The Summer Lineup of Bay Area Music Festivals Has Something for Everyone!
Everybody loves music, and the Bay Area features some of the best festivals in the country with lineups to make any music connoisseur happy. We’ve compiled a list of just a few of these festivals, including the websites for more information and a partial lineup for each. Enjoy!
Stern Grove Festival
June 19-August 21
Sigmund Stern Grove, San Francisco. www.sterngrove.org
Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Neko Case, The English Beat, Aaron Neville, Jazz Mafia Sympony, Afrocubism, San Francisco Symphony, others.
An amazing series of free weekly concerts from nearly every music genre and much more!
Stanford Jazz Festival
June 24-August 6
Various venues, Stanford. www.stanfordjazz.org
Allen Toussaint, The Bad Plus, The Bill Frisell 858 Quartet, Milton Nascimento and His Band of Four, Anat Cohen Quartet, Scott Amendola/Charlie Hunter Duo, Marcus Shelby Orchestra featuring Faye Carol, Kenny Washington, Jeannine Anderson and Howard Wiley, others.
This series of performances offers something for everyone all summer long. Check the site for dates and performances.
High Sierra Music Festival
June 30-July 3
Quincy (Plumas Country) www.highsierramusic.com
My Morning Jacket, Ween, Neko Case, Warren Haynes Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Rebelution, Gillian Welch, Maceo Parker, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Dr. Dog, ALO, Beats Antique, Zoe Keating, others.
Get outside, get comfortable and get your groove on over the long Fourth of July weekend.
Vans Warped Tour
July 2
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. www.vanswarpedtour.com
Simple Plan, Less Than Jake, Unwritten Law, The Devil Wears Prada, Relient K, Street Dogs, Foxy Shazam, MC Lars, others.
You don’t have to be a headbanger to enjoy this lineup, but it might help you fit in at this show!
ROCKSTAR Energy Mayhem Festival
July 10
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. www.rockstarmayhemfest.com
Disturbed, Godsmack, Megadeth, Machine Head, Testament, Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Straight Line Stitch, others.
If screeching guitars and thrash band righteousness are your idea of a good time, this show is a can’t-miss!
California Worldfest
July 14-17
Fairgrounds, Grass Valley. www.worldfest.net
India.Arie, David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, Jake Shimabukuro, Nanci Griffith, The Greencards, Pistolera, Sambada, Andrew York, Brass Mafia, others.
There will be eight different stages featuring some of the world’s best musicians in a wide range of genres. Bust out the tie-dye, and have some fun!
Bear Valley Music Festival
July 29-August 14
Bear Valley. www.bearvalleymusicfestival.org
Broadway Pops, Olga Kern, Disney in Concert, Abba by Adbacadabra, Grand Festival Orchestra, Pocket Opera, others.
This is one of the very best classical music fests in the state, maybe in the country. Sail away on strings and brass…
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
August 12-14
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. www.sfoutsidelands.com
Arcade Fire, Muse, Phish, The Black Keys, Deadmau5, The Shins, MGMT, Girl Talk, The Decemberists, John Fogerty, The Roots, Big Audio Dynamite, others.
For progressive rock lovers, this is the highlight of the summer music season. Check out that lineup!
San Jose Jazz Festival
August 12-14
Downtown San Jose. www.sanjosejazz.org
The lineup has not yet been published for this fest, but jazz lovers simply can’t lose as this has earned the reputation as one of the country’s best jazz fests year in, year out.
Oakland Art and Soul Festival
August 20-21
Downtown Oakland. www.artandsouloakland.com
They haven’t announced the lineup for this festival yet, but suffice it to say that if you like to dance, get sweaty and have a blast with several thousand of your closest friends, this fest is definitely for you!
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