Great Destinations: The Great Festival Guide
06-16-2016
Author: in RV Tips & Education
One of the things that I loved about living in D.C. is that there was always something to do – and most of that stuff was free. Summer evenings and weekends were filled with free concerts on the National Mall and throughout The District, and of course you can’t forget the Smithsonian museums which have free admission. Then there were the festivals – tons of them! People would come from all over just to go to whatever festival happened to be going on that weekend or week.
Now that summer is here, it is pretty much the official festival season – across the country. As you embark on your summer travels, you may want to take in a festival at your destination, or at various points along the way. Some folks even choose to just go from festival to festival. Whatever works for you.
So I thought I would put together some guidelines for finding festivals. Here are a few of my favorite sites and methods. Enjoy!
Fest 300
This is not my favorite; I find the search feature a little clunky and unpredictable. However, you can find some pretty decent festivals all over the world. The photography is awesome and the information is solid. When you sign up for the site you can create your own festival calendar. The Fest 300 Magazine has tons of great articles to help you plan your destination or simply survive festival season. That alone makes it worth visiting – and maybe even signing up.
Festivals.com
This is an up and coming site that features “festival type events” all over the country. They list everything from food festivals to music festivals. The listings are well laid out in chronological order, but at this point it seems you can only view their list. I have not found a search option on here. At this point in the site’s development, it might be pretty good for selecting a destination, but you won’t have much luck if you are searching for something in a specific town or state.
Music Festival Wizard
This is an OK site that lists music festivals. The menu across the top allows you to browse by location, city (a small list of major cities), month, genre, and type. The search function at the top did not work for me, meaning that it returned absolutely nothing – and I tried several large cities. However, if you scroll down a bit and look at the right panel (below the advertisements) you will find a pretty decent search with filters. Search by festival name or use the filters to find an event near you.
If you have a city or town in mind, you can visit their official website and see what they have going on. Most communities will post upcoming festivals and events on your website – usually well ahead of time. This will allow you to plan ahead and get the most out of your trip.
The Old Fashioned Way (Google)
If you are a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person, the tried and true Google method is probably your best bet. As you are cruising down the road you can plug in “festivals near me” or “fairs near me” or whatever activity you are seeking. Google checks where you are and returns the requested information so you can plan on the go. You may have to turn on the GPS on your phone for it to work, but you should get a prompt.
I have found Google to be a veritable Wizard of Oz for the internet, though. Last year for my birthday I logged on to search for something and there was my very own Google doodle wishing me a happy birthday (and calling me by name!). It was a little creepy at first. I handled it much better this year, still… All that to say, Google knows a lot about a lot of things so give ‘em a shot. What have you got to lose?
Also, be sure to check out the MobileRVing.com Events Calendar for fun events all over and resorts to stay at near those events!
So what’s your favorite festival? Where is it held? What’s great about it?
Now that summer is here, it is pretty much the official festival season – across the country. As you embark on your summer travels, you may want to take in a festival at your destination, or at various points along the way. Some folks even choose to just go from festival to festival. Whatever works for you.
So I thought I would put together some guidelines for finding festivals. Here are a few of my favorite sites and methods. Enjoy!
Fest 300
This is not my favorite; I find the search feature a little clunky and unpredictable. However, you can find some pretty decent festivals all over the world. The photography is awesome and the information is solid. When you sign up for the site you can create your own festival calendar. The Fest 300 Magazine has tons of great articles to help you plan your destination or simply survive festival season. That alone makes it worth visiting – and maybe even signing up.
Festivals.com
This is an up and coming site that features “festival type events” all over the country. They list everything from food festivals to music festivals. The listings are well laid out in chronological order, but at this point it seems you can only view their list. I have not found a search option on here. At this point in the site’s development, it might be pretty good for selecting a destination, but you won’t have much luck if you are searching for something in a specific town or state.
Music Festival Wizard
This is an OK site that lists music festivals. The menu across the top allows you to browse by location, city (a small list of major cities), month, genre, and type. The search function at the top did not work for me, meaning that it returned absolutely nothing – and I tried several large cities. However, if you scroll down a bit and look at the right panel (below the advertisements) you will find a pretty decent search with filters. Search by festival name or use the filters to find an event near you.
A Great Blog about Music Festivals is: It’s Festival Time-Let the Music Play
City and Town WebsitesIf you have a city or town in mind, you can visit their official website and see what they have going on. Most communities will post upcoming festivals and events on your website – usually well ahead of time. This will allow you to plan ahead and get the most out of your trip.
The Old Fashioned Way (Google)
If you are a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person, the tried and true Google method is probably your best bet. As you are cruising down the road you can plug in “festivals near me” or “fairs near me” or whatever activity you are seeking. Google checks where you are and returns the requested information so you can plan on the go. You may have to turn on the GPS on your phone for it to work, but you should get a prompt.
I have found Google to be a veritable Wizard of Oz for the internet, though. Last year for my birthday I logged on to search for something and there was my very own Google doodle wishing me a happy birthday (and calling me by name!). It was a little creepy at first. I handled it much better this year, still… All that to say, Google knows a lot about a lot of things so give ‘em a shot. What have you got to lose?
Also, be sure to check out the MobileRVing.com Events Calendar for fun events all over and resorts to stay at near those events!
So what’s your favorite festival? Where is it held? What’s great about it?
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Author: Stephanie A. Mayberry
