10 Hot Summer Festivals for Groups
By Jim Shanklin, guest blogger
Festivals are perfect for enjoying vacations with friends or family. You can incorporate a festival into a family or class reunion, or organize a group for a road trip around a theme (such as a music or film festival).
Here are several summer festival ideas:
Portland Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon
Two parades, a rose show, two sports car races; Oregon's biggest and oldest festival.
Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago, Illinois
The world's largest blues festival; great acts on six stages in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Texas Folklife Festival**, San Antonio, Texas**
Belgian, Italian, Swedish, German performances; all proud Texans! A great festival.
Huck Finn's Country and Bluegrass Jubilee, Victorville, California
Family fun and games, bluegrass performances in a small town setting.
Seafair, Seattle, Washington
A full month of neighborhood events, parades, unlimited hydro-racing and air shows.
Mammoth Lakes Jazz Jubilee**, Mammoth Lakes, California**
Hot and cool jazz high in the mountains.
Finger Lakes Wine Festival**, Watkins Glen, New York**
New York wines, food, fun at historic Watkins Glen race track.
Country Thunder USA, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin
Country music; headline performers; overnight accommodations for motor homes, camping.
Fisherman's Feast of Boston**, Boston, Massachusetts**
One of America's oldest festivals in downtown Boston; started by Sicilians in 1910 and still going strong annually.
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival**, St. Cloud, Minnesota**
Bluegrass and other acoustic music in the Minnesota forest; camping, of course.
Jim Shanklin is founder of Festivals.com, the largest online resource for finding festivals all over the world, and EVP of Festival Media Corporation.