KAYAK’s Guide to Summer Music Festivals
Summer music festival season officially kicks off this weekend with Coachella and KAYAK wants to make sure you’re spending more on glow sticks and neon headbands than on travel. We analyzed all searches for flights to the most popular summer festivals in the U.S. so our fellow festival junkies can see, on average, how much they’re paying to rock out.
With a lineup boasting Sir Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nine Inch Nails, Outside Lands in San Francisco was the most expensive festival to fly to in 2013, with an average airfare of $370. Fans of McCartney could have saved a little by seeing the former Beatle at Bonnaroo, with an average airfare of $362. Keep in mind that on-site camping at Bonnaroo is included in admission, while Outside Lands recommends booking a hotel room.
The big act for this summer is the recently reunited Outkast, which will play 40 festivals including, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, Firefly, Milwaukee Summerfest, Governors Ball and Coachella. If you’ve been waiting “forever, forever ever” to see the legendary duo, catch them at Governor’s Ball in NYC to score cheaper airfare compared to their other festival performances. Our data shows average airfare to NYC during Governor’s Ball in 2013 was just $289 (the cheapest of all top summer festivals), while average airfare to Chicago during Lollapalooza weekend last year was the most expensive of the big festivals at $349.
If you’re looking to road-trip to your festival, you can book a rental car without leaving the KAYAK experience – either online or right in the KAYAK app.
Average Airfare in 2013:
- Coachella Weekend 1, April 12-14 – Los Angeles (LAX), CA: $319
- Coachella Weekend 2, April 19-21 – Los Angeles (LAX), CA: $315
- Electric Daisy Carnival, May 17-18 – New York, NY: $292
- Sasquatch!, May 24-26 – Seattle, WA: $340
- Governor’s Ball, June 7-9 – New York, NY: $290
- Bonnaroo, June 13-16 – Nashville, TN/Huntsville, AL/Chattanooga, TN: $362
- Firefly, June 21-23 – Philadelphia, PA: $332
- Electric Daisy, June 21-23 – Las Vegas, NV: $369
- Milwaukee Summerfest, June 26-July 7 – Milwaukee, WI: $345
- Lollapalooza, August 2-4 – Chicago, IL: $349
- Outside Lands, August 9-11 – San Francisco, CA: $370
Photo Source: http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-59635p1.html
(Preview photo cred: iStock.com/Mortenns)