Music for the summer

On the last day of school, as students rush out to their cars, to the buses or almost sprint toward their houses, they will have those certain songs on repeat in their heads. Whether it might be as new as “Congratulations” by Post Malone, or as old as “Graduation” by Kanye West, these songs are their summer ballads.

With the amount of festivals in Michigan, however, plenty of other songs  may stick in the heads of music junkies this summer

One of the biggest in Michigan, Mo Pop Festival in Metro Detroit, blends pop, alternative, and rap in a two day gig, which takes place on the 29 and 30 of July, with a weekend pass costing around $110.

Looking for big names? Mo Pop has them. Alt-J; PVRIS; Tyler, The Creator; and Foster The People. Some smaller artists rep as well: Michigander, Humons and Shadowboxers. If you get a hunger, go pig out in the food truck alley filled with tons of variety like mac and cheese or pita sandwiches, or go crush some high scores at the arcade tent, complete with a DJ, competitions for high scores and air conditioning.

Mo Pop promotes amazing crafts, services and tech produced in the area. Looking for that new bag or new necklace? You are in luck. Mo Pop has that also, dedicating a part of the festival just to sell handbags, jewelry and other accessories, cosmetics and little crafts, all made in Michigan. These neat new buys are listed on their website.

If you are a fan of southern twang, how about Faster Horses at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan?

A one-person pass costs around $200 which will get you into seeing some big country names live, from July 21 through the 23. Some big artists appearing include Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker.

Not into a certain artist? Maybe go to a classic car show with hot rods and antiques.

If you run fast, you could do their fun run, complete with donations for a Flint foundation, which will help get water to Flint.

If you like parties and pancakes, you won’t be left out, as there will be a pancake party.

Finally, this festival in Detroit is completely for electronic dance lovers: Charivari, and the early bird tickets on their website run for $25 each. This festival starts on August 4 and ends on the 6. Although there are no names announced yet, this festival does have yoga and other events that cost a little extra.

Music is a key piece of some people’s lives, and it can allow self expression. You can make new friends through music, get through hard times, or just have a blast, and a festival is a perfect place for just that.