Firefly Music Festival
Firefly Music Festival is a three-day, open-air camping festival that started in 2012 with the hopes of becoming the summer music festival of the East Coast. Headliners at the Dover, Delaware event have included The Killers, Outkast, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Chance the Rapper, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. The festival, which takes place in The Woodlands of the Dover International Speedway, also prides itself on being environmentally conscious. Attendees have the option to purchase carbon offsets along with their tickets, and recyclable items at the festival can be exchanged for a chance to win merchandise and vouchers for food and drink. In 2018, Coachella’s parent company, AEG, bought the Firefly Music Festival, so expect to see big things from this Delaware event in the coming years.
ON-SITE AMENITIES
Firefly Music Festival is known for its partnership with Dogfish Head Brewery, which offers its exclusive Firefly Ale and other craft beers at the event. Not much of a beer drinker? Grab a frozen cocktail at the Malibu Beach House or a glass of wine at Camp Riunite, where you can also do arts and crafts projects. The festival is also home to a silent disco known as The Thicket, a relaxing hammock hangout called The Nook, and a themed art installation at The Pathway.
LOCATION
Dover International Speedway
1131 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901
LINEUP
This year’s headliners are Panic! At The Disco, Travis Scott, and Post Malone. The rest of the lineup includes:
Friday- Tyler, The Creator, Zedd, Louis The Child, Awolnation, Courtney Barnett, X Ambassadors, Bob Moses, TLC, Soja, Gunna, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Sir Sly, Dennis Lloyd, Chelsea Cutler, The Knocks, Ekali, Gus Dapperton, Lil Mosey, Cuco, Sales, Caamp, The Record Company, Arkells, Bea Miller, Grizfolk, Halfnoise, Ripe, Shaed, The Nude Party, Evan Giia, Mo Lowda & The Humble, Beau Young Prince, Bumpin Uglies, and Dragondeer.
Saturday- Kygo, Death Cab for Cutie, Brockhampton, Young The Giant, Alison Wonderland, $uicideboy$, Dashboard Confessional, King Princess, Bishops Briggs, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, Phosphorescent, Lauren Daigle, Tank And The Bangas, 4B, Hippo Campus, Snail Mail, Saba, Flora Cash, Taylor Bennett, Joywave, Mansionair, Max, Alec Benjamin, Jpegmafia, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Emo Nite, Little Simz, Let’s Eat Grandma, Half-Alive, Lawrence, Lolo Zouai, Ziggy Alberts, Flipp Dinero, FM-84, PLS&TY, Kid Quill, Rakeem Miles, and Yoke Lore.
Sunday- Vampire Weekend, DJ Snake, Griz, Walk The Moon, Lykke Li, Gucci Mane, AJR, Quinn XCII, 3LAU, Car Seat Headrest, Jessie Reyez, Hop Along, Lovelytheband, Nora En Pure, Two Feet, 070 Shake, Yungblud, Jukebox The Ghost, Medasin, Nombe, Protoje, Knower, Sodown, VHS Collection, Boogie, Magic Giant, Tyla Yaweh, King Henry, Naked Giants, The Orphan The Poet, and Thumpasaurus.
RVING AT THE EVENT
Camping in your RV is easy at Firefly because the event takes place at the Dover International Speedway, which has existing campsites, including some with hookups for water and electric. Need to find an RV for the weekend? Check out RVshare.com, where you can rent an RV from a private owner for a fraction of the price of a traditional RV rental.
If you plan to stay in an RV, there are three ticketing options:
- Standard RV Camping: Standard RV camping ($299) is the budget-level option for small groups traveling in an RV. Each pass includes early entry on Thursday for up to eight people and a 25’ x 40’ camping space for one RV. Guests in this section will be placed in South Camping and have access to shower facilities and The Hub for entertainment, shopping, cell phone charging stations, ice sales, and water refills.
- Front Row RV Camping: Front Row RV camping ($499) is the mid-tier option. Also located in South Camping, these campsites have slightly more room, measuring 25’ x 45’. Front Row guests receive early entry on Thursday for up to eight people and fast passes for the shower facilities. Plus, you’ll be as close to the festival entrance as possible.
- Infield RV Camping: Looking for water and electric hookups? You’ll need the pass for Infield RV camping ($1,099). Infield campers will also receive expedited check-in and early entry for up to eight people on Thursday. Each campsite measures 25’ x 45’ and contains hookups for water, electric, and waste. You’ll also receive one complimentary servicing for gray and black water removal (look it up if you don’t already know!). Infield campers are guaranteed shower fast passes and access to the Infield Lounge.
Remember, Firefly will allow only three types of setups in the RV section: an RV only, a standard-sized vehicle and pull-behind travel trailer, or a standard-sized vehicle and pop-up camper. Find more details about RV camping on the festival’s website.
WHERE TO STAY
RV Camping
Whether you’re renting an RV or using your own, RV camping is a great way to experience Firefly. The festival venue is the ideal setup for RV travelers, so go ahead and take advantage! More information about RV camping can be found on Firefly’s website.
On-site Camping
No matter if you’re happy roughing it or prefer a “glamping” situation, the Firefly Music Festival has the perfect option for you.
North Camping ($209) is the right choice for anyone who wants to be close to the action, since it’s right next to the Firefly Stage.
South Camping ($179) has campsites in the Dover International Speedway, close to the main festival entrance. This is where you’ll find Group Camping ($49/person) to ensure your whole group can stay together.
Pre-Set Camping comes in many shapes and sizes. Here, you have options from Carefree Camping ($549), where you can arrive at your campsite with a tent and camping accessories already set up for you, all the way to the luxury Super Glamping, where you’ll be treated to a private, air-conditioned tent with a comfortable bed and premium linens.
Hotels
There are several hotels in the Dover area that are close to the event venue. Firefly has partnered with Hotels for Hope, a nonprofit that donates a portion of hotel bookings to charities, to help festival attendees find hotel rooms for the weekend. Check out the hotel booking portal here.
HOW TO GET THERE
If you’ll be flying in, the closest airports to Dover are the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and the Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI). Philadelphia’s airport is about 70 miles from the event venue, while the Baltimore airport is about 90 miles away.
If you’ll be driving to the festival, the address to plug into your GPS is 1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover, DE 19901. More arrival instructions will be sent via email to anyone who purchases a ticket. Detailed directions may be found on the website for Dover International Speedway.
Coming from New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, or D.C.? The event organizers have partnered with Bus.com to create specialized festival routes, with ticket prices ranging from $29 to $46. The charter buses are designated exclusively for festival attendees and have plenty of storage for all your camping gear. Pickup locations include:
- New York (Manhattan): Grand Hyatt New York
- Philadelphia Airport: Philadelphia International Airport
- Philadelphia Downtown: The Bourse Building
- Washington DC: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
- Baltimore: Maryland Science Center
Shuttles will also be available to transport festival attendees from nearby hotels to the event venue. Once you’re on site, the organizers have arranged free shuttles to take attendees back to the overnight parking and camping areas. Those shuttles will run 24 hours per day starting on Thursday.
PARKING
For those who don’t plan on staying overnight, daily parking passes are available for $10 per day. Follow the parking attendants for more instructions when you arrive.
If you purchase camping passes, please note there are limitations on how many vehicles you may park at your campsite:
- For General Tent and Wednesday Tent passes, one car is permitted per spot.
- For Carefree Camping and Elevate Camping, each campsite will be granted one overnight parking pass for a separate lot with in and out privileges.
- For General RV, Infield RV, and Wednesday RV, each site is permitted one RV or one standard-size vehicle with a pull-behind travel trailer or pop-up camper.
- For Basic Glamping, Infield Glamping, Premium Glamping, Peak Glamping, or Guesthouse Glamping, one car is allowed per spot.
- For Group Camping, no cars are allowed at the campsite. Your group will be given overnight parking passes for up to six vehicles with in and out privileges.
If you plan on arriving to the festival with more cars than are permitted at your designated campsite, don’t worry -- you can easily purchase overnight parking passes for the rest of your vehicles, although these cars will need to be parked at a separate parking lot. Overnight parking passes cost $40 per night.
TICKETS & PRICING
Tickets for Firefly can be purchased online, starting at $299 for a Weekend General Admission pass and up to $2,499 for a Weekend Super VIP ticket. If you’ll be camping, don’t forget that you’ll need to purchase both a festival ticket as well as a camping pass.
WRAP UP
We hope this Firefly guide has been helpful! Here at RVshare, we love to help people explore the amazing outdoors or attend an event with comfort and ease. Visiting Firefly Music Festival in an RV allows you to enjoy this awesome event without the stress of tent camping. Regardless of whether you choose to visit Firefly in an RV rental from us or use other accommodations, we’d love to see pictures of your trip! Send us your photos at [email protected], and tag us on social media for a chance to be featured on our blog or social media!
Check out @FireflyMusicFestival on Facebook and Instagram, and @LiveAtFirefly on Twitter for event updates!
Please note, this is not the official source of the event information. While we try to be as comprehensive as possible, some details may have changed since the time this article was written. Please confirm final details with the official event page.