Rae Sremmurd will serve as one of the headliners of this years Broccoli City Festival on May 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. Late April and early May is the busiest time for music festivals in the area. Photo Courtesy of EarDrummers/Interscope

Before you know it, late April and May will be here. This time period is the busiest time of year when it comes to music festivals in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. So far, M3 Rock Festival, Charm City Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Broccoli City Festival, Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival, Circa Blue Fest (West Virginia), DC 101 Kerfuffle, Preakness Infieldfest, Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, Maryland Deathfest, & Delfest have confirmed dates and lineups. The following festivals have dates, but no lineup: Funk Parade, & Sowebo Arts & Music Festival. The only festival without any date or lineup is Sweetlife Festival which is scaling back this year. Sweetlife Festival has been at Merriweather Post Pavilion the past several years, this year the festival will take place at the location where it originally started, Sweetgreen’s Dupont Circle parking lot in Washington, DC.

More details including dates and lineups can be found below. Some festivals are still offering reduced ticket prices. Get your tickets early so you are not paying full price come festival time.

April

M3 Rock Festival

Date: April 28 & 29, 2017
Location: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
April 28, 2017 Lineup: Kix, Loverboy, Winger, Faster Pussycat, Dangerous Toys, Baton Rouge, Station, and Lita Ford
April 29 2017 Lineup: Ratt featuring Percy, DeMartini, Croucier, Cinderell’s Tom Keifer, Dokken, Warrant, Jack Russell’s Great White, Xixen, Loudness, Danger Danger, Autograph, Rhino Bucket, Junkyard, Bang Tango, Vain, Mitch Malloy
Website: m3rockfest.com
Facebook: facebook.com/M3RockFest | Twitter: @M3RockFestival

Charm City Folk and Bluegrass Festival

Date: April 29, 2017
Location: Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD
Lineup: The Lone Bellow, Cabinet, Cris Jacobs, Dustbowl Revival, Lonesome River Band, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Valerie Smith & Libery Pike, and More TBA.
Website: charmcitybluegrass.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CharmCityBluegrass | Twitter: @CCbluegrassfest

May

Broccoli City Festival

Date: May 6, 2017
Location: Gateway DC
Lineup: Rae Sremmurd, Solange, 21 Savage, AlundaGeorge, Lil Yacthy, Rapsody, Kevin The Abstract, Smino, Chaz French, Nick Grant, Rejjie Snow, Sir The Baptist
Website: bcfestival.com
Facebook: Broccoli City | Twitter: @BroccoliCity

Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival

Date: May 13, 2017
Location: Kingman Island, Washington, DC
Line-up: Town Mountain, Dom Flemons, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, The Woodshedders, Walter Martin, Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line, The War & Treat, The Honey Dewdrops, Charm City Junction with Ken Kolodner, By & By, The Sligo Creek Stompers, Run Come See, Mountain Ride, After Jack, Justin Trawick & the Common Good, Adrian & Meredith, Luray, Ladybird, Vim & Vigor, Man About a Horse, Blue Plains, The Coteries, Elena Lacayo, Julie Outrage, Rich Daniels, The Sunrise Review, Snakehead Run, Moose Jaw, King Street Bluegrass, Split String Soup, Two Ton Twig, Ampersand String Band with Jonny Grave, AJ Head, Crys Matthews, Gina Sobel, Sarah Quintana
Website: kingmanislandbluegrass.com
Facebook: facebook.com/KIBluegrassFest | Twitter: @KIBluegrassFest

Circa Blue Fest

Date: May 12 – 14, 2017
Location: Fair Grounds-harry D. Shelley Park, Martinsburg WV (ROAD TRIP!)
Lineup: Seldom Scene, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Jim Hurst Trio, Circa Blue, Chris Jones and The Night Drivers, Johnny Staats and the Delivery Boys & More to Come!
Website: circabluefest.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CircaBlueFest | Twitter: @CircaBlueFest

Funk Parade

Date: May 6, 2017
Location: U Street, Washington, DC
Lineup: TBD
Website: funkparade.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thefunkparade | Twitter: @FunkParade

Sweetlife Festival

Date: TBD
Location: Sweetgreens-DuPont Circle, Washington, DC
Lineup: TBD
Website: sweetlifefestival.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sweetlifefestival | Twitter: @SweetlifeFest

DC101 Kerfuffle 2017

Date: May 14, 2017
Location: Merriweather Post Pavilion
Lineup: King of Leon, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Fitz and the Tantrums, Catfish and the Bottlemen
Website: dc101.iheart.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dc101 | Twitter: @dc101

Preakness Infieldfest at Pimlico

Date: May 20, 2017
Location: Pimlico Course
Lineup: LOCASH, Good Charlotte, Sam Hunt and more to be announced.
Website: preakness.com/infield/infieldfest
Facebook: facebook.com/InfieldFest | Twitter: @PreaknessStakes

Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival

Date: May 20 & 21, 2017
Location: Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, MD
May 20th Lineup: The Mavericks, Butch Trucks & The Freight Train Band, Walter Trout, Samanth Fish, Toronzo Cannon, Frank Bang & the Cook County Kings, Sweet Leda
May 21st Lineup: Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Ana Popovic, William Bell Band, The Mississippi Blues Child Mr. Sipp, The Apocolypse Blues Revue, Swamp Candy
Website: bayblues.org
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Chesapeake-Bay-Blues-Festival/238000380291 | Twitter: @ChesBayBlues

Sowebo Arts and Music Festival

Date: May 28, 2017
Location: 100 and 1000 blocks of Hollins Street, Baltimore, MD
Lineup: TBD
Website: soweboarts.org
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Sowebo-Arts-and-Music-Festival/355515701596

Maryland Deathfest (MDF)

Date: May 25-28, 2017
Location: 545 N. High Street (Edison parking lot), Baltimore Soundstage & Rams Head Live.
Lineup: Acid King, Akercocke (UK) – Exclusive U.S. appearance!, Autopsy, Behexen (Finland) – Exclusive U.S. appearance!, Brodequin, Decrepit Birth, Dopethrone Embalmer, In The Woods… (Norway) – Exclusive U.S. appearance!, Iron Lung, Kerasphorus, Macabre, Morbid Angel (with Trey Azagthoth and Steve Tucker), Nightbringer, Nordjevel (Norway), Sargeist (Finland) – Exclusive U.S. appearance!, Siege, Terrorizer (World Downfall set), Usurper
Website: marylanddeathfest.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MarylandDeathfest | Twitter: @mddeathfest

Delfest

Date: May 25-28, 2017
Location: Cumberland, MD (ROAD TRIP!)
Lineup: The Del McCoury Band, The Travelin’ McCoury’s, Feat. Appearance by Special Guest Dierks Bentley, Trey Anastasio Band (Two Sets), Gov’t Mule, Bela Fleck & Chris Thile, Leftover Salmon, Hot Rize, The Infamous Stringdusters, Steep Canyon Rangers, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Sierra Hull, Jeff Austin Band, Cabinet, Donna The Buffalo, Billy Strings, Joe Craven & The Sometimes, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Dre’s Gospel Collective, Railroad Earth, Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers, Tim O’Brien, The Gibson Brothers (special trio set: Leigh & Eric Gibson and Mike Barber), River Whyless, Dead Man Winter feat. Dave Simonett (Trampled By Turtles),Cris Jacobs, The Broomestix, Dead Winter Carpenters, The Ballroom Thieves, Head For the Hills, Ghost of Paul Revere, Kitchen Dwellers, Grand Ole’ Ditch
Website: delfest.com
Facebook: facebook.com/delfest| Twitter: @DelFest

Are you a music festival lover? I keep track of music festival news in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Click here to see the complete list of upcoming music festivals in the area as well as some that are worth the road trip.