Editor’s Note: This list will be updated as more information becomes available

Between hip-hop turning 50 this year and the upcoming anniversary of many timeless albums, there’s a lot to celebrate in 2023 throughout the music industry. For starters, Travis Scott is making his U.S. return to live music as a headliner at Rolling Loud California. (Scott hasn’t performed in L.A. since 2019 – but he opened at London’s O2 Arena Aug 6-7 last year.) Beyoncé, who recently became the artist with the most Grammy wins, ever, is gearing up for her sold-out world tour. Not to mention, Ms. Lauryn Hill is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her seminal debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. 

But there’s more to unpack here.

SZA’s hitting the road this Spring with support from Omar Apollo for her first-ever arena tour. Afro Nation is taking place in Miami, FL this summer, its first festival in the continental USA. Pharrell Williams’ Something In The Water returns to Virginia Beach in April, the same month as J. Cole’s Dreamville Fest. Plus, Lovers & Friends nostalgia-fueled showcase returns to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in May. 

At this rate, festival goers will have to consider what makes the most sense – financially speaking. Although payment plans are in place for tickets, several other variables come to mind: travel, lodging, food, and the list goes on. However, YouTube and Goldenvoice just announced their multi-year renewal of Coachella livestream and content partnership, which means that fans all over the world can tune into the show from their favorite streaming device. 

It’s also important to note that Rolling Loud has routinely offered hotel packages, shuttle services, and parking passes to help with the planning process for ticket holders. 

In an effort to narrow the scope on which events are happening this year, here’s a list of Dirty Glove Bastard’s can’t-miss tours and festivals.

Rolling Loud California

The Rolling Loud franchise has taken live music to new heights – on a regional and international scale. The festival, which also has made landfall in Miami, New York, Toronto, Thailand, Portugal, Japan, Germany, and more, is unlike no other. Every year, the bill includes performances from hip-hop heavyweights and newcomers on the rise. Rolling Loud California will feature Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and Grammy-winning rapper Future as headliners, with a special guest performance by one of the most influential rappers of all-time, Lil Wayne – taking place in Inglewood, CA March 3-5. Beyond the stacked lineup, Rolling Loud has curated a festival experience that’s inclusive in the truest sense. From the different activations on the festival grounds (like Bunny’s Bae Bar – the ultimate glam shop) to exclusive merch collaborations, fans have the opportunity to leave the event with memories and memorabilia that’ll stay with them forever. Plus, the festival is notorious for having a surprise guest or two. 

More information on Rolling Loud California available HERE.

Dreamville Festival 

J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival is one of the few events that can sell out before revealing its lineup. Throughout its five-year history, the festival has been postponed several times, with this year’s event serving as the third installment of the biggest music festival to hit North Carolina. In 2019, the inaugural festival included 21 Savage, Big Sean, SZA, Nelly, Teyana Taylor, 6LACK, and more. The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic, but the festival made a comeback in April of last year with performances from Wizkid, Lil Baby, Kehlani, Moneybagg Yo, Rico Nasty and the Dreamville roster (J. Cole, Ari Lennox, J.I.D., EarthGang, among others). This time around, the fest star-studded lineup includes Usher, Drake, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, GloRilla, Burna Boy, and a slew of others who will take center stage April 1-2 at Dorothea Dix Park. 

More information on Dreamville Festival available HERE.  

Lovers & Friends Festival 

If you were listening to music around the turn of the millennium, chances are you’ll be amongst the thousands of Y2K fans to attend Lovers & Friends. The star-studded lineup features notable hip-hop and R&B acts from the late ‘90s and early 2000s, including Usher, Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, Boyz II Men, and newcomers in Summer Walker, Miguel, PartyNextDoor, Bryson Tiller, and a slew of others. However, it’s important to note that the 45-act festival will run the majority of the day. That’s right, Lovers & Friends is a one-day only festival, taking place on May 6 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Despite the skepticism and common festival woes of the past, this year’s event has already sold-out. But rest assured, you can still join the waitlist. 

More information on Lovers & Friends available HERE. 

Something in the Water 

Pharell Williams’ Something In The Water is returning for its third iteration this spring, April 28-30. The three-day music festival hasn’t revealed its lineup yet, and fans are growing antsy, as evidenced by the slightly humorous Instagram comments. But have no doubt, the acclaimed multi-day music, art and cultural experience will exceed expectations. For starters, the inaugural event in 2019 featured Jay-Z, SZA, Pharell, Travis Scott, Missy Elliott, Jhene Aiko, Anderson .Paak, Usher, and many more hip-hop and R&B notables. However, the pandemic put consecutive delays (in 2020 and 2021) on the showcase, and SITW returned last year with a new lineup and new location. Taking place in Washington, D.C,  the 70-act bill included Tyler, the Creator, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Usher, Roddy Ricch, Mariah The Scientist, and many more. This year, the festival will return to the 757. 

More information on Something In The Water available HERE.

Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Coachella will return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA for two consecutive weekends April 14 to 16 and April 21 to 23. The music and arts festival will include performances from the likes of Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Frank Ocean, Pusha T, Kaytranada, Yung Lean, Burna Boy, Doechii, ROSALÍA, Metro Boomin, Sheensea, Kali Uchis, GloRilla, and many more. Unlike any other party in the desert, Coachella continues to grow in popularity. Since 1999, some of the biggest names in the music industry – from rock and indie bands to hip-hop and R&B acts – have headlined the festival. The 2023 iteration, which serves as a year of firsts at Coachella (with Bad Bunny being the first Latino artist to headline), sees the elusive Frank Ocean taking center stage to close out the fest both weekends. 

More information on Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival available HERE.

Afro Nation

Since its inception in 2013, Afro Nation has expanded to the US for the first time. After successful runs in Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, the world’s largest Afrobeats festival is moving into uncharted waters with Afro Nation Miami 2023. The inaugural showcase includes performances from Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Beenie Man, Franglish, and newcomers in CKay, BNXN, Black Sherif, among others. Last year, Afro Nation partnered with Billboard to present the first-ever U.S. Afrobeats Chart. Needless to say, the three-day festival aims to bring Afrobeats to a global audience, and it continues with Afro Nation Miami at LoanDepot Park May 27 & May 28. 

More information on Afro Nation available HERE.

Roots Picnic 

The 2023 installment of Roots Picnic returns to Philadelphia’s The Mann in Fairmount Park June 3-4. This year, a special stand-up performance from comedic legend Dave Chapelle will kick off the weekend on Friday, June 2. Grammy award-winning music mogul Diddy and hip-hop luminaries The Roots will headline the fest, which also includes select performances from Busta Rhymes, Lil Uzi Vert, City Girls, Maverick City, Syd, Little Brother, and more. Plus, Ms. Lauryn Hill will co-headline and perform the entirety of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – to celebrate 25 years of the seminal album’s release. Not to mention, Eve is making her return with Black Thought’s Live Mixtape set, and there’s a State Property Reunion (Freeway, Beanie Siegel, Young Gunz, Peedi Crakk, Oschino & Sparks). Candidly, this is one hell of a way to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, and even then, this isn’t the full lineup. 

More information on Roots Picnic available HERE.

Renaissance World Tour

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour was expected to be a hot-ticket event before it was officially announced Feb 1 via Instagram. As the winningest superstar in Grammy history, it’s no surprise that fans are willing to spend upwards of $1500 with fees to watch Bey “fuck up the night” in person. All things considered, she hasn’t toured as a solo act since 2016’s the Formation World Tour to support her sixth studio album, Lemonade. Following that, she went On The Run with her husband, Jay-Z, after releasing their joint project, Everything Is Love. Now, Bey returns with a 40-date run (which kicks off May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden) that has left patrons clamoring for tickets far and wide in what’s expected to be the most anticipated concert of 2023. 

More information on Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour available HERE.

S.O.S. North American Tour

SZA’s first-ever arena tour is happening now. Off the heels of her long-awaited sophomore album, SOS – which has claimed a tenth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 – the Grammy-winning songstress has embarked on a completely sold-out headlining tour with support from Omar Apollo. The 17-city run kicked off last week (Feb 21) at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, making landfall across the U.S. in Washington D.C., New York, Atlanta, and more before wrapping up at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on March 22nd. 

More information on SZA’s S.O.S. Tour available HERE.

Welcome To Tha Carter Tour

Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rap icon Lil Wayne is slated to hit the road this spring for the Welcome To Tha Carter Tour. The 28-city run kicks off (April 4) at The Fillmore in Minneapolis, making landfall across the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on May 13th. Ahead of the tour, Weezy will deliver a special guest performance at Rolling California this month – his first return to the fest since canceling a scheduled performance in 2019 after refusing to be checked by security. 

More information on Lil Wayne’s Welcome To Tha Carter Tour available HERE.

Together Again Tour

Five-time Grammy winner Janet Jackson is hitting the road after a four year hiatus for the Together Again Tour with special guest Ludacris. Serving as her ninth concert tour, the Rock Hall of Fame inductee is making landmark appearances across North America, kicking off in Hollywood, FL (April 14) at the Hard Rock Live. The 33-city tour includes stops in Atlanta, Charlotte, Detroit, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping up in Seattle, WA on June 21st at the Climate Pledge Arena. In celebration of her 50th anniversary in entertainment, the Together Again Tour will feature live performances of Jackson’s most critically-acclaimed albums: The Velvet Rope and Janet, plus new music. 

More information on Janet Jackson’s Together Again Tour is available HERE.

Glockoma Tour 

As one of the most exciting faces in hip-hop, Key Glock is gearing up for his 2023 US tour this spring – SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation Presents: Key Glock – Glockoma Tour – with support from TiaCorine, Kenny Muney, Jay Fizzle, and special guest BigXthaPlug on select dates. The 31-date run kicks off on March 5th at Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy, making stops in Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and more before wrapping up in Nashville, TN at Marathon Music Works on April 28th.

More information on Key Glock’s Glockoma Tour available HERE.