Sound Trip

From the best underground venues in each city to travel guides to the festival scene, Thrillist helps fans get the most out of their live music experience.

Sound Trip - Guides to Live Music Experiences, Concerts, and Festivals

Los Angeles

Nation

Thrillist Event Guides

Thrillist’s city guide to everything you can do this year—from festivals to art exhibits to outdoor activities.

Thrillist Annual Event Guides: Every Event Happening in Your City This Year

Photo by Julian Bajsel, courtesy of Splash House

Events

Palm Springs may slow down in the summer thanks to temperatures that regularly hit triple digits, but for two weekends in August, Splash House shifts the desert city into festival mode.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Splash House 2025

San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Outside Lands / Alive Coverage 

It’s not just that Outside Lands takes place in San Francisco, it’s that the marquee music festival goes down in the best place within the incredible city: Golden Gate Park.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Outside Lands 2025

Allen J. Schaben/Getty Images

Los Angeles may not have obvious seasonal changes like fall foliage or winter snow, but there are plenty of things that divide the calendar.

Everything You Need to Know to See a Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

Photo courtesy Adam Kissick 

If you’ve seen Timothée Chalamet’s surprisingly convincing turn as a young Bob Dylan in 2024’s A Complete Unknown, then you’re already familiar with the Newport Folk Festival.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Newport Folk Festival 2025

Courtesy Victor Diaz Lamich

Few North American cities rival Montreal as a summer destination.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Montreal Jazz Festival 2025

Nashville

Centeroo Experience by Nathan Zucker for Bonnaroo 

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, held each June in Manchester, Tennessee, is, hands down, an experience unlike any other in the U.S., Europe, or beyond.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Bonnaroo 2025

New York

Courtesy of Astrida Valigorsky / Getty Images

There are plenty of reasons to love being in New York City in the warmer months: Mister Softee is serving ice cream on every corner, broken fire hydrants become water parks, and outdoor dining along city streets turns into the world’s best people-watching opportunity.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to The Governors Ball 2025

Christian Bertrand

Nobody ever needed any extra convincing to visit Barcelona, one of the most dynamic cities on the Mediterranean.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Primavera Sound 2025

Chicago

For someone who frequently covers festivals, there is something immensely refreshing about attending one that actually centers Latine culture, community, and music.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Sueños, El Festival Latino

Philadelphia

Photograph courtesy Frankie Vergara

There are few better places to spend a late spring day in Philadelphia than Fairmount Park, a 2,050-acre collection of trails, fields, and natural wonders bisected by the Schuylkill River.

Everything You Need to Know About Attending Roots Picnic 2025

Las Vegas

Getty Images

Everything You Need to Know to See Music at Sphere

Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella

There are plenty of reasons to visit Southern California’s desert cities in spring, whether you’re looking for midcentury architecture tours, tiki drinks, massive art installations, hiking, tennis, or an escape from the inevitable late-season week of wintry mix on the East Coast.

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Splash House 2025

Where to stay, what to pack, and how to get into the after parties at the poolside music festival in Palm Springs

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Outside Lands 2025

A stacked lineup, an enviable food slate, and an opportunity to commune with nature

Everything You Need to Know to See a Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

How to plan a visit to LA's iconic outdoor concert venue, including a sneaky front-row seating tip and highlights of the season

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Newport Folk Festival 2025

Lineup highlights, how to get there, what to wear, and how to eat like a local

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Montreal Jazz Festival 2025

350+ performances, 10 days, zero dollars, and one inimitable cultural hub of a city

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Bonnaroo 2025

Don’t mind the Tennessee heat and humidity—there’s magic to be found on The Farm

Everything You Need to Know to Go to The Governors Ball 2025

The iconic NYC festival is coming back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in June

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Primavera Sound 2025

With a genre-spanning lineup and performances that go all night, Barcelona’s beloved fest is supremely destination-worthy

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Sueños, El Festival Latino

In its fourth year, the Latine-centered music fest promises a second stage, a smooth entry, and a LATAM-spanning food menu

Everything You Need to Know About Attending Roots Picnic 2025

America’s favorite hip-hop band brings an exquisite talent lineup (and food menu) to Philly’s Fairmount Park every year

Everything You Need to Know to See Music at Sphere

Las Vegas’ massive, LED-enrobed orb offers one of the trippiest, most utterly immersive concert experiences in the world

Everything You Need to Know to Go to Coachella 2025

Lineup info, where to stay, what to eat, and most importantly what to wear at Southern California's signature music festival