The Music Festival Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Music Festival Quiz
Image: © Gerry Maceda/Corbis

About This Quiz

As temperatures rise and summer weather beckons, music lovers worldwide flock to festivals. How much do you know about your fave fests? It's time to face the music.
What is arguably the most famous EDM festival in North America?
Ultra
Coachella
Sonar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ultra, held in Miami, is typically held over a weekend for fans of EDM (electronic dance music). Past Ultra festivals have featured sets by Armin Van Buuren, Skrillex and Deadmau5.

New Orleans Jazz Fest is one of the oldest music festivals around. When was the first Jazz Fest?
1958
1982
1970
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival started in 1970. In 2014, it attracted over 430,000 people over the week-long event. Headlined by artists like Elton John, The Who, and dozens of jazz and blues artists, the festival also features art, food and other local culture.

Which California-based music festival tends to make news for its celebrity sightings as much as its musical lineup?
Lollapalooza
Coachella
Burning Man
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Coachella, held out in the desert in Indio, California, attracts many celebrities due to its proximity to Los Angeles. Founded in 1999, it takes place over two weekends and features a who's who of popular music and art.

Advertisement

Where is the Roskilde Music Festival held?
Germany
Finland
Denmark
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Held each year in Denmark, Roskilde is one of Europe's largest music festivals. Created in 1971 by two high school students, it boasts a mix of popular and cutting-edge artists. It unfortunately made international news in 2000 when, during Pearl Jam's set, nine fans were crushed to death when the crowd rushed the stage.

In 2008 at Coachella, Prince did a cover song that became an instant hit when video surfaced online. What was the song?
Radiohead's "Creep"
Outkast's "Hey Ya"
Beyonce's "Crazy in Love"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After fan footage of Prince performing Radiohead's 1993 hit song "Creep" went viral, Prince had the video pulled. In late 2015, Radiohead publicly asked Prince to put it back up, stating it was their song, after all. And the Internet once again went nuts.

What is the largest music festival in the United States?
Coachella
Lollapalooza
Summerfest
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Summerfest, held each year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, boasted 850,000 attendees in 2014. Bands call the weeklong event "the Big Gig." It's also a cheap ticket, charging as low as $15 for a one-day pass.

Advertisement

What singer formed a music festival as a farewell tour for his band?
Paul Westerberg
Perry Farrell
Travis Barker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Perry Farrell, the lead singer of the band Jane's Addiction, founded Lollapalooza in 1991 as a farewell tour for the band. Since then, the festival has evolved into a three-day affair of music, comedy, and art.

What music festival is named after an American folklore figure?
Bigfoot
Chupacabra
Sasquatch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Sasquatch! music fest, held in Washington state, takes place over two weekends each May. It attracts dozens of eclectic acts, and the main stage is a cliff overlooking a giant gorge. In 2013, the festival tickets sold out in 90 minutes.

What is the world's most profitable music festival?
Bonnaroo
Coachella
SXSW
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Billboard reported the 2015 Coachella music fest grossed more than $84 million in ticket sales, a world record. Tickets went on sale — and sold out — nearly a year in advance, without buyers even knowing the lineup.

Advertisement

This festival goes on a full North American tour each summer, hitting around 40 cities.
Warped Tour
Lollapalooza
Electric Daisy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Warped Tour, featuring pop-punk, metalcore and everything in between, builds up and tears down an entire festival each day — for an entire summer every year. It started in 1995 and as of 2015 shows no signs of slowing down.

This music festival nearly turned into a disaster in 2013 after heavy rains, forcing many bands and concertgoers to abandon the area.
Bonnaroo
Governor's Ball
Jazz Fest
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 2013 Governor's Ball on Randall's Island in NYC was deluged with heavy rains and high winds. Several acts were cancelled, and transportation delays turned the area into a mess. Many people were forced to leave their vehicles behind, trapped in the mud.

During Woodstock in 1969, undoubtedly history's greatest music festival, what artist took to the stage at 3:30 a.m. to wake up the sleepy crowd?
Sly & The Family Stone
James Brown
Jimi Hendrix
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the wee hours of the morning in upstate New York, Sly & the Family Stone weren't ready to let the party end. They took to the stage with a bombastic set widely considered one of the band's finest.

Advertisement

In 1996, this singer formed Lilith Fair, which traveled each summer for three years and was briefly revived in 2010.
Jewel
Sarah McLachlan
Sheryl Crow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sarah McLachlan founded the all-women artists festival Lilith Fair as a response to radio stations and concert promoters who wouldn't play or book two female artists in a row. Hopefully the fact that Lilith Fair is now defunct means that times have changed.

In what country is Bonnaroo held?
Australia
Europe
United States
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although it might sound more like a cute Australian animal, the Bonnaroo music festival is held each year in Tennessee. It lasts four days, and although it started out with mostly folk and jam bands, it's expanded to include rock, indie and hip-hop acts as well.

What 1985 music festival raised money for Ethiopian famine relief?
Live Aid
Band Aid
Farm Aid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Live Aid, a dual-venue concert held in both London and Philadelphia, had an estimated global broadcast audience of almost 2 billion people. In addition to legendary performances by bands like Queen and U2, the festival raised millions of dollars.

Advertisement

At Lollapalooza 1993, what band stood onstage naked with tape over their mouths in lieu of performing to protest censorship?
Nirvana
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rage Against the Machine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To protest albums being labeled with "Parental Advisory" stickers by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), Rage Against the Machine stood naked and silent onstage. They let it all hang out, with PMRC spelled out on their chests, until the police hauled them off.

This EDM group's 2006 Coachella performance is still lauded as one of the most seminal of its career.
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk
Skrillex
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In their first performance in the States since 1997, Daft Punk's Coachella performance blew the audience away. An hour-long set with an LED pyramid and spectacular light show, fans agreed it was worth the wait.

Which music festival is based on a long-running television show of the same name?
South by Southwest
Austin City Limits
Rock in Rio
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Austin City Limits is an American music program on PBS television that has run since 1976. It spawned the Austin City Limits music festival in 2002, which now runs for two weekends and attracts acts from country and rock to jazz and folk.

Advertisement

What is the largest music festival in the world?
Summerfest
Rock in Rio
Donauinselfest
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Donauinselfest is, without a doubt, the biggest music fest on the planet. Held annually in Vienna, 3 million people attended in 2014. It takes place on an island in the Danube River, and attendees must take a ferry to get there. A mix of local and international artists perform. And we bet you've never even heard of it.

Which festival features a nude run as part of the festivities?
Roskilde
Bonnaroo
Coachella
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roskilde, held in Denmark each year, holds a nude running competition. Each male and female winner receives free tickets to the next year's concert.

Which music festival's name means "best on the streets"?
Bonnaroo
Donauinselfest
Mawazine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bonnaroo, the music fest in Tennessee, is actually New Orleans slang for "best on the streets." It's a blend of two French words — "bon" and "rue."

Advertisement

What classic rock band, famous for its inflatable pig, saw said pig break loose at Coachella 2008 and float away?
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Pink Floyd
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pink Floyd is known for its two-story inflatable pig used onstage. At Coachella in 2008, it broke free and floated away. It was later found two miles away in a neighborhood. Organizers paid the homeowner $10,000 and lifetime festival tickets for the pig's safe return. The owner donated the money but kept the tickets.

The first-ever Glastonbury festival was held in 1970 in England. How much were the tickets?
1 pound
10 pounds
5 pounds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tickets for the first Glastonbury music fest were only 1 pound. The headliner was T-Rex (after The Kinks suddenly cancelled), and concertgoers were treated to free milk from a neighboring farm. Today, Glastonbury tickets go for more than 220 pounds.

Approximately how many people attend music festivals in the United States each year?
7 million
32 million
18 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to a 2014 Nielsen report, 32 million Americans go to music festivals each year.

Advertisement

During the original Woodstock, there was only one incident of violence during the entire three-day festival. It happened during what band's set?
Jimi Hendrix
Grateful Dead
The Who
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During The Who's set, activist Abbie Hoffman jumped onstage to protest … something. Guitarist Pete Townsend whacked him in the head with his instrument and continued on with the song.

What EDM festival has won three Best Music Event awards and counting as of 2014?
Ultra
Tomorrowland
Electric Daisy Carnival
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Held in Boom, Belgium each year, Tomorrowland consistently wins awards for best music festival. It began in 2005 and features the best in electronic dance music, with artists like Alesso and Armin Van Buuren.

Sometimes called the "cousin of Coachella," what's the name of this country music festival?
Stagecoach
Taste of Country
Big Barrel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stagecoach Festival is held in the same venue as Coachella each year. Featuring country, alt-country, bluegrass and folk, the fest grows each year at a rapid pace.

Advertisement

This festival only started in 2012 but has already expanded from California to the East Coast and Japan.
Bumbleshoot
KCON
CounterPoint
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

KCON, a K-Pop music festival, celebrates Korean pop music and culture. It features three days of panels, meet-and-greets and games and two nights of concerts by K-Pop artists.

This punk festival began in Chicago in 2005 as a multi-venue music fest and carnival.
Riot Fest
Warped Tour
Governor's Ball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Riot Fest started out moving from venue to venue but found an outdoor home in 2012 at Chicago's Humboldt Park. The festival is known for featuring punk and alternative acts, as well as hosting reunions for various bands such as The Replacements.

What music festival was created to capture the Bonnaroo experience on the East Coast?
Lollapalooza
Firefly
Ultra
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Firefly Music Festival in Delaware lasts four days, with camping and activities in addition to the music. One such attraction is the Thicket, a silent rave in the woods where people dance with headphones.

Advertisement

You Got:
/30
© Gerry Maceda/Corbis