Those who feel unfulfilled by the array of music festivals and activities across the UK and Europe in 2025, then perhaps further afield might be of interest?
While there’s plenty on offer across the country and mainland Europe this year, we know for many there’s something romantic about hitting the US roads and touring the many locations not only to discover bits of local music history, but some of the biggest music festivals in the world.
It’s not just Coachella either; but with a glut of locations to travel too across the United States, and only so much time you can get off work, it might help to consolidate to one particular area of the country than attempt to travel from coast to coast.
That’s why Journeyscape have pitched in to look at the 10 must-see US cities when it comes to music in 2025, not solely based on what festivals are nearby either. The team also looked at the number of times the location has been used in songs, giving a little more ‘credence’ to their place in US music history.
The science part
To identify the best destinations for music lovers in the United States and Canada, Journeyscape compiled a list of cities renowned for their music scenes, using sources like Fifty Grande and supplementing it with major cities not featured in those articles.
For each city, they gathered data across five key factors: the number of music venues (sourced from Yelp) and concerts (from Songkick), both normalized per 100,000 people; the frequency of city mentions in song lyrics (via Chosic, using exact match filters); the number of nearby festivals (from Music Festival Wizard); and search interest in each city’s music scene over the past year (from Google Keyword Planner).
These factors were combined into an equally weighted score, calculated separately for U.S. and Canadian cities to determine the top destinations. Population data was sourced from the United States Census Bureau for U.S. cities and from City Population for Canadian metropolitan areas.
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Prince's hometown offers 200 concerts and 17 venues per 100,000 people, along with 15 nearby festivals such as the lively Minnesota Yacht Festival. The city’s unique flair is immortalized in 22,000 song lyrics. | Canva/Minnesota Yacht Club
6. Denver, Colorado
Denver's music scene is booming with 186 concerts and 15 venues per 100,000 people. The Denver Jazz Festival highlights the city's diverse musical tastes, while 15 festivals within reach make it a hotspot for music enthusiasts. | Canva/Denver Jazz Festival
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The City of Brotherly Love features 80 concerts and 6 venues per 100,000 people, alongside 31 nearby festivals. With 21,800 lyric mentions, Philly’s soulful roots shine, and events like the Sing Us Home Festival celebrate its vibrant scene. | Canva/Sing Us Home Festival
8. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago’s deep musical heritage is reflected in its 130,000 lyric mentions. Hosting 61 concerts per 100,000 people and 19 festivals like the iconic Windy City Smoke Out, the city blends blues, jazz, and modern sounds seamlessly. | Canva/Windy City Smokeout