The Avenue has put out a little list of summer music festivals to check out. Although most of them are quite far from home, they are definitely the majors of the summer and worth a road trip. If you want something closer check out the sunfest lineup or the wanee festival. Both sporting that Florida sunshine and low carbon footprint.

For those of you not making the trek down to miami for ultra music festival next weekend, have no fear The 2010 Greater Gator Beer Festival will be going down all day Saturday, as well as SGP’s Free Flavet Concert Series with Slightly Stoopid & G Love.

Wtf is going on this weekend?

This weekend in Brooksville (somewhere north of tampa but south of gville) is Aura Music Festival. Headlining the festival is Brother Bean and Malah, these are the only two acts that I have ever seen before so I’m taking it that this will be a very youthful jam based festival with a few dj’s to keep the party going once one becomes tired of hearing the same chord and solo progressions for hours on end. The event will take place at Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville, FL, a beautiful 85-acre piece of land, just off I-75, and central to the state of Florida. Assuming that the weather stays as perfect as it was today this could turn out to be a great way to get outside and do something with the weekend even if you’re on a budget. Here is a link to the facebook event for more information.

Next up on the list is the second annual Harvest of Hope Festival. Takes place at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds in St. Augustine March 12th – 14th. Usually has a focus on more punk/ska/core acts and the line up was just released this week. Last year the festival had headliners such as Less Than Jake, Girl Talk, Bad Brains, Health, and KRS One. They offer camping over the weekend but by the end of the festival last year it was looking more like a war zone than a cozy campground. Tickets for the weekend are on the cheap in comparison to other larger festivals. The The line up this year is looking like this

A Death In The Family, A Wilhelm Scream, American Cheeseburger, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Anti-Flag, Anvil, Asshole Parade, Austin Lucas, Bear in Heaven, The Beauvilles, Billy Bragg, Black Sheep, Bomb the Music Industry!, Capsule, Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves, Cobra Skulls, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dan Padilla, Danielson, Dead Confederate, Dead Prez, Dead To Me, Defiance Ohio, Delta Spirit, Dr. Dog, Dr. Octagon aka Kool Keith, Fin Fang Foom, Freelance Whales, Fruit Bats, Glint, James Husband, High on Fire, Holopaw, The Itchy Hearts, Kimya Dawson, Leatherface, Lemuria, The Loved Ones, Man Man, The Mercury Program, The Mountain Goats, Ninja Gun, O Pioneers!, Off With Their Heads, Ortolan, Past Lives, Portugal. the Man, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, The Riot Before, Rogue Wave, Samiam, Sea Wolf, Senses Fail, Shellshag, Signals, Small Brown Bike, Stars of Track and Field, Strike Anywhere, Tiltwheel, Torche, Twin Tigers, Worn In Red, Young Livers

Later on in the month of March is Ultra Music Festival in MIami. We have already mentioned their line up but just to kinda reinforce how awesome of time is to be had for electronic music enthusiasts here it is again. Tickets right now are already running up to $160(taxes and fees included) for both days. Thats not even including expenses day of show and figuring out your lodging arrangements for the weekend. Now would be a good time to actually start making an attempt to be friends with people from Miami. No joke, this festival will be mainstream as hell, but it will also have just about every act you could ask for.

A-Trak, Above & Beyond, Afrobeta, Alex Metric, Armin van Buren, ATB, Bassbin Twins vs. Uberzone, Bassnectar, The Bloody Beetroots, Carl Cox, Caspa, Crookers, The Crystal Method, Dan Black, Deadmau5, Diplo, The Disco Biscuits, Dirty South, Eric Prydz, Evil Nine, Faithless Sound System, Felix da Housecat, Freeland, Ghostland Observatory, The Glitch Mob, Green Velvet, Groove Armada, Infected Mushroom, Kevens, Lotus, LTJ Bukem, Major Lazer, Passion Pit, Plump DJs, Pretty Lights, Rabbit in the Moon (3D), Rusko, Skream, Steve Aoki, Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Toddla T, Will.i.am

Wanee Festival takes place in April and is close to home in Live Oak. It features a variety of jam/funk/roots based acts and brings wookies and bros from all over to call Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park home for the weekend. I have never been to an event here but from friends it sounds like they have always enjoyed themselves and met some cool people. The line up just came out this morning and it looks like a hippy-wet-dream.

Check out these bro’s experiences at Wanee way back in 2006.