This September, more than 60 bands and almost 50,000 people will flock to Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta for the annual Shaky Knees Music Festival.
This three-day rock music festival, first introduced in 2013, features four massive stages all across the park where some of the most famous rock bands in the world play. From the major headliners to the smaller, up-and-coming artists, Shaky Knees has become one of Atlanta’s most anticipated weekends for music fans.
Shaky Knees’s lineup regularly includes a mix of legendary acts and newer bands. This year’s lineup includes longtime bands like The Strokes, Pavement, and Jimmy Eat World, as well as new, more recently famous bands like Geese, Fontaines D.C., and Blood Orange.
The wide range of bands from different genres and eras make Shaky Knees a special place for all music fans. Many different subgenres are represented at the festival such as indie rock, punk, alternative, and pop rock. Fans are able to buy excusive merchandise and see many of their favorite bands all in one weekend.
Shaky Knees has also become a place for people to discover new bands and expand their music taste.
For Atlanta, the festival is a massive boost to businesses in the Piedmont Park area. Restaurants and bars, like Zocalo and The Nook especially, see a sharp increase in patronage during the weekend. Hotels in the area also host many more people as festivalgoers travel to Atlanta from across Georgia and across the nation. The festival creates hundreds of temporary jobs and boosts tourism revenue for the city.
For festivalgoers, Shaky Knees is a special experience. Atlanta native Bobby Rohs says that Shaky Knees is “an amazing time where I can see my favorite bands play, eat great food, and hang out with friends.”
As a festivalgoer, it is important to plan ahead.
Tickets for the festival come in one-day and three-day passes and often need to be bought months in advance due to their popularity. Because parking around the park is limited, many people take MARTA or use a rideshare service to get to the festival.
Since the park is sunny most of the day and the festival involves a lot of walking, it is important to bring sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and plenty of water.
Overall, Shaky Knees has become one of the biggest music festivals in the nation, and it is a major annual event for Atlanta residents and music fans all over the country.
As September approaches, fans are counting down the days until another Shaky Knees weekend filled with amazing live music.
