Spring has finally arrived and that means summer is close behind.  Along with vacations to exotic destinations, summer is known for fabulous music festivals.  To help you plan your summer, here are our top picks for summer’s hottest festivals in great destinations.

Here are our top festival picks for Summer 2015:

• Soul Beach Music Festival May 20^th-25^th. Named one of the top 5 Caribbean celebrations by USA Today, the Soul Beach Music Festival hosts a fabulous musical lineup with Aruba’s beautiful beaches as a back drop.  This years’ artist lineup includes Estelle, Charlie Wilson, Dru Hill and Trey Songz.  For more information please visit soulbeach.net  Great music and the gorgeous Aruba make a fabulous vacation/couples getaway. 
• Montreal Jazz Festival June 26^th-July 5^th. The Montreal Jazz Festival is a legendary summer event.  Past performers have included Sade, John Legend, Esperanza Spaulding, the Roots and Prince.  Montreal is a great city with wonderful restaurants, museums, shopping and night clubs/lounges.  This festival is a family event with fun street entertainment for kids, interactive fountains and more.  This years’ lineup is still building but already includes Stanley Clarke and Chris Botti.  Visit montrealjazzfest.com often to see which fabulous artists have been added. 
• Essence Festival July 2^nd – 5 One of our favorite festivals, the Essence Music Festival is another legendary summer event.  Everyone attended last year to see Prince rock the stage. This years’ artist lineup is also a winner including BMWK Standard Award Winners Kindred the Family Soul, Missy Elliott, Kem, Common, Elle Varner, Mary J. Blige and Usher.  Kevin Hart’s ‘What Now?!’ comedy tour also stops at Essence Festival on Thursday July 2^nd @ 7pm.  For more information including the fabulous list of empowerment speakers, visit www.essencefestival.com Don’t wait to book your hotel or show tickets, Essence Festival concerts are known to sell out fast. 

It’s shaping up to be a great summer of music and fun.  Also check out these great festivals:  St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival April 30 – May 10^th www.Stluciajazz.org and the Capital Jazz Festival in Maryland June 5^th-7^th featuring Chrisette Michelle, Deborah Cox and Amel Larrieux.  For the complete artist lineup, please visit www.capitaljazz.com

BMWK family what’s your favorite summer festival?