For many bands and their fans, the receding snow makes room for the blooming of festival season. Several New England festivals that premiered in 2010 will return this year for sophomore efforts, showcasing a range of genres with performers from around the region and the nation. Organizers are formulating their lineups, building anticipation for some stellar celebrations of music.

Snoe.down Winter Music & Sports Festival, Killington, Vt., March 25-27: Jam titans moe. will return to Vermont to headline a weekend of music and activities from Friday to Sunday, March 25 to 27. The Snoe.down Winter Music & Sports Festival unfolds at Killington Resort and Spartan Arena in neighboring Rutland.

Guitar virtuoso Killer Williams will join moe. to headline the Friday night show, and instrumental dance-rock band Lotus will share the stage with moe. on Saturday night. Both shows take place at Spartan Arena. 

The Ryan Montbleau Band will also perform with moe. on Saturday afternoon on the outdoor Swany Stage at Killington’s Bear Mountain. Other acts, including The London Souls and Dangermuffin, will offer afternoon shows at the K-1 and Bear Mountain lodges at Killington. Frank Viele & The Manhattan Project will perform at lunchtime on Sunday at the K-1 Lodge.

A number of familiar New England acts will be involved in the festivities. A pair of separately ticketed kick-off parties take place on Thursday, March 24. Amesbury’s The Brew and Portland’s The Lucid will perform at the Wobbly Barn, while Vermont’s own Twiddle will rock the Pickle Barrel. Assembly of Dust will offer a separately ticketed after-party on Sunday, March 27, at the Pickle Barrel. 

The festival also features a number of winter sports activities, including ski and snowboard lessons, discount lift tickets, and discount lodging options. Shuttle services will be available to transport guests between Killington and Spartan Arena. For ticket prices, direction and more information, visit www.snoedown.com. 

New England Americana Festival, Boston, Mass., March 31-April 2: More than 30 acts from around the Northeast are slated to perform in the second annual New England Americana Festival, taking place from Thursday to Saturday, March 31 to April 2, at the Church of Boston.

The three-day event celebrates the centuries-long American tradition of deeply rooted folk music, roping in musicians from around the region to explore different shades of the genre and share its living history. The idea is to convey the experience of New England, its people, landscapes and values, through music.

The 2011 installment will feature top New England acts like the Dennis Brennan Band, Will Daily and The Rivals, Sarah Borges, Christian McNeill, Jimmy Ryan, Eric Royer, and Tim Gearan, among many others. 

Portsmouth’s own alt-country quartet The Molenes are on the bill for opening night at 7 p.m., when they’ll perform tunes from their 2010 CD “Good Times Comin’.” They’ll be joined by The Rationales, Sam Otis Hill, Adela & Jude, Jeff Conley, Patrick Coman and others.

Friday night highlights include Big East, the This Way Band, the Highland Drifters, Audrey Ryan, Mt. Peru, and others. Saturday’s lineup will feature Coyote Kolb, Mr. Sister, The Whiskey Boys, Chasing Blue, Cactus Attack, and more. Many participants regularly perform on the Seacoast. 

The music starts at 5 p.m. each night. Tickets are $10 for Thursday night, $12 for Friday or Saturday night, or $25 for the whole weekend. The Church of Boston is at 69 Kilmarnock St. in Boston. Visit www.newenglandamericana.com. 

Solid Sound Festival, North Adams, Mass., June 24-26: It takes place at a massive art museum set to the backdrop of the Berkshire Mountains, it’s curated by one of the world’s greatest bands, and it features some of the nation’s top acts in music and comedy. Those are the main credentials for the second annual Solid Sound Festival, taking place from Friday to Sunday, June 24 to 26, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. 

The festival is helmed by Wilco, who will headline on both Friday and Saturday nights. Other highlights of the 2011 lineup include the Levon Helm Band, Thurston Moore, and at least four Wilco side projects.

Among the acts featuring one or more members of Wilco are The Autumn Defense (John Stirratt and Patrick Sansone), Pillow Wand (Nels Cline with Thurston Moore), Pronto (Mikael Jorgensen), and Glenn Kotche. 

Rounding out the bill are Syl Johnson & the Sweet Divines, Dave Douglass and Brass Ecstasy, The Handsome Family, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Liam Finn, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Here We Go Magic, Sic Alps, and Purling Hiss. 

Solid Sound will also bring several comedians to the stage, including John Hodgman, Wyatt Cenac, Eugene Mirman, Morgan Murphy, and Story Pirates. Other music and comedy acts will be added as the festival approaches.

Tickets are $124.50 for the whole weekend for adults, or $50 for children ages 7 to 10, free for children 6 and under. Visit www.solidsoundfestival.com.

Nateva Music and Camping Festival, Oxford, Maine, Aug. 4-7: The first ever Nateva Music and Camping Festival hit Oxford, Maine, over Fourth of July Weekend in 2010. Music fans of all shapes, sizes and hairdos descended on the Oxford Fairgrounds to see bands like Further, moe., and The Flaming Lips. 

Nateva will return in 2011, this time taking place from Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 4 to 7. The festival is expected to include more than 50 bands performing on four separate stages, along with food, late-night movies, silent discos, and art installations.

The Nateva crew recently announced a lineup of more than 40 national and regional acts—a bill sure to cause jam band connoisseurs around the country to salivate into their incense holders. Among the performers are the Gregg Allman Band, Bob Weir, Guster, Chris Robinson, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Strangefolk, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Martin Sexton, Thievery Corporation, 7 Walkers (featuring Bill Kreutzmann), Peter Wolf and others. 

Returning from last year’s festival are STS9, Keller Williams, Moonalice, Max Creek, The McLovins, Jackie Greene (performing with Chris Robinson), and Portland’s Gypsy Tailwind. Other regional acts include the Ryan Montbleau Band, The Mallett Brothers Band, Roots of Creation, the Ron Noyes Band, and Dopapod. Additional performers will be announced over the coming months. 

The fairgrounds will again be transformed into a sprawling tent city as guests with multi-day passes camp throughout the weekend. For ticket prices and more information, visit www.natevafestival.com.