If you were collecting festival posters in early 2020, you basically owned a museum of “how is this lineup even real?”
Big reunions. Mega headliners. Undercards packed like a subway at rush hour. It felt like every promoter woke up and chose
maximum chaosthe good kind, where you need three highlighters and a spreadsheet just to survive Saturday.
Of course, we all know what happened next: a lot of these festivals were postponed, reshuffled, or canceled as the world changed.
But the 2020 lineupsas announcedstill deserve their moment in the spotlight. Consider this a hype-ranked time capsule:
the year the posters went absolutely feral.
How This “Hype Ranking” Works
“Hype” is part math, part music-nerd instinct, and part “my group chat won’t stop yelling about this.” To keep it fair, this ranking weighs:
- Headliner heat: Are the top names generational, rare, or reunion-level iconic?
- Undercard depth: Do you get quality acts in every time slot (not just the top three lines)?
- Moment potential: Surprise sets, special guests, once-in-a-decade bookings, or “only at this festival” energy.
- Variety: Genre-spanning lineups earn extra points for being stacked in more than one lane.
The 25+ Most Stacked Music Festival Lineups Of 2020, Ranked By Hype
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#1 Coachella (Indio, CA) The “Three-Headliner Flex”
Rage Against the Machine + Travis Scott + Frank Ocean is the kind of top line that makes your keyboard type in all caps by itself.
Add heavy hitters and left-field gems across the poster, and you’ve got the ultimate “I can’t believe they booked that” lineup. -
#2 Primavera Sound (Barcelona, Spain) Legendary Names, Deep-Cut Cool
Primavera came in swinging with a brainy, blockbuster mix: Pavement, Massive Attack, The Strokes, and Tyler, the Creator leading a bill
that also stacked icons, indie royalty, and future favorites like it was building a perfect playlist for a very stylish apocalypse. -
#3 Glastonbury (Pilton, UK) Anniversary-Level Star Power
The 50th-anniversary energy was real: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Paul McCartney headlining is basically a cultural summit.
Even the supporting names read like a “best of the decade” montage. -
#4 Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN) A Genre-Swapping Feast
Tool, Lizzo, and Tame Impala on the same top line? That’s Roo doing Roo things. Then the undercard showed off festival-range: pop, rap,
indie, electronic, and the kind of surprises that turn a casual attendee into a lifelong convert. -
#5 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, LA) Icons on Icons
Jazz Fest is always a flex, and 2020 was extra: legacy legends, contemporary superstars, and the unique New Orleans spirit that makes the lineup
feel like a city-wide celebration rather than a simple “stage A / stage B” situation. -
#6 Boston Calling (Boston, MA) Rock’s Heavyweight Title Fight
Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers is a headliner trio built for screaming lyrics at the sky.
Then it backed it up with artists across indie, hip-hop, and altso you didn’t have to be all riffs, all weekend. -
#7 Governors Ball (New York, NY) NYC Energy, Stadium-Caliber Names
Gov Ball’s 2020 lineup mixed Missy Elliott, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, and more into a bill that felt like a summer mixtape with elite taste.
Big crowd moments up top, strong discovery potential in the middle. -
#8 Hangout Music Festival (Gulf Shores, AL) Beach Party, Big Leagues
When your “day at the beach” includes Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Lana Del Rey, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, it’s not a vacationit’s a victory lap.
The supporting acts made it feel like a three-day playlist you’d actually hit shuffle on. -
#9 BottleRock Napa Valley (Napa, CA) The “Everyone’s Invited” Poster
BottleRock nailed the cross-generational sweet spot: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band, and Stevie Nicks anchoring a lineup that also left room
for modern hitmakers and serious crowd-pleasers. It’s the rare poster that satisfies multiple friend groups at once. -
#10 Firefly (Dover, DE) Pop + Rock + “Are We All Going?”
Firefly’s top line brought big momentumBillie Eilish, Halsey, Khalid, and Rage Against the Machine is a “text your friends immediately” combo.
The rest of the bill kept the pace, balancing radio power with festival-cred favorites. -
#11 Something in the Water (Virginia Beach, VA) Curated Chaos, Pharrell Style
This lineup had personality: Tyler, the Creator, Foo Fighters, Post Malone, and a Clipse reunion orbiting Pharrell’s “genre rules are optional” vision.
It’s the kind of festival where the best set might be the one you didn’t plan for. -
#12 Rolling Loud Miami (Miami, FL) Hip-Hop’s Loudest Superbill
Rolling Loud doesn’t do subtle, and 2020 was peak “stacked”: major headliners, a deep bench of hot names, and enough energy to power a small city.
If you wanted nonstop rap sets, this was the promised land. -
#13 Shaky Knees (Atlanta, GA) Indie Rock’s Dream Draft
The Strokes, The Black Keys, and The Smashing Pumpkins is already a headline-worthy sentence.
Then the undercard doubled down with beloved alt/indie namesbasically a weekend-long reminder of why guitars still matter. -
#14 Electric Forest (Rothbury, MI) The “World-Building” Lineup
Forest booked like it was designing an alternate universe: The String Cheese Incident anchoring the vibe while electronic and bass giants stacked the nights.
It’s not just “who’s playing,” it’s “what dimension are we entering?” -
#15 Ultra Music Festival (Miami, FL) EDM’s High-Gloss Avengers
Ultra’s 2020 lineup read like a dance-music hall of fame: big-name DJs, marquee back-to-backs, and the kind of stage production that makes your phone storage
cry for mercy. If you wanted lasers with your serotonin, Ultra had you covered. -
#16 EDC Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) Three Nights of “How Many DJs Is That?”
EDC is always massive, but 2020’s bill was especially “choose your own adventure”mainstage stars, underground favorites, and endless set options.
It’s the lineup equivalent of standing in front of an ice cream wall and realizing you’ll never be the same. -
#17 Lightning in a Bottle (Buena Vista Lake, CA) Tasteful, Weird, and Wonderful
LIB’s 2020 lineup blended electronic, indie, and pop-leaning magic: KAYTRANADA, James Blake, GRiZ, Sylvan Esso, Four Tet, and more.
The hype here is less “stadium” and more “your coolest friend made the schedule.” -
#18 Forecastle (Louisville, KY) Sunny Vibes, Serious Bookings
Forecastle brought big names with easygoing energyJack Johnson, Cage the Elephant, and The 1975 at the top, with plenty of modern alt and hip-hop flavor underneath.
The lineup felt built for singalongs and spontaneous dancing. -
#19 Beale Street Music Festival (Memphis, TN) A Memphis-Sized Party
With names like Lil Wayne and The Lumineers among the marquee acts (plus plenty of rock and legacy flavor), Beale Street 2020 aimed for a “something for everyone”
mixexactly the kind of lineup that works when the city itself is part of the show. -
#20 Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, IL) Critically Acclaimed, Crowd-Approved
Pitchfork’s 2020 lineup was a music-nerd victory: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run the Jewels, and The National headlining, backed by a deep undercard full of artists you brag
about discovering “before everybody else.” Respectfully stacked. -
#21 Okeechobee (Okeechobee, FL) Campy, Colorful, Crowd-Pleasing
OMF’s 2020 lineup mixed indie favorites and electronic force: Vampire Weekend and Mumford & Sons on one side, major dance names on the other,
plus enough mid-card talent to keep the energy high from afternoon to late night. -
#22 High Water (North Charleston, SC) Chill, Beautiful, and Quietly Elite
High Water is the kind of festival where the lineup feels curated, not crowdedWilco, Brittany Howard, and more creating an “I’m so glad we came” weekend.
Less chaos, more quality, still plenty of hype for the right crowd. -
#23 Railbird (Lexington, KY) Americana With Big-Time Shine
Railbird’s 2020 bill leaned into roots and modern country/rock credibilityJason Isbell and Maren Morris headlining a lineup designed for big choruses,
honest songwriting, and that “I didn’t expect to cry during this set” feeling. -
#24 Bunbury (Cincinnati, OH) A Pop-Rock-EDM Combo Meal
Bunbury’s 2020 headliners (including Twenty One Pilots, Marshmello, and The Avett Brothers) made it feel like three festivals sharing one weekend.
That cross-genre mix is a hype generator, especially when the poster stays strong beyond the top line. -
#25 Summer Camp Music Festival (Chillicothe, IL) Jam Depth for Days
Summer Camp built a lineup for the “one more song” crowd: jam staples, electronic side-quests, and a deep list of sets that reward the people who stay late.
Not flashy hypeendurance hype. -
#26 Stagecoach (Indio, CA) Country’s Main-Character Weekend
Stagecoach 2020 brought stadium-country star power with Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Eric Church at the top.
What made it feel stacked was the crossover energybig hits, big singalongs, and a crowd ready to turn every chorus into a communal event. -
#27 WOO HAH! (Tilburg, Netherlands) European Hip-Hop Heat
WOO HAH! has a reputation for booking rap lineups that feel current and forward. The 2020 bill promised a high-energy weekend where the sets hit like a highlight reel:
big names, hungry rising artists, and very little downtime.
Why 2020 Felt Like a “Lineup Arms Race”
The most stacked 2020 festival lineups shared a few patterns. First, they blurred genre linesrap next to rock, electronic next to indiebecause modern listeners don’t
live in one playlist anymore. Second, promoters chased “moment bookings”: reunions, rare headliner runs, and big-name combinations that created instant buzz.
Third, undercards got smarter. A great festival lineup in 2020 wasn’t just three giant names; it was a deep roster where you could build a full day of can’t-miss sets.
If you’re researching best 2020 festival lineups for nostalgia, content, or pure music obsession, the takeaway is simple:
the hype wasn’t just marketing. A lot of these posters really were stackedon purposebecause competition for attention was fierce, and the audience’s expectations were higher than ever.
Festival Experiences: What a Stacked Lineup Feels Like (and How to Enjoy It)
A truly stacked music festival lineup changes how you experience time. You don’t measure a day in hoursyou measure it in set conflicts.
At 3:10 p.m., you’re casually vibing. By 3:12 p.m., you’re speed-walking because two artists you love are playing at the same time on opposite ends of the grounds,
and your friends are holding a summit meeting about “which one we’ll regret missing more.”
The best part of a hype-worthy 2020-style lineup is the feeling that you’re surrounded by options that are actually good.
Even if you miss a headliner’s first song because the crowd moved like slow-motion lava, you can still catch a mid-card set that ends up being your favorite memory.
That’s the secret superpower of depth: it protects your joy. When every slot has something interesting, your day doesn’t collapse if your plan changes.
Stacked lineups also create the most fun kind of musical whiplash. You might go from a huge pop chorus to a gritty rock set, then wander into a late-night electronic
stage where the bass feels like it’s rearranging your atoms (in a friendly way). That variety is why people fall in love with festivals in the first place:
you don’t just watch musicyou discover it, sometimes by accident, sometimes because you followed the sound and trusted the moment.
If you want the best “stacked lineup” experience, treat it like a marathon with snacks. Wear comfortable shoes, protect your ears, and build tiny breaks into your schedule
so you’re not sprinting nonstop. Keep your plans flexible: the best sets aren’t always the biggest names; sometimes it’s the artist you barely knew, playing like they’re
trying to steal the whole weekend. And if you’re going with friends, agree on one simple rule: it’s okay to split up and reunite later. A great lineup is too good to force
everyone into the same choices.
Finally, remember why hype exists at all: it’s the promise of a shared moment. A stacked festival lineup is basically a temporary city built around songs that shaped your life,
plus new ones you haven’t met yet. Even when plans change, those 2020 posters remind us how powerful live music can feellike the whole crowd is breathing in the same beat.
Conclusion
The 2020 festival season will always be complicatedbut the lineups, as announced, were undeniably loaded.
If you’re looking for the most stacked music festival lineups of 2020, this ranking captures the posters that generated the most buzz, the deepest undercards,
and the biggest “you had to be there (or at least try)” energy. If nothing else, they prove one thing: when festivals aim for hype, they aim high.
