Summer may be winding down, but the Bay Area music festival season is heating up. In fact, the fall in San Francisco and surrounds is particularly loaded with events for all kinds of music lovers. From the classics like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to new events like the Portola Music Festival, which has gathered a rather impressive line-up of dance music heavy hitters, it looks like the live music scene is back with a significant bang.
Take a look at these six music festivals you can look forward to and make sure you tune in to KALW music programming on weeknights and weekend afternoons to hear some of the acts on the line-ups. Then, follow @kalwmusic for a chance to win tickets!
Monterey Jazz: September 23 – 25
The iconic Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world and consistently highlights legendary performers alongside up-and-coming artists in jazz, gospel, blues, and world music. Hosted in the oak-studded Monterey County Fairgrounds, this year’s line-up includes Ravi Coltrane, Emma-Jean Thackray, Artemis, Gregory Porter, and more.
Tickets and details
Portola Music Festival: September 24 -25
The line-up for the inaugural Portola Music Festival is absolutely stacked with big names in electronic dance music. Along with headliners the Chemical Brothers and Flume, revelers will get down to The Avalanches, Jamie xx, KAYTRANADA, and M.I.A., which is just scratching the surface of what to expect. The name Portola pays homage to the Portola Festival of 1909, which was a celebration of the reopening of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and is apt for the hopeful return of live music in the Bay Area.
Tickets and details
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: September 30 – October 2
The quintessential San Francisco fest returns to Golden Gate Park with a line-up that, as the name suggests, is not necessarily bluegrass but rather a mash-up of genres you could hear across the country. The varied roster includes the country-inflected indie of Waxahatchee, San Francisco-based vocalist Meklit, dream-pop act Jay Som, and the Afro-American-inspired band Las Cafeteras to name just a few. As always, the festival is free, making it an extra irresistible good time.
Tickets and details
Sonoma Harvest Music Festival: October 8 -9
Set in the vineyards at B.R Cohn Winery amid mountain views, the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival offers a more intimate and laidback experience. Plus, as you would expect, there’s a wine and food line-up to match the music. Groove out to the likes of Gary Clark Jr., Portugal. The Man, Phantogram, and Thievery Corporation.
Tickets and details
Breakaway Music Festival: October 14- 15
For its first iteration on the West Coast, the traveling electronic fest Breakaway is taking over the Oakland Arena Grounds and hoping to expand the loyal following it’s amassed in Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan. The inaugural Bay Area two-day jam is set to feature Louis the Child, Tycho, and Bryce Vine, with more artists to be announced.
Tickets and details
Second Sky: October 29
Also hosted at the Oakland Arena Grounds, Porter Robinson’s Second Sky Festival is another opportunity to dance it all out before winter comes, plus it features an otherworldly theme park set designed by the people responsible for Universal’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Along with that magic, festival goers get a line-up that includes Porter Robinson himself, plus RL Grime, Hudson Mohawke, Fred Again.., and more.
Ticket and details