Festivals in Alabama

Alabama carries music in its very foundations, quite literally. In Birmingham, beneath the rusted blast furnaces of the historic Sloss Furnaces, Furnace Fest sets metalcore, hardcore and emo roaring every autumn, turning the old ironworks of the Pittsburgh of the South into a cathedral of the riff. Further north, on the banks of the Tennessee River in Decatur, Rock the South gathers the extended family of Southern country — boots, flags and choruses bellowed at full voice — for one of the Deep South's largest country gatherings.

But the sacred heart of the state beats in Muscle Shoals, the small northwestern corner where FAME Studios and the legendary Swampers cut the soul and R&B sound that shaped American music. It is there, in Florence, that Jason Isbell brings his ShoalsFest home each October, a folk and Americana pilgrimage along the riverbank. In Huntsville, the Rocket City, The 3rd Annual Rocket City Blues Festival keeps the blues tradition alive. FestT calculates your FestiScore — the affinity between a lineup and your favorite artists — and keeps dates, headliners and ticketing up to date.