Your Backstage Pass to the Las Vegas Music Scene

An immersive giant space orb concert venue that will host a crowd up to 5,000 people is coming to Las Vegas in 2020. Until then, there are still lots of concerts to be seen and music to be heard in the entertainment capital of the world. Plus residencies like Aerosmith, the Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga definitely make a Vegas visit worth it. Choose your favorite genre from this lineup of music festivals to shuffle through or have on repeat in your memories for years to come.

Electronic Dance Music

Since 2011, roughly 400,000 people attend the largest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in North America every year: Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). It’s hosted every May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it’s more than just a colorful carnival filled with world-class talent. Many attendees consider it an escape to a multi-sensory experience filled with glitter, neon colors and eight stages that combined are almost as large as a New York City block. From dusk until dawn, this EDM wonderland blossoms into a fairy tale carnival place where rides and performers are walking around where yoga, speakers, aerobics, food, spas and campsites galore are available to all attendees.

European Music

What happens in Vegas still stays in Vegas, but if you attend the European Music Festival (EMF), it’s like you’re transported straight to Europe! In May, gigantic replicas of famous European landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Temple of Zeus, Pisa Tower, Dracula’s Castle, Irish Pubs and German Beer Halls surround you while you’re at the Lawn at Downtown Sumerlin in Las Vegas. It aims to create a feeling of unity and excitement through authentic European culture, cuisine and drinks, art and music.

Hip-hop, Pop and Rap Music

In September, the urban streets of downtown Las Vegas are dubbed home for a three-day event Life is Beautiful, which mixes classic icons with popular acts to create a sense and symbol of joy, connection and creativity. You’ll walk amongst top artists, motivators, culinary talents and so much more where art, music, food and learning take over your itinerary. Concert performances, strolling musicians, street performers and artists will pave the path of positivity that led Billboard Live to nominate it for “Music Festival of the Year” in 2018.

Country Music

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) Party for a Cause takes place across various Las Vegas venues in April. Proceeds from ACM Lifting Lives are dedicated to improving lives through the power of music by developing and funding music-related therapy and education programs in schools and music camps for those in need. This year, the ACM Party for a Cause takes place during “The Week Las Vegas Goes Country.” Who wouldn’t want to attend a concert that gives back?

Alternative, Indie and Rock Music

Calling all hipsters! Are you eager to celebrate and jam out in Vegas? Many are still waiting for 2019 plans for Neon Reverb, the 14th-annual multi-venue music festival for well-curated indie and alternative rock bands, but according to Las Vegas Weekly, that’s a good thing. Usually this lineup includes nearly 100 performers across seven different venues and the holdup is because they’re growing even more! Their DIY approach from the local community and new sponsor hopes to unite and boast all that Las Vegas offers is something worth waiting until late spring or early fall.

A Little Bit of Everything

If you listen to the radio on your daily commute, chances are you’ve heard about the annual two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas every September. Started nine years ago, it’s the largest music festival for getting a taste of every genre. The T-Mobile Arena features non-stop hits, the latest emerging artists across all genres and platforms and over 20 of the biggest, most iconic names in the music industry perform. When the sun comes up, onsite experiences in “day villages” appear. They’re filled with stages, markets, food, salons, photo booths, contests and so much more so if the music stops, you don’t have to.