As summer approaches, music-lovers from all over the world will prepare to pitch their tents and pack their camping gear for one of the biggest festivals of the year: Firefly Music Festival. In 2013, twenty-four countries and all fifty states were represented at the festival by excited fans. Although it will be difficult to top last summer’s performers, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend, Ellie Goulding, Foster the People, and Passion Pit, fans have high expectations for the colorful assortment of talent featured on the highly anticipated 2014 lineup. This summer, from June 19th-22nd, the third annual Firefly Music Festival will take place at its usual venue, the Woodlands of Dover International Speedway.

The Lumineers and Imagine Dragons, who were scheduled to perform at the festival last year but made the impromptu decision to cancel, are back on the lineup for this summer. Girl Talk and Twenty-One Pilots will also return after taking the stage at last summer’s festival. While no lineup headliners will perform on Thursday, the opening day of the festival, Local Natives, Aer and Amos Lee, and more, guarantee to leave fans wanting more. American Rock Band and headliner, Foo Fighters, along with acts such as Young the Giant, Cash Cash, Arctic Monkeys, Bands of Horses, and American Authors, who recently performed at the Wilmington Flower Market, will follow on Friday. Hip-hop duo, Outkast will electrify the stage on Saturday, as will Grouplove, the White Panda, Beck, Pretty Lights, Smallpools, and others. The festival will conclude with folk rock singer-songwriter Jack Johnson on Sunday, in addition to Weezer, the Lumineers, a Great Big World, G-Eazy, Phantogram, and many more. Patrick Pearce’15, who will attend the festival in June, raved about this year’s lineup: “I’m excited to see Cash Cash, Foo Fighters, The White Panda, Jack Johnson, basically everyone”.

Firefly promotes some of the most popular musicians from a variety of genres; however, it also provides opportunities for unsigned musicians to showcase their talent. Stop Light Observations, Breach the Summit, and Christian Porter, who competed and triumphed in Firefly Music Festival’s “The Big Break” contest, will have an opportunity to play their first real set at the festival this summer.

At Firefly, fans with 4-day passes have the option to camp overnight on the site for the weekend. Abby Deardorff ’14, who attended the festival last year, strongly advocates driving up each morning versus camping. She claims there are several benefits for driving. “Showering is essential,” she insisted, and later elaborated on her experience, “Wawa is also an amazing place to people watch at 2am. And there’s nothing better than a F’real after an intense day of various festival activities.” Ellie McGinnis ’14, who also attended Firefly last year, believes that camping overnight at the venue enhances your overall experience. She recommends that anyone who plans to camp should prepare to not sleep for four days, and pack comfortable walking shoes because the closest source of air conditioning is usually at least a mile away.

In the end, whether you choose to camp or commute, Firefly is an amazing music experience with acts that represent a wide variety of genres. You can learn more about Firefly Music Festival and buy single day tickets at https://fireflyfestival.com/.