This weather is fantastic … and a total tease. It makes you think that you’re close to summer, but, I am sorry to tell you, we still have some time left this semester. Since we aren’t actually close to having those couple months of downtime, I suggest taking a study break and checking out some summer music festivals. Nothing mediates anger at the teasing weather like the prospect of paying to be in a crowd of dirty, 21st-century hippies, I promise. 

It’s a pretty standard idea to go to concerts in the summer. It is something to do when you have months of time free. I feel that. But why drop 30 or so dollars on each concert to see an individual artist and their opening act when you can drop a couple hundred to see over a hundred acts? Whoa. That’s right. Lollapalooza is hosting over 120 acts this summer, including everyone from The Weeknd to Lord Huron. It is quite an impressive mix, if you ask me. 

I don’t know about you, but I like a couple songs from a bunch of small bands, but I don’t like each band enough to buy a ticket to see a whole set of theirs. Music festivals eliminate that problem by having so many bands there. Lollapalooza even has a couple different stages set up, so if you don’t like one set, you can hop on over to one of the other stages. Each festival releases their lineup months in advance, so you can easily go to their website and determine if the festival is worth going to.

If you can’t make it up to Chicago in time this summer, know that there are a bazillion other music festivals around here. Bonnaroo is a popular one that is held in Tennessee. It is the same as Lollapalooza in the sense that they both host mainstream pop and not-so-mainstream indie. This year, Bonnaroo is hosting Pearl Jam, Ellie Goulding and Lord Huron, because apparently Lord Huron is going to be everywhere. 

Aside from getting to listen to a load of good music, you get to wear whatever you want. I realize that we technically can wear whatever we want, whenever we want, but music festivals are a whole new ball game. I am talking full-fledged hippie gear. People show up in bikinis and shark costumes, and it is all fine. It would probably actually make people uncomfortable if you didn’t dress like you were a cowboy going to a waterpark. 

If the fact that you can let your inner-fashion wild side out didn’t convince you, I’ve got one last point to drive this bad boy home. Here goes: You can potentially not pay for a music festival. I say potentially because there are some loops you have to jump through and other ways of paying for it, but you won’t have to hand over any cold, hard cash. 

All music festivals need workers. How could they not, when they are hosting over a hundred famous people in one area? Because of the magnitude of the event, many festivals, including Lollapalooza and Dragonfly, a festival in Delaware, are seeking volunteers and workers. The easiest way to get this ball rolling is to contact the festival through their website and see when and how to apply to be a volunteer. If you get to be one, then all you have to worry about is how to get there and what hipster way to do your hair. 

Getting a ticket to actually go inside definitely beats crying and listening from the outside, which is what I did the year that Ben Howard came to Lollapalooza. Not my finest moment, but I have learned my lesson. So, in honor of Lollapalooza tickets going on sale today, plan your summer and throw a festival in the mix. It’ll take some of the burn off from studying for finals in this weather.