Los Angeles turns up the volume each summer with an eclectic mix of music festivals that span genres, neighborhoods, and vibes. To help you plan the perfect festival season, the Grimy Goods music bloggers have handpicked the best summer music festivals happening across the city and nearby. From the return of the legendary Vans Warped Tour and local favorite Happy Sundays, this guide features the best music festivals in Los Angeles and why we love them.
In chronological order, see the best summer music festivals in Los Angeles, handpicked by veteran LA-based music bloggers.
Vans Warped Tour, July 26-27
Despite ending in 2019, legendary touring festival Vans Warped Tour is back for its 30th anniversary, with a Long Beach stop scheduled for July 26 and 27. Warped Tour, which has been around since 1995, is gearing up for a colossal run this summer, taking anywhere from 70 to 100 artists and bands on the road with them. This year, the Long Beach stop is set to see 311, Ice-T, The Vandals, Atmosphere, De’Wayne, Gogol Bordello, HO9909, Kennyhoopla, Mariachi El Bronx, Pennywise, and more.
Why We Love Warped Tour
While the festival has evolved over the years, the sort of artists that Warped Tour attracts goes to show it remains true to its 90s beginnings. Whether you remember its independent launch in 1995 or its fostering of artists in the aughts, Warped Tour represents a nostalgic era of music for the Gen X and Millennial generations. 30 years later, they’re celebrating that three-decade history in what could be the last Warped Tour for a long time–unless they continue doing anniversary shows.
Tickets are sold out, but there is a waitlist. StubHub and Vivid Seats also resell tickets.
Hard Summer, August 2-3
True to its name, HARD Summer is back once again to take on LA at Hollywood Park near SoFi Stadium on August 2 and 3. Although last year boasted a heavy-hitting lineup, 2025 has an equally exciting array of eclectic electronic and dance artists, including Kaytranada, Joy Orbison, Sean Paul, Four Tet, and Gesaffelstein, among others.
Why We Love HARD Summer
Since the late 2000s, Hard Summer has become a staple of LA, having taken place in practically every major festival space in the city. 2025 is no different, with the weekend-long festival taking place in the SoFi Stadium neighborhood for the first time. However, that doesn’t mean things have changed for the worse. If anything, Hard Summer is still staying loyal to the electronic artists and bands who put it on the map. Even when musicians from other genres take to their stages, they feel at home, which makes Hard Summer something that keeps returning year after year.
Echo Park Rising, August 16
While the lineup for Echo Park Rising 2025 has yet to be announced, the event is currently accepting submissions from bands interested in playing the annual event. Taking over the streets of Echo Park off Sunset and near the Echo and Echoplex, this year’s Echo Park Rising will take place Saturday, August 16. EPR is free, all-ages, and great for families too. After all, those of us who helped build this festival’s presence and community-feel have now grown into our elder millennial years and have our own young musicians to raise.
Why We Love Echo Park Rising
Echo Park Rising is a community-focused music festival that has always held a special place in my heart. In the early days of EPR, Grimy Goods had its own stage at the Echoplex where we booked bands and invited our own community (which at the time was the East Hollywood indie/garage/punk scene). Every year, we handpick which indie bands to feature at the multi-day music event, which has now been condensed into a single day. Even our Grimy Goods TV series had its own Echo Park Rising edition. While the festival has changed immensely since Live Nation purchased Spaceland Presents in 2019, EPR is still presented by the Echo Park Chamber of Commerce, and we’ll always have much love for it.
Rhyme Fest, August 16
With Rhyme Fest coming for one day on August 16 at The Torch at the LA Memorial Coliseum, it single-handedly proves that old school hip-hop never left. This year’s lineup is fire featuring Xzibit with a live band, Dilated Peoples, The Alchemist, Dead Prez, VISIONARIES, Tha Alkaholiks, DJ Qbert, J. Rocc, C-Minus, to name a few. There’s a lot to look forward to at Rhyme Fest (especially for 90s hip hop lovers).
Why We Love Rhyme Fest
There’s no denying that festivals that cater to current hip-hop artists and rappers know how to put on a show. But it’s equally important that festivals such as Rhyme Fest remain in rotation, especially in a hip-hop scene as influential as Southern California. Since starting in 2013, they have consistently put iconic hip-hop at the forefront, giving them their flowers for their timeless music to take center stage.
Happy Sundays, August 23-24
Happy Sundays is LA’s best free indie music festival. The annual Long Beach-set tradition returns on August 23 and 24 with a lineup that includes the reunion of Le Shok, Generación Suicida, Trap Girl, Carrion Kids, SWMS, Soft Palms, and many more indie acts spanning all genres. Conceptualized as the “anti-festival Festival,” HAPPY SUNDAYS will dominate various venues throughout the city, featuring emerging talents in music and comedy, alongside educational panels and events.
Why We Love Happy Sundays:
It’s a community-focused music festival, independently owned and operated by wife and husband team and musicians Julia Kugel (The Coathangers, Julia Julia, Soft Palms) and Scott Montoya (The Growlers, Soft Palms). Last year, Happy Sundays organizers upped the ante and expanded to two days, adding Space Talks, aerospace conversations to the lineup. With so many music festivals and concert venues now corporately owned and featuring expensive ticket prices, Happy Sundays brings back the spirit of early aughts music festivals, before the corporate bruhaha. It reminds of the good ole days of Sunset Junction, FYF, Echo Park Rising (before Live Nation acquired the beloved indie powerhouse Spaceland Presents), and the now defunct Desert Daze.
Happy Sundays is FREE, but you can RSVP.
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Whether it’s spring music festivals (which is the best time for music festivals in LA, btw) or fall fests, Los Angeles has the best music festivals all year round.
If you live in Southern California or are visiting our great city of Los Angeles, and especially if you love music, this is the only guide you need when it comes to finding the best music festivals in Los Angeles. Whether you’re catching indie bands at Happy Sundays and Echo Park Rising or dancing all day at HARD Summer, trust these curated picks selected by real human music bloggers, not an AI preview of generic and/or outdated garbage without a soul.
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