For some, the summer means relaxing and hitting the beach, but for music lovers it means just one thing: music festivals. Whether they’re touring festivals, or one weekend-only destination affairs, music festivals are a great place to catch a number of your favorite bands in one place. And of course a number of festivals cater only to women musicians, or at least feature them prominently.

With a history of celebrating female musicians, Lilith Fair, brainchild of Canadian singer-songwriter, is back this summer for the first time since 1999, with an eclectic and talented lineup. Where else can you catch established artists as varied as Emmylou Harris, Erykah Badu, the Go-Go’s, and Kelly Clarkson? Past Lilith Fairs have featured more independent and lesser known artists on the smaller stages. To check out the lineup coming to your city, go to www.lilithfair.com.

There’s also the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, held August 3 – 8 this year, which has been going strong for the past 35 years. In addition to performances from a diverse lineup of musicians, there’s also a film festival, craft fair, hundreds of workshops and dance. This year, look for The Indigo Girls, Betty, Anais Mitchell, Holly Near, The Butchies and much more. Go to www.michfest.com for more information.

Another festival with a rich history is the Newport Folk Festival held in Newport, Rhode Island. And don’t expect to see bands that would be classified as typical folk music. This year’s festival, held July 30 – August 1, has another inspired lineup with varied artists whose styles of music are mired in indie rock, bluegrass, classic rock, funk, and soul, as much as folk. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is playing on Saturday.

Grammy-nominated bluegrass multi-instrumentalist, as well as singer and songwriter, Sarah Jarosz will perform Saturday as well, in addition to Friday evening’s bluegrass and banjo event that also features Steve Martin. Brooklyn’s soulful Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings will take the stage Sunday. For a full lineup, go to www.newportfolkfest.net.

Coming up soon, June 10-13, is Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, held on farmland right outside of Nashville, in Manchester, Tennessee. With scores of bands spanning over three days, and lots of other things going on as well including a comedy tent, there’s always something going on to check out, which can be a little overwhelming but is worth it.

This festival always brings in some of the best critically acclaimed bands. Tori Amos is on the bill this year as is Norah Jones, whose most recent release has taken her music in a new, edgier direction. Regina Spektor will perform again, as she has the past several years. Actress Zooey Deschanel will perform with M. Ward, her collaborator in She & Him, known for their quirky vintage-feeling pop. Carlile will also be playing Bonnaroo as part of her summer national tour. The full list of artists is at www.bonnaroo.com.

A similar festival held in the Pacific Northwest, just outside of Seattle, is Bumbershoot. This year on September 4-6, the lineup features alt-country poster girl Neko Case, Mary J. Blige, Jenny Lewis performing with her boyfriend, Jonathan Rice, and more. This is another great festival to catch some of the bigger names in music in addition to the acts everyone will know about this time next year. Go to www.bumbershoot.org for more info.

Punk rockers will be interested in checking out Warped Tour, another traveling festival with a lineup that changes from city to city. Often dominated by male performers – though Joan Jett has headlined in the past – Warped Tour always has one stage dedicated to featuring only female and female-fronted bands.

And of course, every area has its own local music festivals. These are also great arenas for up-and-coming musicians to get onto the lineup and get some local exposure. The best way to find out more information about local events is through local music organizations and media outlets.