By NATALIE GAMBRELL

A&E Editor

Those depressed about Spring Break being over need not wait long for entertainment because its music festival season. Many music festivals are taking place soon in the south to entertain fans of any musical genre, with options good for those who want a short fun weekend away, or a longer road trip this summer.  

First is Slingshot Festival which this year is the weekend of March 26 to the 28. Slingshot takes place in Athens, Ga., just under an hour from Piedmont’s Demorest campus. The Slingshot Festival features film, electronic art, electronic music, comedy and workshops on electronic sounds. The music lineup features mostly electronic music, pop music and DJ’s.  

The schedule this year includes artists James Murphy (former leader of LCD Soundsystem), DJ WINDOWS 98 (DJ project of lead singer of Arcade Fire), Nosaj Thing and Holly Herndon. Not only is the event taking place in Athens, Ga., the Slingshot Festival is happening at the exact same time in Athens, Greece, and certain events will be streamed between the two cities. 

A three day pass to all the festival’s events is $80, $35 for a single day pass or between $12 and $30 for individual headlining shows.

Next is 420 Fest, which will be April 17- 19 in Centennial Park in Atlanta, Ga., only an hour-and-thirty-minute drive from Demorest. 

Headliners for the 2015 festival include Snoop Dogg, the Cold War Kids and Slightly Stoopid. There is an EDM (Electric Dance Music) stage as well featuring Anna Lunoe, Black Boots and David Heartbreak among many others. 

Those that want a break from the music have other options for entertainment, comedy tent and a 5k race. 

The Sweetwater 420 5k race, starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, with beer at the end for participants 21 and over. A three day pass for the festival is $265, or single day passes can be bought for any of the three days for $115.

Also in Atlanta, a few weeks later in Central Park is Shaky Knees, an indie music festival taking place the weekend of May 8-10. The festival is completely music focused, and there is a huge list of musical acts including The Strokes, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mastodon, Neutral Milk Hotel, Best Coast, The Kooks, The Mountain Goats and many more. 

For those who haven’t got enough of the festival during the day, there are special late night shows featuring some of the musical acts and starting at 11:30 p.m. 

A three day pass is $199 or $99 for each individual day.

The next weekend is the country spinoff of Shaky Knees, Shaky Boots. The festival features an impressive lineup including Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flats, The Band Perry and many more. The Festival takes place on Kennesaw State University’s campus just outside Atlanta. Two day tickets are $169 or one day tickets are $95.

Although it may take a little more planning and is a little further into the future, it’s worth mentioning that one of America’s biggest music festivals is only a three-hour drive from Demorest. This year, Bonnaroo takes place June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn. 

The line-up includes Billy Joel, Mumford & Sons, Deadmau5, Kendrick Lamar, Florence + the Machine, Childish Gambino and Hozier. 

Other sources of entertainment at the festival include comedy, film, environmental speakers, art and much more.  

Tickets are $324.50 for a four day pass, or $1,524.50 for the VIP pass, and they do offer a payment plan as a way for music fans to deal with the high ticket prices. 

For fans of music, art, film and possible road trips, get ready for your favorite time of the year.