Best In-Person Festival

Quichenight performs at Spewfest V at The Cobra Photo: Angelina Castillo

Even if COVID-19 hadn’t put music festivals into hibernation for the foreseeable future, it’s tough to argue with Spewfest’s rise as one of Nashville’s best, most eclectic music festivals. Spread between stages at The East Room and The Cobra, Spewfest celebrates the best and brightest of Nashville’s punk, indie-rock and hip-hop artists. This year, festival organizers Cold Lunch Recordings learned from the anemic turnout for hip-hop headliners at The East Room during Spewfest IV, and booked rappers like Chuck Indigo and Kent Osborne alongside indie darlings like Quichenight and Sun Seeker on Cobra’s main stage. Throw in some surprises — like Primary Sound’s surprise gig on Cobra’s patio and a comedy stage at the East Room-adjacent Hail Dark Aesthetics — and Spewfest V is tough to top in any year. LANCE CONZETT