It would appear that March isn’t the only thing said to “come in like a lion” in the old adage. This week, festival rumors and news flew in with the ferocity of late winter winds, befitting the importance of the king of the jungle himself. For those of us who thought — if only for a second — that there were no more surprises, no more stops to be pulled out from South By Southwest, we must again to our chagrin, admit our mistake (which is, coincidentally, a word often associated with the latest rumored lineup addition).
With new festivals, new locations, new amenities, and new lineup additions, everything seems to be getting bigger and better this year. A festival arms race is at hand, causing new outfits like Electric Forest to set the bar high in their inaugural year with over 50 acts, the B.O.M.B. Fest to undergo a humongous expansion, along with some legally enforced moves (ahem Electric Daisy Carnival). Whatever the impetus, there’s many changes to be excited about in the upcoming year.
Check out this week’s edition of Festivals in Brief; for while there was no leap year to be had, there was no shortage of news and additions made.
And don’t forget to bookmark Festival Outlook and/or follow us on Twitter in order to get your daily festival fix. After all, Wednesday only comes once a week!
News:
— The Electric Daisy Carnival announced that the annual rave has found a new home in Las Vegas this year. Last year’s event caused much controversy when a 16-year-old died of an ecstasy overdose, sparking not only an investigation, but a temporary moratorium on all LA raves. The organizers’ cited the festival’s projected turnout as the reason for relocating the event so far in advance, as opposed to waiting and hoping for the ban to be lifted. EDC is also planning day raves in Dallas, Denver and Puerto Rico this summer. Additional details are forthcoming.
— The Pitchfork Music Festival will take place the weekend of July 15th-17th in Chicago’s Union Park. Both single-day and three-day passes go on sale this Friday, March 4th, although the lineup is still TBA.
— It looks as though the sophomore installment of the DeLuna Festival will be making some baller changes. This year’s Pensacola, FL fest tiered packages will include various rooms at the nearby Hilton and Holiday Inn, as well as six beach stages, and late-night, indoor stages at the hotels. The lineup will include a more refined, less-mainstream list and expected to be loaded with jam-bands who reflect the laid-back beach vibe. Resort packages go on sale March 15th at 10am via the festival’s website.
— Bassnectar, Infected Mushroom, Lotus, EOTO, Rabbit, and Daedelus will headline along with the 40+ bands that are set to perform at the 13th annual Starscape Music Festival. The Baltimore rave will span sixteen straight hours (2pm-6am), and is full of acts that will fuel dancing through the night. General Admission and VIP tickets are now available through the festival’s website.
— The initial lineup has been announced for the inaugural Electric Forest. Curators and headliners String Cheese Incident have confirmed over 50 acts for the festival on 4th of July weekend. Joining them will be DJ Tiësto, Pretty Lights, and REO Speedwagon as headliners, with an impressive undercard plus other amenities at the Rothbury, MI Double JJ Resort. Weekend passes go on sale this Saturday with a limited number of discounted tickets will be available, as well as VIP packages. For all ticket options see the festival’s website.
— The Summer Sonic Festival announced Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, and The Mars Volta will head the premiere Japanese festival this August. With an already-outstanding lineup, and more to be announced, Japan hasn’t rocked this hard since Godzilla showed up. The only problem will be choosing between the Tokyo and Osaka stages which have a varying lineup. Tickets are now available via the festival’s website.
— The Strokes will be headlining at this year’s edition of the Sweetlife Festival. Helping the restaurateur organizers promote their values of sustainable food and live music in D.C. metro area this April 30th, additional information is forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned. For now, you can hit up the festival’s website to sign up for a special pre-sale code.
— The fourth annual Roots Picnic will take place at Penn’s Landing on June 4th. The Roots have employed Nas, Esperenza Spalding, The Dismemberment Plan, Ariel Pink, Wiz Khalifa, among others to help rock their hometown. Tickets are on sale this Saturday at 10am, and can be purchased at LiveNation. No word yet on whether Jimmy Fallon will be in attendance, or with his guitar skills, supporting them for a change.
— The B.O.M.B. Festival must’ve been taking some performance-enhancing drugs in the off-season. With headliners Snoop Dogg and Weezer leading a long list of all-stars this Memorial Day weekend, this is sure to be the biggest thing to hit Connecticut since being named “home of the world’s smallest natural waterfall”. All proceeds will be benefiting Bring Our Music Back, Inc., and initiatives for the formation of an Emerging Artists Scholarship Fund for Western Connecticut State University. Pre-sale tickets are available now, get them before two more possible price jumps once they go on sale to the public this Friday at 6am.
— Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival returns for its sophomore effort this year, expanding the art forms on display at Massachusetts’s Museum of Contemporary art with some killer acts and collaborations. Feature Thurston Moore, The Levon Helm Band, Liam Finn, and loads of Wilco-related collabos, the festival will take place June 24-26th. Passes are now available at Front Gate Tickets.
Lineup Additions:
— South By Southwest: Kanye West (Rumored); Added Moby (DJ set), Odd Future, Little Dragon, Acrylics, Big Sean, Bun B, Immortal Technique, Meat Puppets with Roky Erickson, Semi Precious Weapons, The Airborne Toxic Event, White Denim, and Willie Nile
— Bonnaroo: Shpongle DJ set (Expected)
— Lollapalooza: Anberlin (Expected), Civil Twilight (Expected), Crash Kings (Expected)
— Ottawa Bluesfest (Canada): Big Sam’s Funky Nation (Expected)
— B.O.M.B. Fest: Lineup announced, includes Weezer, Snoop Dogg, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Wiz Khalifa, Coheed & Cambria, Neon Trees, George Clinton & The Parliament/Funkadelic, and The New Pornographers
— Pitchfork Music Festival: Yuck (Expected), Os Mutantes (Expected)
— Mountain Jam: Added Umphrey’s McGee, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Charlie Hunter, and Big Gigantic
— Movement: Paxahau Electronic Music Festival: Lineup announced, includes Ana Sia, Green Velvet, Soul Clap, Art Department, Scuba, Kerri Chandler, Goldie, and Marcel Deltman
— Starscape Festival: Lineup announced, includes Bassnectar, Lotus, Daedelus, Mayhem, Hot Pink Delorean, and Infected Mushroom.
— Electric Forest: Initial lineup announcement includes three shows by The String Cheese Incident, Tiësto, REO Speedwagon, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Stephen Marley, Kaskade, The New Deal and many more
— Glastonbury Festival (UK): Added Yuck
— Summer Sonic (Japan): Lineup announced, includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, and a special guest (from the UK), The Mars Volta, Panic! At The Disco, House of Pain, Deerhunter, Neon Trees, Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, Simple Plan, and more
— Summerfest: Added Florence and the Machine, The Black Keys, and Cage the Elephant
— Roots Picnic: Lineup announced, includes The Roots, Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Ariel pink, Esperanza Spalding, The Dismemberment Plan, and Little Dragon
— Harmony Festival: Initial lineup announced, includes The Flaming Lips, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Railroad Earth, Krishna Das, Lost at Last Tribe, Will Durst, James Twyman, and Brooke Medicine Eagle
— Sweetlife Festival: The Strokes confirmed to headline
— Solid Sound Festival: Wilco to play 2 headlining sets; other acts include Thurston Moore, Levon Helm Band, Liam Finn, Sic Alps, and The Autumn Defense, among others
— Fuji Rock Festival (Japan): Lineup announced, includes Coldplay, The Chemical Brothers, Arctic Monkeys, Incubus, Cake, and Wilco, among others
— Exit Festival (Serbia): Added Pulp, Magnetic Man, DJ Sneak, and Carl Craig
— T in the Park (Scotland): Added Kids in Glass Houses and Villagers
— Rock Ness Festival (Scotland): Added The Cribs, Magnetic Man, Frightened Rabbit, Glasvegas, and Simian Mobile Disco
— Sonar Festival (Spain): Added M.I.A., Cut Copy, Boys Noize, and Die Antwoord
— Sonisphere UK: Added Sum 41, House of Pain, and You Me At Six
— V Festival (UK): Lineup announced, includes Eminem and Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Duran Duran, Razorlight, Tinie Tempah, Ellie Goulding, and Buno Mars, among others
— Rock Werchter (Belgium): Added Linkin Park
— Roskilde Festival (Denmark): Added Mastodon and Parkway Drive
— Wireless Festival (UK): Added Bruno Mars, The Streets, David Guetta, and Far East Movement
— ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas (UK): Caribou, Battles, and Les Savy Fav confirmed to curate
— Camp Bestival (UK): Added Laura Marling
