Festival forecast: 10 Atlanta music gatherings for 2015

Atlanta has become a hotbed for music festivals boasting lineups featuring big name headliners and under the radar hip-hop, indie rock, punk, and hardcore legends. There’s literally a five week stretch from Sept. 12 through Oct. 11 with massive festivals happening every weekend.

Here are 10 festivals on the calendar for the rest of 2015.

Raurfest
The second annual Raurfest features a plethora of young Atlanta hip-hop artists including Raury, Trinidad James, and Two-9, accompanied by the likes of Big K.R.I.T., Post Malone, and many more. Read Max Blau’s feature story “Can Raurfest reinvent the Freight Depot?” in CL’s 2015 Music Issue.
$20. 6 p.m., Fri., June 26. Georgia Freight Depot, 65 M.L.K. Dr. N.W.

Atlanta’s Burning
This three-day punk and hardcore festival brings bands from throughout the Eastern Seaboard and Midwestern states to “take everything and leave the heads.”
$10-$12. 8 p.m., Thurs., June 25. 529, 529 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-228-6769. www.529atlanta.com.
$15. 4 p.m. (both days). Fri. and Sat., June 26-27. The Mammal Gallery, 91 Broad St. S.W. www.mammalgallery.com.

Mad Decent Block Party
Atlanta is the first stop on this year’s Mad Decent Block Party circuit. The local stop features performances by acts such as Keys N Krates, Major Lazer, and Meaux Green among many others.
$48. 2:30 p.m. Fri., July 31 Masquerade Music Park, 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com.

Wrecking Ball
For the inaugural Wrecking Ball festival, the Masquerade brings 60 bands to O4W. Punk and hardcore are the order of the of the day for this weekend stacked with performances by heavy hitters such as Coheed and Cambria, Thrice, and Descendents. Keep an eye for local acts on the bill including Foundation, the Coathangers, Criminal Instinct, Blis., and more.
$110-$199. 2 p.m. Sat., Aug. 8 & 1 p.m. on Sun., Aug. 9. Masquerade. 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com.

Imagine Music Festival
This two-day EDM fest brings acts such as Lil Jon, Glitch Mob, Griz, and Datsik to O4W. USA Today listed Imagine as a “Top 10 Emerging Music Festival You Should Attend.”
$129-$299. 12 p.m., Sat., Aug 29- Sun., Aug. 30. Historic Fourth Ward Park and Masquerade. 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com.

One MusicFest
Homegrown urban music gathering One MusicFest “aims to bridge the gap between diverse audiences.” This year, the Southeast’s largest cross-genre musical arts festival features performances by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Raekwon+Ghostface, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Scarface, Janelle Monae, the Roots, Raury, and more.
$65.25-$103.95, Sat., Sept. 12. Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood, 2002 Lakewood Ave S.E.

Music Midtown
Since 1994 Music Midtown has delivered big name acts for the city’s longest running music fest. Run the Jewels, Elton John, Drake, Van Halen, and Sam Smith are among the many names gracing Music Midtown this year.
Fri., Sept. 18-Sun., Sept. 19. Piedmont Park, 1342 Worchester Dr N.E.

TomorrowWorld
At TomorrowWorld one can experience hundreds of DJs and glamping on the bucolic Georgia countryside of Chattahoochee Hills. The world’s premier EDM blowout.
$137-$357-$649-$1449-$1649. Fri., Sept. 25 through Sun., Sept. 27. Chattahoochee Hills

AfroPunk
AfroPunk is a two-day New York-based festival that’s set to take over O4W West’s Central Park on Sat., Oct. 3 and Sun., Oct. 4. More details about the festival will be revealed in July.
Central Park, 400 Merritts Ave. N.E.

A3C
The preeminent underground hip-hop festival representing “all three coasts” is back for its 11th year on Edgewood Ave. The five-day festival encompasses all aspects of hip-hop culture: music, art, film, style, education, and more.
$99-$119-$149-$174-$275. Wed. Oct.7-Sun. Oct 11. Edgewood Ave.