Thursday was sunny and gorgeous, perfect weather for an outdoor festival. We kicked off our day with some appropriately tropical tunes, with Norway natives Casiokids and the LA-based Fool’s Gold (not to be confused with Fool’s Gold Records). Miike Snow was a definite highlight – their live set highlighted the complex layers of their music. LCD Soundsytem was great as expected, and it was especially nice to see Brooklyn’s own Yeasayer, who we’ve never had the pleasure of seeing live.

The beautiful weather rekindled our spirit of musical exploration and gave us more freedom to wander from stage to stage. Over the course of the day, we caught glimpses of Broken Bells, Lindstrøm & Christabelle and Jonsi.

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Just in time to close out the outdoor concert season, Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2010 will take over Merriweather Post Pavilion on September 25. In addition to the two main stages, which will feature Thievery Corporation, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Matt & Kim, and others, the festival will also include a “Dance Forest” soundtracked by Chromeo, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Modeselektor and Die Antwoord. As if that weren’t enough, Trombone Shorty (featured on HBO’s Treme) will lead a second line march from stage to stage, a unique tradition from his hometown of New Orleans.

Not only is the line-up out-of-this-world awesome, the show is also free. Yes, free. So start buttering up your friends with cars because this mini-festival is worth the trip.

Tickets go “on free” Saturday, July 24 at 10 AM on Ticketfly, who is waiving all service fees for the occasion. If you miss out on the free tickets, Virgin Mobile is offering up a limited set of premium tickets, which gives access to pavilion seating. As an added bonus, Rusko has produced a mini mix featuring many of the artists on the line-up, which is available for $5. Proceeds from premium ticket sales and the mini mix will be donated to charities supporting homeless youth.

It may sound backwards to plan the dates of our vacation around the layover, but when we found out we’d be flying through the dubstep capital of the world on our way to Greece, we couldn’t resist. Our weekend of choice? July 16-19… find out why, after the jump.

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We were already amped about the massive line-up for Øya Festival in Norway, but after seeing the list of artists scheduled to perform at Nighttime Øya, our anticipation has gone through the roof. Øya has teamed up with some of the best clubs in Oslo to keep the music going after the park closes at 11 PM. Diplo, Caribou, Four Tet, Jamie XX are among those who will illuminate the nightlife scene in the nation’s capital each night after the festival.

As for the festival itself, Yeasayer, Die Antwood, and the Flaming Lips have been added to the roster, which was finalized last week. They will join the list of previously announced artists that includes M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Robyn, La Roux, The xx, Sleigh Bells, Miike Snow, Major Lazer and many, many more.

Tickets for Øya Nighttime events will be available at the venue and in advance at the festival. Discounts will be given to those who hold a festival pass, which costs around $330 for five-days. CLICK HERE for tickets and info.