The Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival returns downtown to the Seaport Village area in the Marina District on May 16-18, 2025. An initial musical lineup has been announced (with more to come).
Interest appears to be on the rise.
More than 60 bands representing a diverse array of genres – from legacy bands to up-and-coming acts – are on tap. Artists already announced include Peggy Gou, Daniel Caesar, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Foster The People, Khruangbin, Gary Clark Jr. and San Diego local Jason Mraz.
Recall the first Wonderfront Festival took place in the fall of 2019 but had to take two years off due to the pandemic. The festival returned in 2022, then took a hiatus in 2023 to move its dates from fall to spring.
The move seems to have worked. Last year marked the event’s first sold-out day crowd. Organizers are calling the 2025 lineup their “best to date.”
The San Diego Sun took to downtown’s streets to unscientifically gauge interest in the festival.
East Village resident Vincent Essien was considering buying a ticket for Sunday after seeing an ad about the lineup, but is also contemplating going for multiple days after taking a closer look.
“Khruangbin is my number-one, and then Paco Versailles the second-one,” Essien says about the Sunday date. “Honestly, I would only go for just them. But, from everybody else, I’d say Anderson .Paak could be a good one; Janelle Monae also is really good. Portugal the Man is actually pretty good as well. Hold up…Saturday actually looks kind of fun.”
Essien has been a long-time fan of alternative-indie trio Khruangbin since their first album in 2018, and knows they don’t play the West Coast very often. He’s debating which weekend day to attend and would likely buy a $375 three-day pass if he didn’t have work conflicts.
“I’m probably more likely to pay $165 for Saturday than Sunday because for everything else you get on Saturday it’s probably the best,” he says. “But I’ll keep my eyes open for tickets on Sunday.”
Mirlene Sitto works at a convenience store in East Village. She’d never heard about WonderFront until informed by a reporter. She’s now considering a one-day pass.
“I think just because I know Daniel Caesar I’d probably go for the one day,” Sitto says. “If I knew the other people I’d probably go for more. The price [$375] is pretty good for three days.”
East Village resident Michael Descisciolo says festivals aren’t his thing.
“I don’t recognize a lot of the [bands],” he says. “I’m old now, but I recognize The Fray. I’d probably rather pay to go to a Padres game.”
Gregory Turner works in a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant and has his eye on Anderson .Paak. Turner has a suggestion for festival organizers: “I would like Wiz Khalifa…That would be cool. But, I normally work in a kitchen so, during all the fun stuff I’m working. I never get a chance to get down for it.”
East Village resident Lynsay Saunders has been contemplating going for one day with some friends.
“I walked by it last year,” Saunders says. “I’ve seen the lineup. I think we may go…I think it was Friday [for] Peggy Gou. I just love her. I think she’s a fashion icon, she’s so cool.”
For more information on tickets, go to: Wonderfront Festival. SDSun
