At MFW headquarters in chilly Montana, the thought of warm summer nights is a distant memory. Music festivals typically hibernate during the colder months, but for those brave souls that don’t know the meaning of the word rest, there’s a music festival waiting out there for you.
SnowGlobe
December 29-31, 2012
Combine music, gambling, snowboarding, and the magnificent beauty of Lake Tahoe. Now shake together to get a glimpse of this New Year’s Eve weekend festival. Headliners include Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, and Thievery Corporation.
Noise Pop
February 21-26, 2012
For twenty odd years, this eclectic fest has filled the streets of San Francisco. Former alums include The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie and Wolfmother. Pack a sweater and a taste for musical adventure to the City on the Bay.
The SnowBall
March 2-4, 2012
Like its Lake Tahoe counterpart, The SnowBall takes equal parts winter and music and moves the setting to the ritzy Vail Valley in Colorado. A decent mix of electronic, jam bands, and the generally insane all play in a Rocky Mountain backdrop.
South by Southwest
March 13-18, 2012
The hundred pound gorilla of late winter and the template for dozens of copycat festivals, SXSW is less of a music festival and more of an institution. Film, art, comedy, and technology all compete in Austin along with one of the largest music festival lineups in the world.
Ultra Music Festival
March 23-25, 2012
The mighty behemoth of electronic festivals provides ample excuses to escape cold weather for sunny Miami and three days of thumping beats. Once coupled with the Winter Music Conference, Ultra split from them last year and attendance continued to increase. Can’t wait to see what happens this winter.
The Big Snow Festival
March 23-29, 2012
There’s only one way to celebrate the end of Old Man Winter and that’s to fully embrace it with a full blown snowboarding/skiing music festival halfway across the world. The Big Snow Festival takes place deep in Serbia and worth the trip alone just to see a Serbian ski area.