Smokin Grooves – Photo by Asha Moné
Smokin Grooves – Photo by Asha Moné

After two years of the world being closed due to the pandemic, summer music  festivals are back and better than ever! We’ve compiled a complete guide to the best summer music festivals in Southern California. From San Diego to Los Angeles and all the way to the desert, Southern Californian music festivals are without a doubt the best. Keep this guide handy to plan your summer fun this year.

Stay tuned to our Instagram for some music festival giveaways.

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10 Music Festivals in Southern California You Need to Attend this Summer

In chronological order

1. Zedd In The Park

DJ Zedd is back! Zedd in the Park festival will take place this summer at the L.A. State Historic Park on July 8. The festival lineup includes performances by Zedd, Loud Luxury, Wolfgang Gartner, Regard, So Tuff So Cute (Mija & GG Magree), and GOJ! R.A. B2B Fernet (Brownies & Lemonade).

Zedd’s enhanced VIP tickets include Exclusive Food and Beverage Options, private bathrooms, a lounge area with activities, a photo booth, and more!

Tickets are sold-out but you can grab some resale options.

Kacey Musgraves at Spotify House
Kacey Musgraves at SXSW — More photos by Maggie Boyd

2. Palomino Festival 

Goldenvoice has announced the first annual Palomino Festival for July 9 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl. The festival’s headliners include Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson & Family, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Charley Crockett, Morgan Wade, Orville Peck, Old Crow Medicine Show, and many others.

General Admission passes start at $179 plus fees, and VIP passes are $399 plus fees. Exclusive High Life passes are available for $699 plus fees. They include access to an upfront stage viewing area at the main stage, complimentary artisan tacos, an indoor air-conditioned hideaway, and more!

Check out all ticket options.

Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion at Yola Dia — Photo: David Fisch

3. Hard Summer

Hard Summer Festival is expanding to three days for the first time ever and will take place at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino from July 29-31. The lineup is coming in hard too, featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Porter Robinson, Lil Uzi Vert, Madeon, Gunna, Alison Wonderland, GRiZ, Three 6 Mafia, NGHTMRE, Nicole Moudaber, Joji, Marc Rebillet, 100 gecs, Tiga, and more.

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House and techno fans will be represented by In The Mood icon Nicole Moudaber, Life and Death founder D.J. Tennis, Detroit’s DJ Minx, rising star Chloé Caillet, and more!

The venue includes five outdoor stages, free water stations, shaded structures, a one-acre lagoon, cooling mist systems, VIP pool, and more.

Check out all ticket options.

Elohim
Elohim at the Fonda Theater by Steven Ward

4. Splash House

Time to party and splash into some fun! The Splash House festival will take place in Palm Springs over three weekends. The first weekend kicked off on June 10-12, and the next two weekends will be Aug. 12-14 and Aug. 19-21 at the Renaissance, Margaritaville Resort, and Saguaro Palm Springs hotels. The lineup for the remaining two Splash House festivals include: Dabin, Dombresky, Nora En Pure, Elohim, Claude Vonstroke, Jungle (DJ set), Malaa, Elderbrook, Noizu, and more.

This year’s event consists of after-hours parties from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Admission wristbands include access to all three hotel venues Saturday and Sunday. However, the after-parties will be ticketed separately.  

Check out all ticket options.

boylife at El CID by Asha Moné
boylife at El CID by Asha Moné

5. Head In The Clouds

The Head in The Clouds Festival will take place on August 20-21 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl. The highly anticipated event recently announced their lineup and it’s fire! This year’s Head In The Clouds will feature: Jackson Wang, NIKKIRich BrianYebi Labs JOJI DJ setAudrey NunaDeb NeverBoylifeMXMTOONWarren Hue, Ylonna Garcia, and more.

Last year’s event received streaming treatment via Amazon Music, featuring some of the biggest stars such as Joji, Saweetie, CL, Rich Brian, DPR Live, Japanese Breakfast, and many more.

See all the ticket options.

Phoebe Bridgers at the Greek Theater by Steven Ward
Phoebe Bridgers at the Greek Theater by Steven Ward

6. This Ain’t No Picnic

This Ain’t No Picnic will take place on August 27 and 28 in Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl. The new festival will feature an incredible lineup of indie acts, including The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Le Tigre, Phoebe Bridgers, Beach House, Jorja Smith, Kaytranada IDLES, Four Tet + Floating Points, Honey Dijon, Wet Leg, and many more.

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Two-day general admission tickets start at $299 + fees, and two-day VIP are $799 + fees. Fans can purchase tickets at only $49.99 down. The clubhouse ticket includes pretty cool amenities such as an indoor air-conditioned hideaway, adjacent parking, a private entrance, and more! 

View the complete breakdown of ticket options.

Lorde at Greek Theatre -- Photo by Will Tee Yang
Lorde at Greek Theatre — Photo by Will Tee Yang

7. Primavera Sound Los Angeles

Primavera Sound Los Angeles has revealed their daily lineup and released single-day passes. Primavera Sound LA will occur across three days, Sept. 16-18, at the L.A. State Historic Park. There will be four days of shows around the city, followed by the inaugural 3-day festival at L.A. State Historic Park. 

Primavera Sound LA will feature Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, Nine Inch Nails, Arca, Boy Harsher, Buscabulla, King Krule, Chai, Clairo, Darkside, Mitski, Dry Cleaning, James Blake, Jehnny Beth, John Talabot, Khruangbin, Kim Gordon, and many many more.

Tickets range from $149-$975. Check out all the ticketing options.

Jack White at Outside Lands
Jack White at Outside Lands – Photo: Sandra B. Olinger

8. Ohana Festival

The Ohana Festival returns on September 30 – October 2 at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA. Headliners include Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, and P! N.K., along with standout acts Jack White, Khruangbin, St. Vincent, Brittany Howard, Bomba Estéreo, Billy Strings, Cautious Clay, Grouplove, Dope Lemon, Y La Bamba, Briston Maroney, Habibi, Beach Goons and more!

Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. The festival is open to all ages with family-friendly amenities, including food trucks with artisan food options, signature cocktails, and a collection of exhibits & panels with leading conservationists, environmentalists, researchers, and professional surfers.

P.S. Get an extra dose of Ohana with ENCORE.

See all ticketing options.

9. Desert Daze

Iggy Pop Josh Homme Post Pop Depression Greek Theatre
Iggy Pop at Greek Theatre — More photos by Ben Irwin

With Desert Daze taking place Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2022, it’s not exactly a summer music festival, however, it’s close enough! Taking place at Lake Perris, California — Desert Daze will celebrate 10 years of art & music. This year’s lineup will feature: Iggy PopThe MariasTame Impala, Perfume Genius, King Gizzd and the Lizard Wizard,  Daniel Rossen Of Grizzly Bear, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Surfbort, L.A. Witch, Automatic, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, The Paranoyds, JJUUJJUU and a lot more.

Other events include screenings and talks about occultism in the music industry with Micki Pellerano and other special guests. Hamilton Morris will answer questions after screening Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia.

Grab your Desert Daze festival passes.

Concert Crowd
Photo by Farah Sosa

10. Bésame Mucho Festival

The Bésame Mucho festival, a multi-generational, multi-genre Latine music fest will take place at Dodger Stadium on December 3. The festival is divided into three stages — “Rockero,” “Las Clásicas,” and “Te Gusta el Pop?” The event, which will include Latin superstar performances from Juanes, Caifanes, Los Tigres del Norte, Los Ángeles Azules, Sin Bandera and more.

Tickets are sold out, but you purchase resale tickets or you can join the waitlist.

Also worth mentioning, is Happy Sundays free music festival in Long Beach! A lot of local bands we love are performing and it’s all about community and good vibes at the one-day FREE music festival. Check it out.

For more music festival and tour announcements, be sure to visit our Just Announced page for all the latest! Stay tuned to our Instagram for some music festival giveaways.