craveonline

The sister set-up to the über-popular South By Southwest, this indie hub allows Canadians and Northern American fans alike access to the hottest acts, the newest films and the most important industry reps worldwide.  Aside from hundreds of band and artist performances at nearly three-dozen venues, NXNE also offers official attendees the opportunity to sit in on discussions, songwriter round tables, demo listening and peer critiquing, providing an outlet otherwise nonexistent in the music industry.

An Icon You Can (Sometimes) Count On: Though unofficial, NXNE does in fact have a sort of hidden mascot, appropriately named Sketchy. Rare stuffed versions of the rabid rabbit have recently been popping up on stage with musicians all over North America.

For starters (and for the sake of the uninformed), Bonnaroo has no connection whatsoever with U2 superstar Bono, though that’s not to say he wouldn’t fit in. While it started off with a focus primarily centered on jam bands, Bonnaroo has grown to feature an array of diverse musical varieties, but specifically rock and rap/hip hop. And though the Allman Brothers Band left a huge void after announcing they would no longer close the festival, the similarly Southern jam band Widespread Panic has since replaced them.

Stay for: Willie Nelson, B.B. King, and Death Cab for Cutie

What You Can Do at 2…A.M Made up of three areas (“This Tent,” “That Tent,” and the “Other Tent”), Centeroo is a 24-hour gathering place in the center of Bonnaroo, offering attendees an arcade, movies, comedy and many other tent-based luxuries.