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10 EDM Festivals in September You Need to Check Out

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By Kaitlyn Finley

Raveraide Blog Writer

Looking for the best EDM festivals in September?

Alexa, play “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. That song has been stuck in my head the entire time I’ve been writing this post! Anyways… let’s move on. In the world of EDM, the month of September is INSANE. There are music festivals happening literally every. Single. Weekend! Did I mention that they all are blessed with incredible lineups, awesome locations, and impeccable vibes? Yeah… good luck trying to choose which ones to go to. (RIP)

In this post, I’ll be talking about the best EDM festivals in September with general information about each one. The neat thing about all the September festivals is how unique each one is! You can find bass-focused ones, house and techno-focused ones, and even some that play all genres of music! Choosing which ones you want to attend will certainly be tough, so hopefully this post can help you narrow it down!

EDM Festivals in September

1.) North Coast Music Festival

September 1st-3rd, 2023 | Bridgeview, Illinois

https://www.northcoastfestival.com/

What a way to kick off the month of September! North Coast is an awesome festival that takes place at the SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, which is about a 35-minute drive from Chicago. A great thing about the SeatGeek Stadium is that there is seating inside the stadium, so you can sit down and relax during the set you’re watching. Trust me, your feet will thank you for that!

The music at North Coast is absolutely top-tier. Honestly, every single name on the 2022 lineup was crazy. They had Illenium, Subtronics, Fisher, Diplo, and the list goes on and on. The music is usually super diverse, which makes this festival perfect for every kind of raver! The festival is also quite large and has plenty of areas designated for going hard and for just chilling out. I would totally recommend North Coast to someone who is going to a festival for the first time!

2.) Electric Zoo

September 1st-3rd, 2023 | New York City, New York

https://electriczoo.com/

Electric Zoo is option number two for the first weekend of September! This is another festival with a diverse EDM lineup, so there’s something for everybody! What really makes this festival stand out in my opinion is the location. It takes place at Randall’s Island Park, which is right in the middle of New York City. The venue sits along the East River and is accompanied by beautiful views of the New York City skyline. There are also a ton of nightclubs in New York that throw insane afterparties!

Since Electric Zoo is in such a dense area, there are many different ways to get there. If you don’t want to drive (it’s New York City, no one wants to drive), you can access the festival by taking the ferry, subway, bus, or Brooklyn shuttle. You can even walk or ride a bike if your lodging is close enough! I would 100% recommend taking some kind of public transportation because it’s a great way to meet fellow ravers headed in the same direction!

Quick fun fact! International editions of Electric Zoo have taken place in Mexico City, Tokyo, Shanghai, and São Paulo!

3.) Arc Music Festival

September 1st-3rd, 2023 | Chicago, Illinois

https://arcmusicfestival.com/

Another. Festival. On. The. Same. Weekend. Festival directors, are you guys good? This weekend in September is also clearly a big one for the state of Illinois because they have this festival AND North Coast at the same time!

Arc Music Festival is a house and techno festival held at Union Park, which you can find in the Near West Side of Chicago. Chicago is actually the birthplace of house music, so the location of this festival couldn’t be any more perfect! A good tip for Arc is to try to use public transportation to get to the festival because driving/Ubering can be tricky and expensive in such a large city.

Even though Arc Music Festival has only been around since 2021, it’s now one of the largest house music events in the country and has secured its spot in the hearts of many. The stacked lineup will make any househead swoon, with artists like Chris Lake, Cloonee, and Wax Motif, who played in 2022. If you’re craving a weekend full of boots and cats and untz, untz, untz, this is the festival for you!

4.) Big Fam Music Festival

September 2nd-4th, 2022 | Farwell, Michigan

https://www.bigfamfestival.com/

Big Fam Music Festival is a fairly new camping festival that takes place on Liberty Mountain in Farwell, Michigan. The location and natural scenery are huge highlights of the venue and really enhance the overall experience of the festival. The festival gives off a very warm, welcoming energy and puts a lot of emphasis on community and expressing yourself!

The music at Big Fam is mainly what I like to call “hippie EDM,” which is basically just experimental bass, deep dubstep, indie, etc. In addition to the wonderful performances, the festival offers things like yoga, meditation sessions, and educational workshops to help the mind and body. Art is also a huge part of the experience! The festival features an entire art gallery of creations made by the people of Big Fam. Another thing I thought was super neat about the venue is its disc golf course! If you’re interested in attending Big Fam, be sure to keep an eye out for any information that comes out about it!

5.) Dancefestopia

September 4th-10th, 2023 | Lacygne, Kansas

https://www.dancefestopia.com/

Have you ever wanted to feel like you’re living in the movie The Wizard of Oz? I have just the suggestion for you! Dancefestopia is a next-level camping music festival in Kansas that makes you feel like you’re living in the movie. Something to note about the location of the festival is that it’s actually held in Lacygne, not Kansas City. Lacygne is about an hour drive from Kansas City, so plan accordingly! The thing that stood out the most to me with this festival is that it’s open seven days and seven nights if you decide to camp. Like, a WHOLE week of camping and hanging out and then a whole weekend of festivities? Sign me up right now! If that seems a little overwhelming, there’s also other camping options available!

The camping atmosphere is absolutely fantastic at Dancefestopia! You stay in a gorgeous, wooded area in the forest and there’s not really any designated spots, so you and the rave fam can create your own little community! (Be sure to be respectful though!) Another cool thing about camping at Dancefestopia is the Forest Stage, where campers can take over and perform, play music, flow, tell stories, etc. As for the actual festival, I’ve heard nothing but good things! The environment, the people, and the energy seem wonderful. And the music?! Well, the lineup for 2023 already came out and I nearly fainted when I saw it… It’s absolute carnage. If you like bass music, you need to check it out!

6.) Sacred Acre Music Festival

September 8th-10th, 2023 | Ninilchik, Alaska

https://www.sacredacreak.com/

This one is for all the homies in Alaska! If I’m being completely honest, this is the first ever festival I’ve seen in Alaska! There’s definitely more, I just live under a rock. Sacred Acre is held at the beautiful Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, Alaska. According to the festival’s website, “Sacred Acre” basically means the area that lies between low and high tide. The festival gets this name because of its unique location which is a perfect mix of forest, mountains, and water!

This is definitely a much more intimate festival than most, which I personally think is a wonderful experience! There is camping available, but just know that it’s Alaska so it probably gets freezing! The music is mainly chill/wonky bass music based on what was on the 2022 lineup. The main headliners were Clozee, LSDream, and Opiuo, if that paints a better picture! You can also enjoy other experiences at Sacred Acre like the art and workshops!

7.) Imagine Music Festival

September 15th-17th, 2023 | Rome, Georgia

https://www.imaginefestival.com/

Can you IMAGINE a music festival this amazing? (Sorry.) Imagine Music Festival is an under-the-sea-themed festival about an hour and a half north of Atlanta, Georgia. Some of you may remember Imagine being held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in past years. If you weren’t a fan of that venue, then you should definitely check out the new spot! The beautiful new venue, Kingston Downs, features vast grassy fields that are perfect for a music festival. One thing I recommend being prepared for at this venue is the hills. You have to walk up some pretty steep hills to get to certain areas of the festival, so pack some comfortable shoes and get your stamina up!

As soon as I saw the 2022 lineup, I knew I had to buy a ticket. I was blown away by all the amazing artists they were able to get like Excision, Subtronics, Illenium, Griz, etc! It was the perfect mix of genres and there were some legendary label takeover sets. Something I really enjoyed was the late-night renegade sets because they had a boiler room type of setup and the sets got more intimate and experimental as the night went on. The main festival grounds were well-decorated and each stage had its own unique design! If you feel the need to get away from everything and just relax, make sure to check out the river tubing experience that the festival offers! Also, make sure to bring a little extra money because the vendor area is huge and has so many neat things to look at!

8.) Life is Beautiful

September 22nd-24th, 2023 | Las Vegas, Nevada

https://www.lifeisbeautiful.com/

If you’re struggling to plan when to send it to Las Vegas, I 100% recommend the weekend of September 22nd. Why? Oh I don’t know, maybe because the craziest Vegas street party is happening that weekend! Life is Beautiful is basically a ginormous block party style festival that takes place in the streets of downtown Las Vegas. Apart from the impressive stages and festival-level production, Life is Beautiful also offers amazing art installations, food trucks, and local businesses.

The festival takes place about 20 minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip, so all of your after-party plans are just a short car ride away! The music at Life is Beautiful is perfect for everyone because there’s a lot more than just EDM! The 2022 lineup had great DJs like Calvin Harris and Kygo, as well as legends from other genres like Artic Monkeys, Jack Harlow, and Beach House! From what I’ve seen online, this festival is just pure madness! If you decide to go, make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there’s only concrete and pavement to walk on!

9.) Lost Lands

September 22nd-24th, 2023 | Legend Valley, Ohio

https://www.lostlandsfestival.com/

If you like any kind of bass music, Lost Lands is the place to be. Lost Lands is literally the final boss of dubstep festivals! This epic festival is thrown in the wilderness of Legend Valley, Ohio, and takes you back in time to the land of dinosaurs! You can find life-sized dinosaur statues all around the festival, and make sure you say hello to Becky! To make things even crazier, Excision is the creator of Lost Lands and plays multiple sets! The lineup is always an unbelievable masterpiece and gets better every year.

Lost Lands is known for its top-notch audio and visual production quality. Many people have told me that Lost Lands had the loudest speakers they’ve ever heard and that the main stage is larger than I could even comprehend. Sounds like heaven to me! There’s also plenty of camping available if that’s what you’re into! Ohio in the fall tends to get pretty cold, so be mindful of that and pack mostly warm and cozy things!

10.) Same Same But Different Festival

September 28th-October 1st, 2023 | Lake Perris, California

https://www.ssbdfest.com/

Want to end the month of September with a bang? Head on over to sunny Southern California to check out Same Same but Different! Same Same but Different is a tropical paradise located right on the coast of Lake Perris, California. When I say right on the coast, I mean RIGHT ON THE COAST. The entire festival is directly on the sandy beach, and so is some of the camping! Imagine waking up every morning to a beautiful beach sunrise! Every day you will see hundreds of people partying on the sand, swimming in the water, or just chilling on floaties.

The best way I can describe the music at this festival is just funky and vibey, pretty much exactly what you expect at a beachfront festival! Some names from the 2022 lineup that stood out to me were Griz, Tipper, and The Glitch Mob. There are also a bunch of decorations, art decorations, workshops, and wellness classes to enhance your experience at the festival!

After an absolutely insane month of back-to-back events, we have finally reached the end! September is a huge month for the EDM community, and I truly wish I could attend each and every one of these amazing festivals. I would say my top three bucket list festivals from this post would definitely be Lost Lands, Dancefestopia, and North Coast! I hope you all enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it. Until next time Raveraide Fam!

This post was all about EDM festivals in September.

Kaitlyn Finley

Kaitlyn was born and raised in sunny South Florida and is now living in Orlando. She is attending the University of Central Florida and working towards a bachelor's degree in marketing. Her music festival journey began in 2019 at EDC Orlando, and it was absolutely life-changing. Her love of EDM grew exponentially as festivals continued to gift her the joys of love, friendship, and belongingness. Her main goals in life are to attend as many festivals as she can and eventually have a career in the EDM entertainment industry. Experimental bass is her genre of choice, Okeechobee is her favorite festival, and LSDream is her current favorite artist. Follow her on IG @kaitlynsexperience!