How will it feel to finally separate a festival gate for the first time in 2021? Relief? Anxiety? Absolute unbridled exuberance to see music again, any kind of music, on a stage in the sun?
With California now halfway to getting vaccinated and – cross your fingers – all COVID-19 trends pointing in the right direction, some of the area’s marquee festivals have posted lineups, set dates and started selling tickets to summer and fall events began. The state’s reopening on June 15 is going according to plan. So if you’re into making music and making travel plans, there are tons of festivals within a day’s drive to LA that will make you want to be back again.
Unfortunately, Coachella and Stagecoach are likely to be down by 2022, and everything here is obviously subject to very rapidly evolving state and local COVID-19 policies. But here’s our guide in chronological order to all of the big ones slated for 2021.
Hard summer
July 31st-Aug. 1
NOS Event Center, San Bernardino
Headliners: Future, DJ Snake, Malaa
Don’t Miss: A decade in his rap career, Chicago-based Lil Durk has a second wind to scorching drills that top the charts.
Tickets: $ 99
Hive Fest
August 6th to 7th
Utah State Fair Park, Salt Lake City
Headliners: Post Malone, $ uicideboy $, Trippie Redd, DaBaby
Don’t Miss: Jack Harlow is the breakout pop star of this otherwise nervous rap festival.
Tickets: $ 349- $ 650
Post Malone hits the headlines for Hive Fest in Salt Lake City.
(Santiago Bluguermann / Getty Images)
revolt
13 August
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Headliners: Lil Wayne, TBD
Don’t Miss: There’s no way collaboration buddy Wayne doesn’t add at least a few special guests to the A-list.
Tickets: $ 89- $ 179
Psycho Las Vegas
August 20-22
Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas
Headliners: Danzig, Emperor, Down
Don’t Miss: Grindcore demons full of hell are one of the most brutal yet invigorating acts in heavy music today.
Tickets: $ 65- $ 299
Megan Thee Stallion could steal the show at BottleRock Napa Valley in September.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
BottleRock Napa Valley
September 3rd to 5th
Napa Valley Expo, Napa, California
Headliners: Guns N ‘Roses, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus and Megan Thee Hengst
Don’t Miss: Perennial Grammy high-flier Black Pumas are actually a good vibe for this laid-back festival.
Tickets: The festival is sold out, but tickets can be bought through exchanges on the secondary market.
Life is beautiful
17th-19th September
Downtown Las Vegas
Headliners: Tame Impala, Green Day, Billie Eilish
Don’t Miss: Megan Thee Stallion should be at the top of festival posters in no time.
Tickets: The festival is sold out, but tickets can be bought through exchanges on the secondary market.
Spring Los Angeles
18.-19. September
Los Angeles State Historic Park
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: The Barcelona-based festival, which ranges from indie to hip-hop to techno, is widely touted as one of the best in the world. After several years of trying, LA will finally add it to its portfolio of satellite shows. including one in Porto, Portugal.
Tickets: Not on sale yet.
Second heaven
18.-19. September
Cesar E. Chavez Park, Berkeley
Headliners: Porter Robinson, Madeon, Jai Wolf
Don’t Miss: Polymath Jacob Collier is likely to amaze the keen kids.
Tickets: The festival is sold out, but tickets can be bought through exchanges on the secondary market.
Billie Eilish is co-headlining the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas.
(Kelia Anne MacCluskey)
SoCal Hoedown
September 18
Port of Los Angeles, Berth 46, San Pedro
Headliners: Horrorpops, Face to Face, Reel Big Fish
Don’t Miss: Punk Funk mainstays Fishbone had one of the funniest drive-in shows of the pandemic.
Tickets: $ 50.12
Treefort
September 22nd to 26th
Downtown Boise, Idaho
Headliners: Japanese Breakfast, The Marias, Calexico
Don’t miss: Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar combines deep virtuosity with contemporary production.
Tickets: $ 150- $ 250
Monterey Jazz Festival
September 24th to 26th
Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, CA.
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: This is the 64th part of the festival, one of the highlights of the nation’s jazz calendar.
Tickets: Not on sale yet
Ohana
September 24th to 26th
Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, CA.
Headliners: Kings of Leon, Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam
Don’t Miss: LA Punks Plague Vendor are one of the loudest live acts in town.
Tickets: $ 138.50- $ 267
Hardly any strict bluegrass
October 1st to 3rd
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris were set to run the long-running Americana festival in 2020, though the line-up has not yet been announced for that year.
Tickets: Free
Reggae is rising
October 9-10
Downtown Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas
Headliner: Slightly stocky, dirty heads
Don’t miss: The DC group Soja mixes go-go and punk in their far-reaching dub and reggae sound.
Tickets: $ 80- $ 150
Dirtybird Campout
15.-17. October
Modesto Reservoir, Modesto
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: A rave of goofy, lovable summer camp sports by the LA house music crew Dirtybird.
Tickets: On sale June 11th
Desert Daze
Oct. 17-Nov. 23
Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown, California.
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: The Psych-Rock-Festival am See will return to its signature format in 2022, but for now is taking over the popular roadhouse in the Joshua Tree area for a number of small outdoor shows.
Tickets: Not on sale yet
Outlaw Music Festival
October, 16th
Five Point Amphitheater, Irvine
Headliners: Willie Nelson & Family, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson
Do not miss: Margo Price, whose new album “So wird Ger Bäumen started” shows her wild singing and quick wit.
Tickets: $ 29- $ 249
Electric Daisy Carnival
October 22nd to 24th
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas
Headliner: TBD
Don’t Miss: The marquee of the American rave world is always a spectacle no matter who is playing, but expect pretty much every great DJ in the genre to be eager to get back to work.
Tickets: The festival is sold out, but tickets can be bought through exchanges on the secondary market.
Julian Casablancas of The Strokes performs at the 2019 Lollapalooza Music Festival at Grant Park on August 1, 2019 in Chicago.
(Josh Brasted / FilmMagic)
Outside the countries
October 29th to 31st
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Headliners: The Strokes, Lizzo, Tame Impala
Don’t miss: Yves Tumor and his band are tough, ambitious and often beautiful.
Tickets: The festival is sold out, but tickets can be bought through exchanges on the secondary market.
Rolling Loud California 2021
December 10th to 12th
NOS Event Center, San Bernardino
Headliners: Kid Cudi, J. Cole and Future
Don’t Miss: Gen Z will turn out to be the fast-growing Pooh Shiesty and Coi Leray, but a set from the recently incarcerated Drakeo the Ruler will feel like a homecoming.
Tickets: On sale June 1st.
