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Experience the Soul of America Through Its Arts and Culture
Festivals, Annual Events & Music: From coast to coast, annual festivals light up the calendar. Get on your feet!
Held in Birmingham, Alabama, in September, Southbound is a 10-day Southern food festival that celebrates the region's culinary traditions and the way Southern food has evolved over the years. Featuring tastings, chef demos, and late-night bites with live music, the event spotlights both well-known and rising Southern chefs. It emphasizes storytelling, community, and hospitality, making it a distinct celebration of the past, present, and future of Southern food.
In Palm Springs, California, Modernism Week celebrates mid-century design, architecture, and culture with a packed schedule of home tours, exhibitions, and expert-led talks.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, skies fill with color at the International Balloon Fiesta from October 4- 12, 2025. Minneapolis celebrates butterflies and culture at the Monarch Festival (one of the largest and most well-established festivals of its kind) in September, while Atlanta, Georgia plans to rock out at Shaky Knees Music Festival (September 19-21, 2025), headlined this year by punk rock artists like Blink-182, Deftones, and My Chemical Romance.
Coming in 2026
There's something magical about hearing American music genres in the cities where they were born. New Orleans throws its legendary Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 23 to May 3, 2026), for sweet sounds from musical greats and a taste of Cajun cuisine, but on any given day jazz, brass bands and second-line parades fill the streets and local bars with soul.
Austin, Texas pulses in March with the energy of South by Southwest (SXSW), a festival that merges music, film, tech, and innovation. Over in Charleston, South Carolina, Spoleto Festival USA (May to June) offers opera, dance, theater, and Southern charm.
The largest Latin music fest in the country, Calle Ocho Music Festival will welcome visitors to Miami in March 2026 for a variety of musical stages, international food, folkloric dances, and entertainment for all ages.
The U.S. offers an exciting lineup of annual music festivals that celebrate the power of music
– ranging from the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California to the vibrant Lollapalooza in Chicago, each offering unforgettable performances and cultural experiences that draw fans from around the world.
Always Worth a Visit
In Nashville, Tennessee, country music comes alive nightly from the Grand Ole Opry to Broadway's rambunctious honky-tonk bars. And in Memphis, visitors can walk in the footsteps of musical legends: see live blues on Beale Street and pay tribute to Elvis Presley at Graceland. For the birthplace of Motown, visit Detroit, Michigan also known as the Motor City. Take a journey through the Motown Museum to learn about the place that gave us legends like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye.
Across the country, new exhibitions, landmark openings, and time-honored cultural traditions are giving travelers fresh reasons to explore the United States. Every destination tells a story and visitors from around the world are invited to explore the creative soul of the U.S.
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First Published:
August 12, 2025, 09:07 IST
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