5 California music festivals you don’t want to miss

In the mood for some music and ready for a road trip? You’re in luck. Whether you have a taste for pop, rock, hip-hop, techno, alternative, or even country, our neighbors in California have a music festival for you. Here are 5 of the best the Golden State has to offer:

Desert Daze. The third annual Desert Daze festival is set for April 26th and will return to Sunset Ranch Oasis in Mecca, California. This one-day festival is perfect for a day trip; it’s about 2 hours south of LA, about 5 hours from Las Vegas. Camping passes are available, with the music starting at 3:00 pm Saturday and ending early Sunday morning. The music is largely alternative and experimental, composed mainly of drum machines, electric guitars, grisly lyrics, and of course pounding bass. Headlining the event include the likes of Blonde Redhead, the Ravonettes, Liars, Autolux, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Night Beats and Vincent Gallo. All for the general admission ticket price of $45.

Lightning in a Bottle. Starting May 22nd and continuing on until May 26th this four-day extravaganza will be held in the San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, California. This is a green festival holding itself to strict environmental standards including the “Leave it Better, Leave it Beautiful Policy.” This festival is billed as a heart and mind expanding oasis including guest speakers, yoga, workshops, and an on-site temple with its own specialized music made to heighten awareness and calm the senses. The lineup is eclectic ranging from synthetic pop, alternative, techno and everything in between. Some of the headline acts include Moby, Little Dragon, Phantogram, Grantik, the Polish Ambassador, and Ryan Hemsworth. A full weekend pass starts at $250.

Bottle Rock 2.0. This three-day adventure starts May 30th and carries on until June 1st and will be held at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa Valley, California. There are over 60 artists on four stages. The headliners have a diverse, yet mainstream feel with names like The Cure, Outkast, Eric Church, Sublime with Rome, The Fray, Heart, Camper Van Beethoven, Barenaked Ladies, Spin Doctors, LL Cool J and Third Eye Blind. If you’re a 90’s child, this is your summer music festival. Napa Valley is known for its wine and restaurants and both of those amenities are on full display with the food truck rodeo, the restaurant garden and dozens of featured wineries. A single day ticket is $149, and a full weekend pass starts at $279.

High Sierra Music Festival. This is the 24th annual run and the promoters have gone through a lot of trouble to try and outdo themselves this year. Starting July 3rd and ending July 6th this four-day celebration takes place in the lush Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, California. Another powerful lineup, including Widespread Panic, STS9, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Darkwave, and Punch Brothers. The music ranges from rock, pop, rap and of course a dizzying array of DJs with every version of techno under the sun. An interesting aspect of this festival is the family-friendly allure. There are a variety of activities including parades and face painting available for kids of all ages. There’s even a family camp and family stage where Gumbo Wobbly the clown will cheer, Gala, a spiritual elf, will teach and Dennis the Red, with puppets, will delight. A child’s four-day pass is $55, a teen four-day pass is $110.50 and an adult four-day pass starts at $207.50.

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. Starting on August 8th and ending on the 10th this three-day jubilation will be held at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The headliners are truly some of the best, featuring the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Kanye West, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Flaming Lips, Spoon, the list goes on and on. This is a festival that has a little bit of everything, it’s green, it’s family friendly, it’s in an amazing location, and caters to food, beer and wine lovers alike. There’s a DJ dome with amazing lights and DJs from all over the world. There is no camping at this event. All of the early bird tickets have already been sold out, but full three-day VIP tickets are still available for $595.

For further information on the festivals of California check out the website Jambase.com. They have all these festivals listed as well as many more in store for you.

Gina Pearl is the author of “Death Artist” and “Dope Sick.” She also blogs at gpspeedracerblog.com.