen to be playing live.

There are dozens more music festivals around the United States, and several outside of the US that have gained popularity in the recent years. Fuse published a great list of the must-see festivals of 2014, but be warned. They're not cheap. But when you factor in the vacation aspect, the entertainment, and the dozens of new friends you'll make simply from proximity you may very well find that it was worth it.