Festivals

One of the SF Bay Area's most cherished summer traditions turns 35 this year and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2025 amplifies its artist lineup like never before ranging from GRAMMY Award-winners to the hottest acts on the live music festival scene with headliners Common, Mavis Staples, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, José James, Ghost-Note, Butcher Brown, The Headhunters, plus newly confirmed headliners Lalah Hathaway, PJ Morton, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bilal, and the inaugural "Artist-In-Residence" for its "Future of Ja

Cascade Equinox has unveiled a wave of new offerings for its 2025 edition, including daily lineups, single-day tickets, a Thursday pre-party, and the return of signature experiences like the ‘Summer Jams’ concert series, Cosmic Drip, Solar Spin, and the ‘Feast to Festival’ farm-to-table dinner. Set in the scenic Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond, Oregon, the cross-genre festival will take place Friday, September 19 - Sunday, September 21, 2025.

 

Hope In The Hills’ sixth annual Healing Appalachia festival will make its inaugural move along Kentucky’s Country Music Highway this year, taking place Sept. 19-20, on a mountaintop near the Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland, KY.

Disco Presents is proud to celebrate 15 years of Lights All Night with a triumphant return to New Year’s Eve proper. On December 30 and 31, 2025, the landmark event takes over Dallas Market Hall once again for two unforgettable nights of euphoric sound and futuristic spectacle, ushering in 2026 with the largest edition of the festival to date.

 

When you’ve invited some musicians to your family reunion, odds are there’s going to be a little get-together to sing songs and trade solos. This year’s Marcus King Band Family Reunion is no exception, only it’ll be happening on the main stage with some of the world’s finest singers and pickers. Taking place on the main stage on Saturday, August 23rd, at North Charleston, South Carolina’s Firefly Distillery, the man himself will be hosting a Marcus King & Friends set for the ages.

Shoe Fest returns to Camp Shaw in Manteno, Illinois, August 29–31, 2025, for its fourteenth annual weekend of roots-rich revelry, riverbank camping, and round-the-clock pickin’. The intimate, family-friendly gathering—nestled just an hour south of Chicago—has built a reputation for pairing Midwest hospitality with nationally revered talent, and this year’s lineup might be its most sparkling yet.

In true Wisconsin fashion, the 2025 Blue Ox Music Festival kicked off with a good ol’ mud bath. Held June 26–28 at The Pines Music Park in Eau Claire, it didn’t take long for the opening-day rain to turn the grassy grounds into a squishy, Chaco-sucking mess. But if you’ve ever been to Blue Ox, you know a little mud doesn’t scare anyone off—long-time attendees always pack for it. Once the sun appeared and temperatures climbed, the weather shifted from soggy to scorching, yet spirits stayed sky-high from start to finish.

Marcus King turned the main stage into a master class in soulful Southern rock. Opening with a heart-wrenching “Goodbye Carolina,” joined by his wife Briley King, he paid homage to Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, then tore into a blistering cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man.” King’s guitar solos were liquid fire, translating emotion into sonic waves that swept the audience.

BeachLife Festival, Southern California’s premier live music, art, and coastal lifestyle event, is set to return to Redondo Beach’s scenic waterfront May 1-3, 2026. Now in its seventh year, the weekend celebration will once again bring an eclectic mix of legendary artists, emerging talent, and immersive cultural experiences to the heart of the South Bay.

I’m old enough now that being told on Tuesday that I am going to cover the Northlands Music & Arts Festival on Friday feels rushed. Gone are the carefree days of the early ’00s. Back then, I went on tour with one day’s notice—without a tent.

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