Music festival bracketology

We may be nearing the end of March Madness, but fortunately, March also marks the start of music festival season. So of course we had to bracket-ize 32 of the country’s biggest festivals between now and August to let you know which should be 2012’s best. Read our music festival guide for more information on each.

ROUND ONE

SOUTH

#1 Bonnaroo defeats #8 Old Settler's

#4 Hangout defeats #5 Beale Street

#3 Wakarusa defeats #6 Free Press Summer Fest

#7 Forecastle defeats #2 Jazz & Heritage

It’s hard to believe that the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival could get upset in the first round, but Forecastle had just the lineup to pull it out. With headliners such as Wilco, Sleigh Bells and Girl Talk, it looks like Louisville, Ky., is now Upset City.
  — Jonathan Streetman

WEST

#1 Coachella defeats #8 Treefort

#5 Pickathon defeats #4 High Sierra

In a battle of West Coast fests, Oregon’s Pickathon bested California’s High Sierra by boasting a rootsy lineup centered around performances by Neko Case, Dr. Dog and Heartless Bastards. High Sierra buried similar bands under flash-in-the-pan EDM acts, so Pickathon gets the edge.
  — Brad Sanders

#3 Outside Lands defeats #6 Harmony

#2 Sasquatch! defeats #7 Sunset Strip

EAST

#8 Orion defeats #1 The Bamboozle

The Metallica-curated Orion Music and More Festival might be in its inaugural year, but its wildly diverse bill — and the promise of full performances of “Ride the Lightning” and “The Black Album” — earned it some serious buzz. Meanwhile, The Bamboozle is putting Skrillex and Mac Miller at the same place at the same time. ’Nuff said.
  — Brad Sanders

#4 Ultra defeats #5 Wanee

#3 Gathering of the Vibes defeats #6 Camp Bisco

#7 Governors Ball defeats #2 Mountain Jam

Jazz and blues acts spread over a four-day period in Hunter, New York, can’t compete with Governors Ball’s lean two days of acts such as Beck, Fiona Apple and Passion Pit on Randall’s Island in New York — not to mention zero overlapping sets in that short and sweet weekend.
  — Mikel Kjell

MIDWEST

#1 Summerfest defeats #8 North Coast

#5 Electric Forest defeats #4 Summer Camp

Aside from Electric Forest having evolved from the fabled Rothbury Festival, it boasts a more diverse lineup than Summer Camp. With names from Das Rascist to Thievery Corporation enhancing its breadth, Electric Forest strutted away the winner.
— Rachel Hanley

#3 Pitchfork defeats #6 All Good

#2 Lollapalooza defeats #7 Nelsonville

SWEET SIXTEEN

SOUTH

#1 Bonnaroo defeats #4 Hangout

#7 Forecastle defeats #3 Wakarusa

Any lineup with a range from Flying Lotus to Real Estate will get our votes over usual suspects Pretty Lights, Umphrey’s and Slightly Stoopid; Forecastle, easily.
  — Steven Arroyo

WEST

#1 Coachella defeats #5 Pickathon

#2 Sasquatch! defeats #3 Outside Lands

EAST

#8 Orion defeats #4 Ultra

It’s kind of hard to imagine how awesome it would be see Metallica perform two of its seminal albums alongside Best Coast, Modest Mouse and Titus Andronicus in the middle of the summer. How can a three-day dance music festival with an inconvenient late-March time slot even attempt to compete with that?
  — Mikel Kjell

#7 Governors Ball defeats #3 Gathering of the Vibes

The annual Gathering of the Vibes Festival has been running for 17 years, but the two-year-old Governors Ball seemed to edge Vibes out with ease. Fortified with a wider range of music, Governors Ball has a distinct identity in a scene of summer music festivals typically dominated by hippie themes.
  — Rachel Hanley

MIDWEST

#1 Summerfest defeats #5 Electric Forest

#2 Lollapalooza defeats #3 Pitchfork

ELITE EIGHT

SOUTH

#1 Bonnaroo defeats #7 Forecastle

WEST

#1 Coachella defeats #2 Sasquatch!

EAST

#7 Governors Ball defeats #8 Orion

MIDWEST

#1 Summerfest defeats #2 Lollapalooza

FINAL FOUR

#1 Coachella defeats #1 Bonnaroo

#7 Governors Ball defeats #1 Summerfest

Continuing a remarkable Cinderella run, Governors Ball rode its immaculate roster to take down the #1 seed out of the Midwest, Summerfest, cementing its spot in the finals. They face Goliath-fest Coachella in a battle of the coasts next, but Passion Pit, Modest Mouse and the now-defunct LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Pat Mahoney nearly took the Ball all the way.
  — Jonathan Streetman

THE WINNER

#1 Coachella defeats #7 Governors Ball

So many things about Governors Ball impressed us here — among them, a gorgeous location on Randall’s Island in New York, an offer of no overlapping sets and a diverse and near-spotless lineup. Unfortunately for the Governor, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival offers most of those things, too, and it’s offering them twice. Its unfathomably lucky attendees will enjoy an unbeatable lineup of more than 100 artists, from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to Radiohead, playing two consecutive weekends in scenic Indio, Calif. Governors Ball might just prove itself as the country’s best-kept secret of music festivals, but Coachella was probably going all the way from the start.
  — Steven Arroyo