Southeast Music Festivals 2027: Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Alabama

A Knoxville side street in April, a few minutes after the last set. The magnolias are out, the brick is still warm from the afternoon, and the air has turned surprisingly crisp. Three blocks away, another venue is just letting in its crowd.

That's the Southeast in a nutshell: generous days, humid summers, and spring and fall nights that remind you to bring a layer. The region's festival map changed a lot this year, too. Bonnaroo is resting in 2027, Gulf Shores has approved a music festival for 2027, and the big confirmed dates now belong to a Knoxville arts festival, an Atlanta stadium weekend and two country festivals on the same June days.

We're Magus and Lylyth Fawn, Los Angeles visionary artists who will happily drive across three states for the right dance floor. Here are the music festivals to plan around in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Alabama in 2027, with dates from each official site, NOAA night lows and what we'd wear.

What are the best music festivals in the Southeast in 2027?

The Southeast's confirmed 2027 festivals are Big Ears in Knoxville (April 1–4), Breakaway Atlanta (May 14–15), CMA Fest in Nashville and Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach (both June 10–13). Shaky Knees, Hopscotch and Georgia's Alchemy burn are still to announce dates, Gulf Shores has approved a 2027 festival, and Bonnaroo rests.

Dates come from each official site, read October 28, 2026; Hangout's status comes from local news, below. Night lows are NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals from the nearest station with temperature records, named in the next section.

Which Southeast festivals need a warm layer at night?

Big Ears, by a mile. NOAA's normals for the Knoxville Experiment Station put April nights at 43.8°F, with about ten nights a month at 40°F or below. By May, Atlanta's lows reach 61°F, and June nights average 64°F in Nashville and 68°F in Myrtle Beach. In the Southeast, spring is cloak season and summer is shorts season.

All figures read October 28, 2026. The Knoxville station also logs two or three April nights a year at or below freezing, while the afternoons reach the low 70s.

Tennessee: Big Ears, CMA Fest and a year off for Bonnaroo

Big Ears fills downtown Knoxville on April 1–4, 2027, according to its official site, which describes its mission as creating "joyful, meaningful, and transcendent cultural experiences." Names on the 2027 lineup include Courtney Barnett, the Brad Mehldau Trio and Daniel Lanois. Its FAQ says every festival venue, from the Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou to St. John's Cathedral and Jackson Terminal, sits within easy walking distance, so Big Ears is a festival of walking between shows after dark, exactly when Knoxville's April air turns cool.

For those walks, our pick is the Valentine Day Cats women's festival cloak ($250). A whole litter of wide-eyed orange tabbies, a blue cat and little black kittens tumble through swirls of cobalt, violet, lilac, magenta and white, with shiny pink, red and blue hearts and tiny red roses floating between them. Near the hem, two black kittens sit side by side. Counting the cats is between you and your date. It's micro-mink poly outside with an ultra-soft faux fur lining in black or white, a listed fabric weight of 200 g/m², a double front zipper, heavy drawstrings and four pockets, unisex XS to 5XL. Kevin, writing about a Lunar Eclipse cloak in March 2025, summed up the feel: "Super soft and warm."

CMA Fest brings "four days and nights of live Country Music" to Nashville on June 10–13, 2027, per the official site. June nights downtown hold in the mid-60s, so this one's a cotton-and-boots weekend.

Bonnaroo is resting. The festival's official site says it "will be taking a much-needed year off in 2027" to let The Farm recover. Our Bonnaroo guide covers the rest year and the Farm for when it returns. For cave stages, plateau camping and Bristol's centennial, see our Tennessee festival guide.

Georgia: Breakaway Atlanta, Shaky Knees and the Alchemy burn

Breakaway Atlanta is on the 2027 tour for May 14–15, according to Breakaway's 2027 season page. The venue is still to be announced; our Breakaway outfit guide covers every city's bag rules and looks.

Shaky Knees played Piedmont Park on September 18–20, 2026, per its official site, and 2027 dates are TBA. For Savannah, Dahlonega and Athens as well, see our Georgia festival guide.

Alchemy, "The Georgia Regional Burn," says on its official site that "Alchemy Returns 2027," with dates to come. Alchemy's about page puts it plainly: a burn is the Ten Principles of Burning Man, gifting and participation included, and our guide to what a regional burn is explains the culture.

A Georgia camping burn wants something green. The Green Mushroom Flower of Life women's festival cloak ($250) runs neon lime and emerald over deep navy, with mushroom caps and fanned gills cascading over indigo and violet into a spiral medallion at the hem. It brings the forest floor along to any field that could use a little more green. Same cloak build, unisex XS to 5XL.

For a camping burn, add a hooded blanket with ears ($150): 100% poly fleece at 300 g/m², an oversized pullover with a cat-ear hood and a front quarter zip, one size cut as a 4XL. It's the piece for the camp kitchen at dawn and the long talk by the fire.

The Carolinas and Alabama: beaches, downtown stages and Gulf Shores' 2027 plans

Carolina Country Music Fest returns to Myrtle Beach on June 10–13, 2027, according to its official site, which lists 40+ artists across five stages. Hopscotch spreads "three days of music, discovery, and dancing across downtown Raleigh," per its official site; 2026 ran September 10–12, and 2027 is TBA. Our North Carolina festival guide adds MerleFest, Shakori Hills and Asheville's Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Our South Carolina festival guide covers Spoleto in Charleston, Beaufort's Gullah Festival and Greenville's Artisphere.

In Alabama, the beach festival is Hangout in Gulf Shores. Its official site still shows its last Hangout-branded edition, May 17–19, 2024; in 2025 the weekend ran as Morgan Wallen's Sand in My Boots. In December 2025, WEAR-TV reported that the city would not host it in 2026 and "has already approved a music festival for 2027." Watch the official site for dates.

June on the Grand Strand is shorts weather from gates to the last encore. The Watchtowers men's cargo shorts ($65; $70 in 4XL and 5XL) go monochrome: silver, charcoal and smoke-grey gears, spirals, circular sigils and botanical filigree, engraved like an alchemist's etching. The name nods to the four Watchtowers of Enochian magic, and the cool greys keep the look calm on a hot afternoon. They're a breathable, denim-like poly of 190 g/m², buttoned at the waist with cargo pockets, regular fit from S to 5XL.

Florida has its own calendar of beach and swamp festivals. Our Florida festival guide covers Okeechobee, Hulaween and more. North of the Carolinas, our Virginia festival guide covers FloydFest, Rooster Walk and the Old Fiddlers' Convention in Galax.

Order-by dates for Southeast festivals

Every Magus Fawn piece is made to order: 7–11 business days of production, then 6–14 business days of delivery. The comfortable date leaves 30 business days before opening; the last call leaves 25. Both skip weekends, US federal holidays and the day after Thanksgiving, as in our made-to-order timing guide.

US shipping is free at $70 and up. All sales are final, so email your measurements to art@magusfawn.com if you're between sizes; for cloaks our FAQ suggests sizing up, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under."

Spring for the cloak, summer for the shorts

The Southeast hands you two festival seasons in one year: cool spring nights in Knoxville and steamy June weekends on the coast and in Nashville. Pack the cloak for April, the shorts for June, and keep an eye on the dates still to come from Atlanta, Raleigh and Gulf Shores.

Find your pieces: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · hooded blankets · men's shorts

More regional guides: Northeast music festivals, Midwest music festivals, Southwest music festivals and our 2027 festival calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When is Big Ears Festival 2027?

Big Ears 2027 runs Thursday, April 1, through Sunday, April 4, in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, according to the festival's official site. April nights in Knoxville average about 44°F at the nearest NOAA station, so bring a warm hooded layer for the walks between venues after dark, even when the afternoon reaches the low 70s.

Is Hangout Music Festival coming back in 2027?

Not confirmed yet. Gulf Shores has approved a music festival for 2027, according to a December 2025 WEAR-TV report, after the city said it would not host Hangout in 2026. No 2027 date has been posted yet, and the festival's official site still shows its May 17–19, 2024 edition, so watch that site for news.

What is Alchemy in Georgia?

Alchemy is Georgia's regional burn, a community event that follows Burning Man's principles with art, gifting and participation. Its official site says "Alchemy Returns 2027" and is recruiting organizers to help shape the next edition, with dates still to be announced. Pack for a camping burn: a warm hooded layer and a blanket.

When is CMA Fest 2027?

CMA Fest 2027 runs June 10–13 in Nashville, according to its official site, with four days and nights of live country music downtown. The same dates hold Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach. June nights in Nashville average about 64°F, so plan breathable layers rather than heavy ones.

Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 (4.8★ from 147 reviews as of October 2026), and every piece is made to order here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.