The music festival scene in Southern California is alive and thriving in 2023.
We’ve already experienced major events like the back-to-back weekends of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and its sister country music festival, Stagecoach, out at the Empire Polo Club in Indio in April. Enthusiastic fans quickly sold out the ’80s-infused Cruel World Festival and partied it up at the ode to the early ’00s, Just Like Heaven Festival, both of which both took over Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in May.
Earlier in the year, there was a condensed version of Punk in the Park in Ventura led by Pennywise, Boots in the Park brought Cole Swindell and Flo Rida together in Norco and the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival made its debut at Hollywood Park in Inglewood.
As summer is rapidly approaching, several more music festivals hitting Southern California and just beyond have been added to the 2023 calendar. Here’s a list of the festival events still to come this year.
JUNE
LA Pride in the Park
The annual two-day LA Pride in the Park event is happening at Los Angeles State Historic Park with rapper Megan Thee Stallion and pop diva Mariah Carey headlining. King Princess, Fletcher, Symone, Gigi Goode and others will also perform.
When: June 9-10
Where: Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N Spring St, Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: Two-day general passes start at $209; two-day VIP passes start at $589; one-day passes start at $139; one-day VIP passes start at $349. lapride.org.
Splash House
The summer concert series is taking over three different Palm Springs resorts over three weekends to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The June lineup includes performances from Armand Van Helden, Ash Lauryn, Azzecca, Black Loops, BONES, Bontan, Chelina Manuhutu, Chromeo (DJ set), Cloonee, Dennis Ferrer, DJ Susan and more. There are also after-hours parties scheduled at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
When: June 9-11; Aug. 11-13; Aug. 18-20
Where: Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel (888 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs); Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs (1600 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs); The Saguaro Palm Springs (1800 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs); Palm Springs Air Museum (745 N. Gene Autry Trail).
Tickets and more information: General admission passes for one weekend start at $165. Combo passes, which include entrance to the after-hours performances, start at $210. Season passes for all three weekends start at $499. Hotel packages start at $1,000. After-party passes are $60-$80 for general admission and $100 for VIP. All passes are available at splashhouse.com.
Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival
The 43rd annual two-day jazz festival will take place at the Hollywood Bowl with pianist Herbie Hancock and Los Angeles jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington co-curating the event. Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, Digable Planets and Samara Joy are among the artists set to perform.
When: June 17-18
Where: The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: Single-day tickets start at $60-$205. hollywoodbowl.com
Old Town Music Festival
The Old Town Music Festival will return for a third year with country music act Big & Rich headlining the event along with support from Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, Coffey Anderson, Creed Fisher, Runaway June and Cowboy Troy.
When: June 17
Where: The Temecula Stampede, 28721 Old Town Front Street, Temecula
Tickets and more information: Tickets start at $69-$129. oldtownmusicfestival.com.
Day Trip Festival
Insomniac’s house music festival is hitting The Queen Mary Waterfront for two days with Dombresky, Duke Dumont, James Hype, Dom Dolla, Archie Hamilton, Eli Brown, Blond:Ish, CID, Lupe Fuentes and more taking over the decks.
When: June 24-25
Where: The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach
Tickets and more information: Single-day general admission passes start at $129; Two-day general passes start at $249; single-day VIP passes start at $249; Two-day VIP passes are sold out. daytripfest.com/tickets.
JULY
Freestyle Festival
The old-school soul and R&B festival is returning to Los Angeles for a one-night-only event with performances by Lisa Lisa, Taylor Dayne, Stevie B, Cover Girls, Expose, Trinere, Sweet Sensation, Nocera and more.
When: July 8
Where: The Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: Tickets start at $59-$410. Ticketmaster.com.
Sad Summer Fest
The cross-country Sad Summer Festival, hosted by Journeys and Converse, is stopping in Irvine with sets by Taking Back Sunday, The Maine, Pvris, Andrew McMahon, Hot Mulligan, Mom Jeans, Stand Atlantic, Daisy Grenade, Sincere Engineer and Cliffdriver.
When: July 29
Where: FivePoint Amphitheatre, 14800 Chinon, Irvine
Tickets and more information: Tickets are $39.50-$158. LiveNation.com.
Salsa Festival
Fans will be able to dance to the sounds of salsa music from all over the world as this event hosts salsa legends Willie Colón, El Gran Combo, Victor Manuelle, Jerry Rivera, Rey Ruiz, Los Adolescentes, Fruko y sus Tesos and Wilfrido Vargas.
When: July 29
Where: Crypto.com Arena, 1111 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: Tickets are $87-$205. AXS.com.
AUGUST
HARD Summer
The two-day Hard Summer Music Festival will return to Los Angeles for the first time in a decade for its 15th anniversary at three different venues. Acts include Kid Cudi, Skrillex b2b Four Tet, 21 Savage, Dillon Francis, Ludacris, Oliver Tree, Fat Joe, Black Coffee, Diplo b2b Blond:ish, Kayzo, Diesel, Kaskade b2b John Summit, Emo Nite and a Jungle DJ and more.
When: Aug. 5-6
Where: Exposition Park (700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (3911 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles) and BMO Stadium (3939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles)
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission tickets start at $229; VIP two-day tickets start at $409. hardsummer.com.
Bleached Festival
The inaugural two-day festival will feature indie-pop and new-wave R&B acts including Joji, Leon Bridges, Omar Apollo, PinkPantheress, Lizzy McAlpine, Stephen Sanchez, Channel Tres, Surf Curse, Dayglow, Inner Wave and more.
When: Aug. 5-6
Where: Waterfront Park,1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego
Tickets and other information: Single-day passes start at $95; two-day passes start at $195. bleachedfest.com.
Head In The Clouds
Head in the Clouds Festival will celebrate Asian artists, music and food with performances by PR Live, DPR Ian, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, Rina Sawayama, XG, YOASOBI, Zedd, TOKiMONSTA, Keith Ape and more. 88 rising is also welcoming back 626 Night Market as the official food curator for the event.
When: Aug. 5-6
Where: Brookside at the Rose Bowl, 1133 Rosemont Ave., Pasadena
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission starts at $269; VIP passes start at $425; two-day South Bay Surf Club passes start at $749. la.hitcfestival.com.
Interstellar
A collaboration between Insomniac’s techno-focused Factory 93 and trance label Dreamstate, the inaugural Interstellar fest will feature sets from Bob Moses, Cristoph, Gioli & Assia, Lane 8, Maceo Plex, Mind Against, Mita Gami, Pretty Pink, Sasha & Jon Digweed among others.
When: Aug.19-20
Where: LA Waterfront at Berth 46, 3011 Miner Street, San Pedro, CA
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $159; two-day VIP passes start at $249. Interstellarexperience.com/tickets
Is For Lovers Festival
Rock band Hawthorne Heights and Orange County-based promoters Brew Ha Ha Productions are bringing the traveling Is For Lovers Festival to Oak Canyon Park in Silverado with Alkaline Trio, Bayside, Sleeping With Sirens, Emery, Atreyu and more.
When: Aug. 26
Where: Oak Canyon Park, 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado
Tickets and more information: General admission passes start at $79 and VIP packages are $225-$350. isforlovers.com/california
SEPTEMBER
Boots in the Park
The San Diego edition of Boots in the Park will bring Kane Brown, Tyler Hubbard, Flo Rida, Niko Moon, Blanco Brown and Leaving Austin to Waterfront Park.
When: Sept. 9
Where: Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego
Tickets and more information: General admission passes start at $129 and VIP passes start at $349. bootsinthepark.com.
Coastal Country Jam
Coastal Country Jam will return for the first time since 2019 and relocate to Long Beach. The two-day event will include sets by Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Tyler Hubbard, Flo Rida, Scotty McCreery, Kidd G, MacKenzie Porter, Luwiss Lux and more.
When: Sept. 16-17
Where: Marina Green Park, 386 East Shoreline Drive, Long Beach
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $199; two-day beach club passes start at $499; two-day VIP pit passes start at $799; two-day reserved seating passes start at $599-$1,200. coastalcountryjam.com.
Nocturnal Wonderland
Insomniac’s longest-running festival, Nocturnal Wonderland, is back for two days of music, camping and art. This year’s theme is The Cosmic Equinox, so fans can expect an ethereal forest with vibrant colors surrounding the grounds. The electric lineup includes Dillon Francis, Adventure Club, Armand Van Helden, Illenium, Rezz, Yellow Claw, Boombox Cartel and more.
When: Sept. 17-18
Where: Glen Helen Regional Park, 2555 Glen Helen Parkway, San Bernardino
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $139; 3D collectible magnet plus two-day passes start at $149. nocturnalwonderland.com.
BeachLife Ranch
BeachLife Ranch, the sister festival of the alt-rock and reggae-oriented BeachLife Festival, will be back in Redondo Beach this year with Brad Paisley, The Doobie Brothers, Jack Johnson, Wynonna Judd, The Avett Brothers, Chris Isaak and more.
When: Sept. 22-24
Where: Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach
Tickets and more information: Weekend general admission passes start at $359; VIP weekend passes start at $646. beachliferanch.com.
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival will include a guitar-focused vendor village and more than 40 guest musicians and bands performing over two nights in Los Angeles. So far, Sheryl Crow, H.E.R., Carlos Santana, ZZ Top and others will take part in the event.
When: Sept. 23-24
Where: Crypto.com Arena, 1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
Tickets and information: Sold-out. There are tickets available via secondary sellers at Ticketmaster.com
Ohana Festival
The Eddie Vedder-curated Ohana Festival will once again take over Doheny State Beach in Dana Point with The Killers headlining on Friday, Vedder on Saturday and Foo Fighters will close out the event on Sunday. Other performers include Haim, Father John Misty, Japanese Breakfast, The War On Drugs, Pretenders, The Backseat Lovers, Dehd, Lido Pimenta and more.
When: Sept. 29-Oct. 1
Where: Doheny State Beach, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point
Tickets and more information: Single-day general admission passes start at $169; single-day VIP passes start at $549; three-day general admission passes start at $479; three-day VIP passes start at $1,499; three-day ultimate VIP passes start at $9,950. ohanafest.com.
Same Same But Different
The three-day waterfront music, art and wellness festival will return to Lake Perris with Big Wild, Griz, Louis The Child, Polo & Pan, Hippie Sabotage, What So Not, Blu DeTiger, Boombox, Mija and more.
When: Sep. 28-Oct.1
Where: Lake Perris State Park, 17801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris
Tickets and more info: Four-day general admission passes start at $395; VIP four-day admission starts at $595. ssbdfest.com.
OCTOBER
Power Trip
Goldenvoice is bringing metal music back to the Empire Polo Club in Indio with the three-day Power Trip music festival featuring performances by Metallica and Guns N’ Roses on Oct. 6; AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne on Oct. 7; and Iron Maiden and Tool on Oct. 8.
When: Oct. 6-8
Where: Empire Polo Club, 81800 51st Ave., Indio
Tickets and more information: Three-day general admission is $599; three-day reserved floor seats are $799-$1,599; reserved grandstand seats are $1,099-$1,399; three-day pit tickets are $1,599; three-day VIP passes are $1,749-$2,999. powertrip.live.
Desert Daze
The psych-rock lakeside festival will return to Lake Perris for three days of music and art. Each year, the festival brings together interactive art installations and screenings that can be found throughout the campgrounds. The 2023 lineup is still unknown, but attendees can anticipate an eclectic mix of rock acts.
When: Oct. 12-15
Where: Moreno Beach Lake Perris State Recreation Area, 17801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris
Tickets and more info: Weekend admission is $399-$1,999; Camping passes are $99-$379; RV and tent rentals are available; Weekend parking passes are $125-$250. desertdaze.org.
Escape Halloween
Insomniac’s ultimate Halloween party will include immersive production and spooky-themed activations and stages with performances by 100 Gecs, Diplo, Alesso, Flosstradamus, Bones, Martin Garrix, Tiesto, Marshmello and plenty of b2b performances like Getter with Eptic and Deorro with Valentino Khan.
When: Oct. 27-28
Where: NOS Events Center, 689 South E Street, San Bernardino
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $199.95; Two-day general admission plus passes start $259.95; VIP two-day passes start at $309.95. escapehalloween.com.
NOVEMBER
Punk In The Park
The all-ages, two-day punk rock show has expanded to include three stages and a Vans skate ramp this year. There will also be craft beer tastings for those 21-and-older and performances by Pennywise, Descendents, Circle Jerks, Goldfinger, The Suicide Machines and more.
When: Nov. 4-5
Where: Oak Canyon Park, 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $120; Two-day VIP passes start at $300. punkinthepark.com.
Camp Flog Gnaw
Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Festival will return to Dodger Stadium for the first time since 2019. The lineup has yet to be announced but in the past has included artists like Drake, Solange, YG, Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, Summer Walker and more. Fans are promised plenty of carnival games and rides, including a pop-up shop for fans to find merch and footwear from Tyler’s Golf Wang collection.
When: Nov. 11-12
Where: Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: General admission two-day passes start at $335; two-day VIP passes start at $595; two-day super VIP start at $1,495. campfloggnaw.com.
DECEMBER
Bésame Mucho
Bésame Mucho, the multi-generational, multi-genre Latino music fest, is returning to Dodger Stadium for its second year. The single-day event will include performances by Maná, Los Bukis, Alejandro Fernández, Hombres G, Pepe Aguilar & Gloria Trevi, La Ley, Café Tacvba and more.
When: Dec. 2
Where: Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets and more information: Sold-out; Fans can sign up to join the waitlist at besamemuchofestival.com.
Insomniac’s Countdown
Insomniac will be kissing 2023 goodbye and welcoming 2024 with its annual Countdown event with the out-of-this-world New Year’s Invasion theme. The lineup has yet to be announced, but the two-day event will feature several space-themed stages and in the past has included turns by acts like Galantis, Zhu, Deadmau5, Flosstradamus and more.
When: Dec. 30-31
Where: NOS Events Center, 689 South E Street, San Bernardino
Tickets and more information: Two-day general admission passes start at $169.95; two-day general admission plus passes start at $229.95; VIP passes start at $279.95. countdownnye.com.
Just Outside of Southern California
Monterey Jazz Festival
The 66th Monterey Jazz Festival will bring together some of the best jazz acts in the country for its three-day event. The festival features rising jazz acts and other industry stars that make up the evolution of modern-day jazz. While just the festival dates have been announced, the lineup and ticket on sale information should be coming soon.
When: Sept. 22-24
Where: Monterey County Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairground Rd, Monterey
Tickets and more info: Single-day grounds tickets start at $60; One-day arena tickets start at $85-$650; Three-day arena tickets start at $295; three-day grounds tickets start at $195. Montereyjazzfestival.org.
Aftershock Festival
The Sacramento hard-rock and metal fest will mark its 11th anniversary in 2023 with a four-day event. The lineup includes Incubus, Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Turnstile, Korn, 311, Queens of the Stone Age, Guns n’ Roses, Rancid, AFI, Megadeth and more.
When: Oct. 5-8
Where: Discovery Park, 1600 Garden Highway, Sacramento
Tickets and more info: Four-day general admission starts at $379; VIP four-day admissions start at $699; Single-day and military discounted weekend passes will be available in the coming months. Aftershockfestival.com.
GoldenSky Country Festival
The producers of Aftershock are bringing back its GoldenSky country festival in 2023 with Jon Pardi, Maren Morris, Jordan Davis, Wynonna Judd, Eric Church, Parker McCollum, Elle King, Lainey Wilson, Nikon Moon and others.
When: Oct. 14-15
Where: Discovery Park, 1600 Garden Highway, Sacramento
Tickets and more info: Two-day general admission starts at $104.99; VIP Two-day admission starts at $234.99. goldenskyfestival.com.
When We Were Young
Serving up pure punk, pop and emo nostalgia with serious Warped Tour vibes, the 2023 edition of this festival will include sets by Blink 182, Green Day, Good Charlotte, The Offspring, Thirty Seconds to Mars, All Time Low, Yellowcard, Say Anything, Simple Plan, Gym Class Heroes and more.
When: Oct. 21
Where: Las Vegas Festival Grounds, 311 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas
Tickets and more info: Sold-out; Fans can still sign up to be on the wait list at whenwewereyoungfestival.com.
Life Is Beautiful
The music and arts festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary and will have headliners Kendrick Lamar, The Killers, Odesza and Flume. Other acts include The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The 1975, Rina Sawayama, Kim Petras, Khalid,, The Wombats and more.
When: Sept. 22-24
Where: Downtown Las Vegas, 425 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tickets and more information: Single-day passes start at $165; one-day VIP passes start at $395-$1,555; three-day passes start at $395-$595; three-day VIP passes start at $825-$3,250. lifeisbeautiful.frontgatetickets.com.
