The Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival has announced its first slate of musical artists who’ll play on seven stages set up from May 16-18 along downtown San Diego’s Marina District bayfront.
The three-day urban festival headliners include Anderson .Paak & The Free Radicals, Gary Clark Jr. and San Diego’s own Jason Mraz.
A diverse list of performers also includes Janelle Monae, Foster The People, Peggy Gou, Julien Baker, Khruangbin and a reunion of sorts by female rockers 4 Non Blondes. A total of 80 acts will be announced before the festival kicks off.
Presale tickets are available starting on Wednesday, February 12 at 10 a.m., with general public sales beginning on Friday, February 14 at 10 a.m.
“Wonderfront is the celebration of music, community and the vibrant spirit of San Diego, and we’re proud to support in elevating the festival experience this year, making it more seamless and engaging than ever,” Events.com President and Co-Founder Stephen Patridge says.
In December 2024, La Jolla-based Events.com announced the acquisition of the Wonderfront festival. Events.com also announced its become the first corporate presenter of the 22-year-old Gator By The Bay music and food festival (preceding Wonderfront) which runs May 8-11 at Spanish Landing Park.
Wonderfront had its first sell-out day in 2024. Last year’s success is owed in part to organizing music genres by day.
For 2025, the lineup so far looks like this:
- FRIDAY, MAY 16 – Global Dancefloor Energy and Eclectic Hip-Hop Grooves
- SATURDAY, MAY 17 – Rock, Funk, Soul, Indi and Alt-Pop Sensations
- SUNDAY, MAY 18 – Soulful Sounds, Iconic Rock and Chill Vibes
Wonderfront appears to be overcoming initial challenges brought by festival competition and the pandemic.
The downtown festival launched in 2019, the same year KABOO was held in Del Mar. KABOO seems to have faded away, and Wonderfront went dark in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. Wonderfront returned in 2022 but saw attendance dip, so organizers skipped 2023 and moved the 2024 festival from late November to May.
Along with the music, Wonderfront 2025 will feature yacht parties, interactive art installations, new ticket options (like VIP-Only and GA-Plus) and new entrances and will-call lines.
For more information about all aspects of the festival, go to: Wonderfront. SDSun
