This time of the year is always exciting when it comes to music. 2013 is officially in the past now that the GRAMMYs are over with, artists are rushing to meet 1st Quarter deadlines, newcomers are set to prove that “this year’s their year” and there’s just a lot of excitement. These newcomers are much luckier these days as they have so many different tools to use to make their music, and get recognized! Some of these artists made their marks on YouTube, maybe SoundCloud, even on applications on their phones or computers like garageband for pc for example! You can get this on any of your devices, but on a PC is much better for music production. What people love about this time of year is there is always something new and fresh going on, and well, it makes you feel good! Music is such a big part of so many people’s lives and has been since they were young, with many experiencing it through playing instruments (like those from https://www.stradviolin.com/) when in school, to listening to it on the radio every morning in the car. And to top it off, it’s the beginning of Festival Season!

So, with so many great events set to take place this year, I wanted to highlight 5 Music Festivals worth checking out in 2014. Hit the jump to find out why these 5 made the cut!

1. SXSW (South by Southwest)

Taking place in Austin, TX between March 7th-March 16th, the first must-see festival this year is the SXSW festival. Filled with showcases, panels, and exciting events, the SXSW committee splits the festival into 3 major parts — Music, Film, and Interactive. Some major artists expected to perform include 2 Chainz, Nipsey Hussle, Logic, Young Thug, ScHoolboy Q, Yo Gotti, and a ton more. Check out their website for more details and be sure to head down South in a couple weeks!

2. Governor’s Ball

From June 6th-June 8th, the Big Apple will host the highly anticipated Governor’s Ball right in New York City. Taking place on Randall’s Island, this year fans will see the long-awaited reunion from Outkast along with J. Cole, Jack White, The Strokes, Janelle Monae and many others. Find out additional details here and don’t miss out on this East Coast extravaganza!

3. Bonnaroo

One of the most profound music festivals in the country has to be the Bonnaroo Festival. The intense, worth while experience will take place from June 12th-June 15th in Manchester, TN and will include exciting performances from Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Frank Ocean, Jack White, Skrillex, and several others. If you’re looking to secure your “Festival clout” and want to be deemed a true fester, then this one’s for you. Find out everything you’ll need to know here!

4. Firefly

One of the more underrated festivals, yet one filled with a great weekend of music, is the Firefly Music Festival taking place on June 19th-June 22nd in Dover, DE. Although they only started in 2012, the Firefly committee has proved that they can rock and roll with the best of em. We can expect performances from Outkast once again, as well as the Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, Pretty Lights, Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, A-Trak, Vic Mensa, and many others. Check out the full lineup here!

5. A3C

Last, but certainly not least, is the very popular A3C Festival taking place from October 8th-October 12th in Atlanta, GA. With this year being the 10th anniversary of the star-studded event, one can only imagine what to expect. Like SXSW, A3C incorporates a variety of entertainment including music, education, art, film, style, pro-audio and more. This year’s show was just announced so we don’t know official performers, but check out their site and stay tuned!