Coachella: General Admission pass: $285 … sold out
Beale Street Music Festival: 3 day pass: $75, 1 day pass: $32.50
Hangout: 3 day pass: $209 … sold out
Gulfport: Fri: $50,Sat: $60, Sun: $70, 3 day pass: $119
Sasquatch: 4 day pass: $315
Wakarusa: Full event pass: $ 179, 3 day: $139, 2 day: $99
Bonnaroo: 4 day pass: $259
CMA: 4 day pass: $125
Electric Forest: 4 day weekend pass: $242.50
Camp Bisco: 3 day pass: $170
Lollapalooza: 3 day pass: $230
Psst.. For sold-out festivals, check the Internet! Many websites buy tickets and don’t sell out immediately.
By Casey Smith
Staff Writer
 
Music festival season is kicking off this weekend with the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, Calif.
 The festival is split between two weekends in April with artists representing several genres. There is still time to head out to California to catch some artists such as Feist, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg, Gotye, Neon Indian, Santigold and other popular talents.
Unwind right after exams at the Beale Street Music Festival. This festival is held during the first weekend in May every year as part of the Memphis in May International Festival. The three-day event offers something for all types of music lovers. A few big names performing this year include Florence and the Machine, Three Six Mafia, The Civil Wars, Alison Kraus and Union Station, Wiz Khalifa and many more.
The Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Ala. is coming up May 18 through 20. The beach festival is now in its third year and is experiencing record ticket sales. Several members of Mississippi State University’s Music Maker Productions received the opportunity to intern with the festival this summer. 
Hayley Alexander, senior communication major, did local promotional work for the festival during its first two years and is one of the 11 Music Makers interning at the festival.
“I can’t imagine a better way to start my summer than being on a southern beach for three days hearing top-notch bands,” she said. “It’s worth every penny and sunburn.”
Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Skrillex and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are just a few of the names playing at the Hangout this year.
Also happening at the same time is the second-annual Gulfport Music Festival. This new music festival is the largest one of its kind to take place on the coast of Mississippi. This year Maroon Five, Cobra Starship, Brian Fuente, Gary Allan, Nelly and Justin Moore are all making the trip to the Gulf Coast.
Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge Ampitheatre in Gorge, Wash., will once again be the setting for the 2012 Sasquatch Music Festival. The drive to Washington is definitely worth it when acts such as Beck, Bon Iver, The Shins and John Reilly and Friends will be there waiting.
Wakarusa Music Festival is held annually in the scenic Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. The four-day festival will take place May 31 through June 3 and will feature Pretty Lights, Primus, Matisyahu, Mimosa and Slightly Stoopid. In addition to music, festival-goers can experience all the beautiful Ozark Mountains have to offer including hiking, canoeing and kayaking.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is another annual four-day music festival held on a large campsite in Manchester, Tenn. The festival has multiple stages of live music as well as comedy acts and vendors and will be held June 7 through 10. The ticket price includes admission for all four days of the festival. Attendees can pitch a tent or bring along an RV for the weekend. Be warned: showers cost seven dollars.
Mary Leigh Morris, senior mathematics major, said her favorite part of Bonnaroo was the elaborately decorated campsites and discovering new artists.
“It was great to walk into a tent where an artist I didn’t know was performing and discover a completely new sound I would have missed out on otherwise,” she said.
Headliners at Bonnaroo this year include Radiohead, Phish, The Avett Brothers, Foster the People and Aziz Ansari.
The 41st Country Music Awards Music Festival is also June 7 through 10. The festival is held in Nashville, Tenn., and kicks off the day after the CMT Music Awards. Some of country’s biggest stars such as The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton will perform during the four-day festival held at LP Field. Country music fans will not want to miss this.
The Rothbury Festival returned last summer as the renamed Electric Forest Festival. Rothbury, Mich., is the site for this four-day music festival occurring June 28 through July 1. The festival is known for typically hosting jam bands. Performers making a stop this year include The String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar and STS9, as well as bands which have made a few stops in Starkville such as Mimosa, Zoogma and Papadosio.
Camp Bisco is a three-day outdoor music festival with camping held at the Indian Lookout Country Club near Albany, New York. Camp Bisco was founded by the Disco Biscuits and is now in its eleventh year. Bassnectar, Crystal Castles, Lotus and the Disco Biscuits are a few of the names set to perform on one of the five stages at the event July 12 through 14.
Lastly, round out a summer of music in Chicago, Ill., at Lollapalooza on Aug. 3 through 5. Located in downtown Chicago, Grant Park will play host to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Passion Pit and many more.
Who says summers are boring when amazing music festivals such as these are happening just miles away? Start saving up spare change and go experience one of these awesome festivals this summer.