August music festivals: Lollapalooza, Sziget Festival, Reading and Leeds

The summer season continues with another month of festivals worldwide: from Lollapalooza in Chicago to Summer Sonic in Japan and Sziget in Budapest and Reading and Leeds in the UK, outdoor music lovers will have plenty of concerts to enjoy in August.

Lollapalooza
August 6-8
Chicago, Illinois, USA

First launched in 1991 by Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction, Lollapalooza is an iconic American festival with its roots in the alternative music scene. Headliners in 2010 include Lady Gaga, Green Day and Soundgarden, with Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and Phoenix also set to perform. Regular three-day passes are $215; VIP and tour package options are also available. Note: This is an urban festival with no camping options, but the festival site does provide a list of hotels in the Chicago area.
http://2010.lollapalooza.com

Newport Jazz Festival
August 6-8
Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Turning 56 this year, impresario George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival is the oldest in North America and stays deeply rooted in jazz. This year's headliners include the renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, legendary Herbie Hancock, the influential Ahmad Jamal, and fusion innovator Chick Corea. "Newcomers" include trumpeter Chris Botti who performs with Sting, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, and British pianist Jamie Cullum who has revived jazz standards for a new generation. Wein, an acclaimed 85-year-old jazz pianist, is scheduled to take the stage. Located at Fort Adams State Park in the state of Rhode Island.
http://www.newportjazzfest.net

Summer Sonic
August 7-8
Osaka and Tokyo, Japan

Japan's 11th Summer Sonic Festival taking place in Tokyo and Osaka, with the same lineup in the two locations, will feature many international acts including Jay Z, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Pixies, the Smashing Pumpkins... Other big rock and pop festivals in Japan this summer include Fuji Rock featuring over 200 bands from Japan and abroad,  Rising Sun and Rock in Japan.
www.summersonic.com/09/english

Sziget Festival
August 11-16
Budapest, Hungary

Each year since 1993, the Sziget Festival is one of the largest music and cultural fests held in Europe; it attracted a record number of 390,000 concertgoers in 2009. This year, the festival hosts metal band Iron Maiden, British rockers Muse, UK electro act Faithless, France's Gotan Project and Cuban Omara Portuondo with her Buena Vista Social Club, among many other acts.
http://www.sziget.hu/festival_english

Pukkelpop
August 19-21
Kiewit, Belgium

After Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop is the second-largest open-air festival in Belgium, still boasting an attendance of about 180,000 over the course of the three-day event. The festival has grown considerably since 1985, when it was founded as a one-day event by the non-traditional German youth movement Humanistische Jongeren van Leopoldsburg. In 2010, the more than 200 artists set to perform will include headliners Iron Maiden, The Prodigy, and Queens of the Stone Age.
www.pukkelpop.be/en

Reading and Leeds
August 27-29
Reading and Leeds, England

With the Glastonbury Festival sold out, the Reading and Leeds festivals offer another great UK option, attracting many big-name bands. The two festivals take place simultaneously and have the same lineup, with capacities of about 80,000 at the Reading site and about 70,000 in Leeds. Guns n' Roses, Arcade Fire, and Blink-182 will headline in 2010, joined by The Libertines, Weezer, Paramore, Modest Mouse, Queens of the Stone Age, LCD Soundsystem, and Phoenix. Both festivals offer plenty of onsite camping options. Standrd weekend tickets are available for £180 (about £210).
http://www.readingfestival.com
http://www.leedsfestival.com