California Summer Music Festivals Guide

Clear your calendar for the rest of the summer, we’ve got some festival-hopping to do up the California coast. I trust you’ve recovered from Coachella madness by now? Good. Follow me from San Diego to Los Angeles and San Francisco to check out the hottest music festivals on the West Coast. Our top picks range from electro-heavy Hard in L.A., to the alternative Outside Lands in S.F., hip-hop favorite Rock the Bells in San Bernardino and the cool indie FYF Fest that brings comedy to the scene back in L.A. And right in our backyard, Identity Festival returns to Cricket for an EDM takeover.  

Discover the best summer music festivals in California.

Hard Summer Music Festival in Los Angeles – August 3 & 4

The Electric Daisy Carnival may have evacuated the city of angels, but the Hard Summer Music Festival isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it just keeps getting bigger. This year for the first time, Hard boasts two nights of, well, hard electronic music, featuring some of the top DJs in the industry, plus live performances. On Friday, August 3, check out Bloc Party, Boys Noize, Miike Snow (live), Little Dragon, Magnetic Man, Chromeo DJ set, Araabmuzik and more. On Saturday, August 4, head back for Skrillex, Nero (live), Bloody Beetroots DJ set, A-Trak, Squarepusher, James Murphy DJ set, Brodinski and more. Regular two-day tickets start at $119. 18+ event. Los Angeles State Historic Park, hardfest.com

Outside Lands in San Francisco – August 10-12

More than a music festival, Outside Lands is an eclectic event featuring art, wine, beer, food and a diverse lineup of live bands and DJs across varying genres. This year, Outside Lands is bringing back some music legends, from Stevie Wonder and Neil Young to Metallica. Also on the lineup are Foo Fighters, Passion Pit, Bloc Party, Fitz and the Tantrums, Santigold, Norah Jones, Yacht, Franz Ferdinand, Explosions in the Sky, Regina Spektor, Fun and more. And for the bass-heads, you can look forward to big shows from Skrillex, Justice and Wolfgang Gartner, among others. As of this post, the day and set times haven’t been released. Regular three-day tickets start at $225. All ages. Golden Gate Park, sfoutsidelands.com (pictured)

Sunset Strip Music Festival in Los Angeles – August 16-18

Sunset Strip is a small scale festival with a funky mix of rock, alternative and electronic artists performing within Hollywood venues up and down the strip. The fest kicks off on Thursday, August 16 with Lady Sinatra at Viper Room, Quiet Riot at Key Club, Peter Murphy at The Roxy Theatre and more. Friday acts include Unwritten Law and Mickey Avalon at Viper Room, RZA at Key Club, Hank III at House of Blues and a special guest TBA at The Roxy. On Saturday, the music moves out to the streets, with two stages on Sunset. Check out Marilyn Manson, The Offspring, Steve Aoki, Bad Religion, Far East Movement, Black Label Society, De La Soul and more. Regular three-day tickets start at $250. Sunset Blvd., sunsetstripmusicfestival.com

Identity Festival in San Diego – August 18

San Diego is the second to last stop on Identity Festival’s nation-wide summer tour. This electronic music fest is returning to Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, featuring two outdoor stages and nearly 20 big name DJs. So far on the lineup are Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Paul Van Dyk, Excision, Porter Robinson, Showtek, Bingo Players, Arty, Noisia, Doctor P, Le Castle Vania and Audrey Napoleon, with more TBA. Regular tickets are currently priced at $60. All ages. Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, idfestival.com

Rock the Bells in San Bernardino – August 18 & 19

California’s biggest hip hop music festival is back in San Bernardino for two days and nights, presenting a huge lineup of rap icons and up-and-coming stars, from the underground to the mainstream. Headlining acts include Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (20 year anniversary reunion), Common, Nas, DMX + Eve, Method Man + Redman, Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa, Atmosphere, Naughty by Nature, Mixmaster Mike, E-40 + Too Short, Zion-I + Grouch + Eligh, DJ Quik and more.  As of this post, the day and set times haven’t been released. Regular two-day tickets start at $199. All ages. NOS Events Center, rockthebells.net

SoCal Music Festival in San Diego – September 1

A few local entertainment powerhouses have teamed up to produce a new music festival in the East Village. The inaugural SoCal Music Festival is hitting the streets on Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, featuring four stages of live bands and DJs, plus art displays and extreme sports demos. This new event is a collaboration between the RMD Group (FLUXX, Side Bar), Eventvibe and McFarlane Promotions. As of this post, the artist lineup and entertainment specifics haven’t been released. 21+ event. Pre-sale tickets start at $20. East Village, socalfestival.com

FYF Fest in Los Angeles – September 1 & 2

What’s better than an indie music festival on Labor Day Weekend? An indie music fest also featuring a lineup of hilarious comedians. FYF Fest is a two-day event that doesn’t have Skrillex. Yes! Bands who will be there include Refused, M83, Beirut, Yeasayer, Sleigh Bells, James Blake, Soft Pack, Quicksand, Hot Snakes, Cursive, The Growlers, Warpaint, Against Me!, Turbonegro and more. As of this post, the comedian lineup and set times haven’t been released. FYF teams up with Adult Swim, Golden Voice and LA Weekly to throw this indie bash. Regular two-day tickets start at $89. All ages. Los Angeles Historic Park, fyffest.com

Pacific Festival in Newport Beach – September 2

This Orange County fest just released details on a new sea-side location, and we like what we hear. The closer to the ocean, the better. Now dubbed Pacific Festival, The Dunes, the fest will take place at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, featuring a mix of live bands and DJs, local food and drinks and more entertainment TBA. As of this post, the artist lineup hasn’t been released. 18+ event. Pre-sale tickets start at $55. Newport Dunes Resort, pacificfestival.com

+ Save the date for fall festivals:

Culture Collide Festival in Los Angeles – October 4-7

Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco - October 13 & 14

Discover more local tips and trends in our San Diego entertainment blog