festivals
Page: 2
Approximately 900 people joined a town hall meeting hosted by Burning Man Project on Saturday (Feb. 1) with the organization’s CEO Marian Goodell, along with other staffers, making myriad announcements regarding the 2025 event, including information regarding a tiered ticketing system with new prices.
The town hall happened after months of fundraising efforts by Burning Man Project — the nonprofit behind the annual gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and other Burning Man-related initiatives –after it reported a $10 million deficit due, as Goodell explained to Billboard in November, 2024 tickets not selling as forecasted.
The financial issue was compounded when Burning Man 2024 failed to sell out for the first time in many years. In November, Goodell said all ticket tiers saw decreased sales in 2024 and estimated that attendance was down by roughly 4,000. As such, in the latter part of 2024, Burning Man spent months trying to raise $20 million (with 2024’s $10 million deficit added to $10 million the organization typically raises every year) through a subscription program that encouraged Burners from around the world to make monthly donations to Burning Man Project.
Trending on Billboard
In the Saturday meeting, Goodell noted that the organization did not meet this fundraising goal, although she did not announce how much money was raised. (Goodell did note that a December campaign to raise $3 million was a success, and elaborated on the organization’s financial picture in a recent blog post.) She added that Burning Man Project “did manage to reduce our internal spending and budget by 9%… and will continue to tightly manage operating expenses and capital expenses across the organization.”
Goodell and the team then unveiled a revamped ticketing program, with new and updated price tiers. Tickets for Burning Man 2025 will start at $550, with prices scaling up from there — $650, $750 and $950m and more.
Tickets will be sold in three separate public sales, with the first happening on Feb. 12. Tickets in this sale (dubbed the “Today Sale”) will be $550, $650, $750, $950, $1,500, and $3,000, plus applicable taxes and fees. Registration for this sale opens on Monday (Feb. 3), with the sale offering a limited number of tickets available at each price. The Burning Man site notes that “$550 and $650 tickets are expected to sell quickly.” The meeting did not address how many tickets will be available at each price point.
Since 2022, Burning Man’s main sale tickets cost $575, an increase from $475 in 2019. (Burning Man didn’t officially happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.) Therefore, many 2025 main sale tickets will be sold at a higher price than in previous years. In the meeting, Goodell emphasized that making new tiers (with ticket tiers previously offering no tickets between $550 and $1,500) provides more pricing options than ever before and “helps keep ticket prices affordable”
Beyond this first sale, the annual Steward’s Sale will happen on March 5, with these tickets going to camps, art installations, art cars, and groups supporting organizational initiatives having access to attending the event. The Stewards Sale has its own ticket price allotments reserved unrelated to other ticket sales.
Another ticket sale (dubbed the “Tomorrow Sale”) will happen at to be determined date and include ticket tiers based on ticketing availability following the “Today Sale.” A final sale (the annual “OMG sale”) will happen in July and offer any remaining tickets across all the price points.
Meanwhile, two new programs — the “Renaissance Program” and “Resilience Program” — will debut with the goal of bringing networks and groups to Black Rock City and brings people affected by natural disasters and geographical conflict, respectively. More information regarding these programs will be announced in the coming weeks and months.
Goodell alluded to backlash over the recent fundraising campaign among factions of the global Burning Man community, saying that “with the event selling out every year, we [previously] didn’t need to explain that tickets do not cover the event cost and that philanthropy is needed, but the game has changed, and we should have brought you along better on this journey and we appreciate you sticking with us… We are learning and improving, reducing bureaucracy and red tape, and we hope that you see and feel this in how you engage with us and one another.”
The meeting featured presentations from several members from Burning Man Project, with operations director Charlie Dolman explaining several new processes, including an expedited process to acquire the vehicle passes that allow Burners to drive through the event. Burning Man will also issue new “decommodification guidelines” meant to, as Dolman said, address “cultural issues,” along with a more organized ingress and egress system. (In previous years it’s taken some attendees roughly 12 hours to leave the event.)
“Over the last last few months we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from a lot of people, and I just want to say that we’ve heard you, and honestly even when it’s been uncomfortable we’ve kept our eyes and ears open. We want that feedback,” Dolman said, continuing that “in places we’ve overcomplicated things and we’ve made things too bureaucratic maybe, and that’s no fun. That has all been done with good intention… but also it became not fun, so we needed to course correct.”
Later in the presentation, Goodell also noted a new attempt to push back on costs related to the Bureau of Land Management, with fees from the organization typically coming in at $8 million. “I think we’re going to see some improvements in costs with the BLM,” she disclosed.
After two years off, Dirtybird Campout will return this summer in partnership with NorCal’s longstanding Northern Nights festival.
The two indie festivals will unite for the new hybrid event, officially titled Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights, on July 18-20 at Cook’s Valley Campground, roughly 200 miles north of San Francisco. Launched in 2015, Dirtybird Campout is an offshoot of the Dirtybird label, the influential electronic imprint founded by producer Claude VonStroke in 2005 and acquired by indie label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE in 2022.
“As the label was undergoing a leadership change under EMPIRE, it was important for us to take a step back and plan for the next evolution of the brand and the fan experience,” Moody Jones, general manager at EMPIRE and Dirtybird tells Billboard of the festival’s off years. “We knew we had to bring it back, and we know how much the fans have missed it, so it was a matter of timing it right.”
Tickets for Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights are on sale now, with the lineup to be announced in the coming months.
Trending on Billboard
Northern Nights co-founder Andrew Borgelt says the collaboration “came together naturally” after the teams were introduced by a mutual colleague this past November. “From our very first conversation,” Borgelt continues, “it was clear that we shared a deep connection within the same music community. Throughout the process, both teams remained aligned on a shared vision — ensuring that each brand’s voice was authentically represented while seamlessly merging the essence of both festivals.”
As such, Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights will feature signature Campout programming including camp games and activities along with Northern Nights’ standard offerings including its integration of cannabis culture. The event happens in the middle of Northern California’s so-called Emerald Triangle (the United States’ largest cannabis producing region made up of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties) and has been a forerunner in offering legal cannabis retail and consumption areas.
Both events have historically booked indie, underground and left of center electronic music, with that vibe expected to continue in 2025.
Northern Nights
StoriesBySay
Happening since 2013, Northern Nights takes place at Cook’s Valley Campground, which provides attendees access to the Eel River and an opportunity to party amid the redwoods. Northern Nights’ director of marketing and sales Matthew Whitlock says the new event will still provide “the signature Northern Nights experience, with the magic of the redwoods, our commitment to music, art and cannabis culture, and that intimate festival energy.
“But with Dirtybird in the mix,” he continues, “expect a whole new level of immersive fun — campout vibes, themed stages and the iconic Dirtybird Campout color games. This isn’t a takeover; it’s a collaboration of two beloved festival cultures, creating something fresh, bold, and unforgettable.”
“It’s no secret that the festival business is going through a challenging time right now, with higher tickets, rising costs and the recycled lineups contributing to subpar experiences,” Jones continues. “We only wanted to bring back Campout if we could provide the same experience in a sustainable way, without compromising on the core values we’re known for. With our Northern Nights partnership we found a way to accomplish all of that and couldn’t be happier with the synergy. Northern Nights has booked Dirtybird artists as headliners almost every year, and with our partnership, they have been one of our biggest supporters.”
Editor’s note: The list is updated on a monthly basis. Festivals that have already passed are deleted from the list.
From Vive Latino in Mexico City to La Onda Fest by Bottlerock in Napa Valley, Calif. to Cosquín Rock in Santa María de Punilla, Argentina, Billboard Español brings together the definitive guide to festivals celebrating Latin music and more around the world.
Picnic Festival Centroamérica turns 10 this year. The two-day event, which takes place in Costa Rica on Feb. 8 and 15, will feature four headliners each day, including Paulo Londra, Maria Becerra, Maluma, and Grupo Frontera.
The U.K.’s La Línea Festival also celebrates an important milestone with its 25th anniversary in 2025. Buena Vista Social Club star Eliades Ochoa, Spanish singer Rodrigo Cuevas, Latin Grammy winner Ed Maverick, Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano, Brazilian rock outfit Francisco el Hombre, and more have all been confirmed to perform in venues across London from April 22 to May 5.
We see more diverse lineups headlined by Latin and Anglo artists this year, such as Coachella in Indio, California, with performances by Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, as well as The Marías, Alok, Anitta, Junior H and many more. At the Bésame Mucho Fest in Austin, the musical cycle includes diverse and multi-generational Latin artists such as Bronco, Carín León, Los Tigres del Norte, and Hombres G.
Noteworthy, the exclusively hip-hop festival will feature corridos superstar Peso Pluma as a headliner.
While this may not be an exhaustive list, it serves as a comprehensive guide to some of the genre’s most significant events. Whether you’re a die-hard reggaetón fan, a salsa aficionado, or a lover of all things Latin, see our guide to the must-attend festivals across the globe, arranged in sequential order.
Picnic Festival Centroamérica
Dancefloors are often said to “writhe,” “bounce,” “jump” and “sweat.” But only a select few lightly sway with the rise and fall of ocean waves.
Electronic music festivals at sea have been part of the U.S. live music ecosystem for more than two decades, ever since the inaugural Groove Cruise embarked in 2004 with 125 people on a chartered party boat from New York. In the 21 years since, Groove Cruise has grown to host thousands of attendees on increasingly larger ships, with another trio of other dance cruises later sailing into frame.
Holy Ship, created by HARD Events founder Gary Richards, began in 2011, while Richards launched his second dance cruise, Friendship, in 2023. Insomniac Events took full control of Holy Ship in 2017 after Richards left HARD and Insomniac’s parent company, Live Nation. (After several sailings, Insomniac turned Holy Ship into an on-land event called Holy Ship Wrecked in 2020.) Meanwhile, Insomniac’s newer cruise, EDSea — a play on the name of Insomniac’s flagship festival EDC Las Vegas — embarked on its maiden voyage in 2023.
Trending on Billboard
Each of these events offers sun, fun and nonstop music, although each differs slightly in the style of dance music it offers, the crowd it draws and the destination to which it sails. Still, with these events being roughly similar, are there enough fans to fill each boat?
“I was very concerned when [Holy Ship] launched in 2011,” says Jason Beukema, the founder of Groove Cruise and the company that produces it, Whet Entertainment. But after attending the first Holy Ship to assess the competition, he found “there just wasn’t a lot of crossover” in the crowds. And despite often happening within weeks of each other, both Holy Ship and Groove Cruise sold out in subsequent years.
Similarly worried about the 2023 launch of EDSea, Beukema also took part in that inaugural voyage and again witnessed a different demographic, finding that Groove Cruise attracts an older and more gender-balanced crowd. He says having a trio of cruises on the market in 2023 and 2024 has even been good for Groove Cruise, “because it’s brought a lot of eyeballs to the cruise festival game in the dance music space. There’s a lot of people that go on the other cruises, learn about us and end up on Groove Cruise.”
“I agree that the dance cruise market is big enough for all of us,” says Insomniac Events founder Pasquale Rotella. “Each event attracts its own audience and offers a unique perspective on what a music cruise can be.”
Three similar events may seem inconsequential in the busy dance festival market. Cruises, however, are a different proposition given that they require a greater investment from attendees, who aren’t just paying for a ticket but an entire travel package that includes entry, lodging and in some cases food and drinks. (These latter two amenities vary by package.) Given that many attendees don’t live in South Florida — where all of the cruises now take off from — most also pay for flights. Notably, each cruise goes on sale nearly a year in advance to give attendees time to get on long-term payment plans.
For Friendship, packages start at roughly $1,800 for the five-night event. Groove Cruise 2025, which sold out, offered packages starting at $950 for its four-night voyage, while the four-night EDSea 2024 started at $1,555. (Prices vary by how many people are in a cabin and where the cabin is on the ship.) “The cruise market naturally attracts a different audience due to its higher price point and all-inclusive experience,” says Rotella.
Friendship 2024
OHDAGYO
But many who have gone on one of these voyages will argue it’s money well spent. Cruises are enticing in that they give fans a tropical vacation fused with a festival and the chance to rub elbows with their favorite artists while on the boat. And these boats, with their myriad restaurants, bars and pool areas, are often more convenient than a typical show.
“To build a festival site [on land] you’re considering traffic patterns, where people are eating and where they’re using the bathroom,” says Richards. “You’re basically herding human beings, and it kind of sucks. But a ship is the perfect place for three or four thousand people. You can walk out of your room at four in the morning and there’s a party going on. You don’t have to drive. You’ve got a nice bathroom in your room. You’ve got food at the restaurants. You’ve got all these clubs. A ship is the perfect venue.”
Beukema says Groove Cruise attendees have a 70% return rate. Friendship also draws many of the same people year over year, says Richards, who is focused on bringing in new attendees for 2025 given that they’ve chartered a bigger and more upscale boat (via Norwegian Cruise Line) than in years past.
Music cruises are, of course, not unique to the dance genre. For years, cruise lines and production companies specializing in concerts at sea have drawn all flavors of artists and fans to come sail away. But dance music has carved out an especially strong niche in the cruise world, as the genre’s typically hard-partying fans flock to events that can effectively go 24 hours a day.
“You go to the city of L.A. saying you want to put 4,000 people somewhere for a show and [there are so many regulations],” says Richards. “But you get on the ocean, and we can rip at five in the morning. The captain will turn the boat to get the sunrise just right for us.”
Beukema helped create the format in 2004. Wanting to get paid to go on vacation, he took a course at the International Tour Management Institute in the Bay Area and shortly thereafter secured a boat for 125 friends. The party grew over time, and seven years later he chartered his first full-fledged cruise ship, with Norwegian Cruise Line as a partner. Whet Entertainment has since done $100 million in revenue from 28 ship charters across multiple genres including dance, rock, salsa and country.
In terms of partnering with the cruise lines, Beukema cites “a lot of variables,” like pricing and what vessel will offer the best guest experience (Groove Cruise now costs eight figures to produce). He says that generally, music cruises are attractive to cruise lines because they’re usually more profitable than standard cruises that host the general population.
On Thursday (Jan. 23), Groove Cruise set sail from Miami to Labadee, Haiti on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Sea, a 6,780-capacity ship that’s one the world’s largest passenger vessels currently in service — which makes the sold-out Groove Cruise 2025 “the largest music cruise of any genre in history,” says Beukema. Meanwhile, Friendship sails from Miami on Feb. 22 with a lineup that includes Disclosure, Duck Sauce and Anderson .Paak performing as DJ Pee.Wee.
Last November, Insomniac’s second annual EDSea sailed from Miami to the Bahamas with a lineup featuring Sara Landry, Mau P and Dillon Francis. Rotella says that after years of planning, “2023 felt like the right moment” to launch the cruise “because we had seen the growing enthusiasm for destination events for quite a while.”
Insomniac produced both EDSea and Holy Ship Wrecked in 2023, with the latter event happening from 2020-2023 after Holy Ship changed formats to a land-based festival at resorts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Rotella says this change “allowed us to expand the experience” of Holy Ship and made the event “more accessible to fans who prefer not to cruise.” While Holy Ship Wrecked didn’t happen in 2024, he says Insomniac does “have future plans [for the event] that I look forward to sharing more about when the time is right.” EDSea, on the other hand, “is here to stay,” and it even expanded to include an additional day in 2025.
EDSea 2024
Taylor Regulski
With each happening in the fall and winter months when festival season is slower, this cruise trinity helps fill in the calendar for promoters and artists. The premise is particularly attractive for fans in cold weather climates looking for a mid-winter getaway.
Organizers take different approaches to booking artists for cruises. Groove Cruise lineups focus on house, techno, melodic techno and trance, with this year’s bill spanning those genres via headliners Eric Prydz, Nicole Moudaber, James Hype and Seven Lions, along with more than 100 other acts. Most stay for the entire cruise, although Prydz will only be on board the day he’s playing.
EDSea also makes it possible for artists to get on and off the ship mid-sail, with new acts joining at docking destinations while others disembark. Rotella says this model “keeps the lineup dynamic and ensures a constantly evolving experience for headliners.” (Insomniac refers to attendees of all its events as “headliners.”)
Meanwhile, “my whole thing is that you can’t leave,” Richards says of his belief that artists staying onboard for the duration maximizes the vibe, the community feel and the likelihood of special impromptu moments as artists jump on each other’s sets. But this ask also makes booking slightly harder, as some artists worry about losing out on revenue while their calendars are blocked during the cruise. “Guys I used to have on the ship for $200 are now getting $500,000 a night to DJ,” Richards says. “They want to come, but I just can’t pay that.” This year, he’s focused his lineup on big stars like Disclosure along with crucial underground acts from around the world, which is why he’s calling this sailing “International Waters.”
Once on board, Beukema says Groove Cruise is more or less ”96 hours of nonstop music” played across 13 onboard stages, along with beach parties, with each edition hosting DJ-led daytime activities along with theme parties. Groove Cruise leans especially hard into aspects of “transformational festival” culture by offering activities like journaling, meditations, panel discussions on mental health and a celebration of life where attendees can honor people they’ve lost. (Beukema says he also married eight couples during Groove Cruise 2024.) Groove Cruise is also heavily focused on philanthropy, with Whet Entertainment’s attendant 501(c)3 nonprofit annually donating supplies to schools, orphanages and more in communities where cruises dock. It’s helped build homes for families in Cabo San Lucas and the Bahamas and also brings cruise attendees on land for volunteer opportunities like beach cleanups and construction projects.
While dance cruises are dynamic in what they offer, Rotella says they’re also “more challenging to produce” than on-land events, given the limited window of time they have to get the ship ready after passengers from the last cruise disembark. Load-in for a land-based festival typically runs between days and weeks; cruises can offer far less. And while land events operate with trucks and forklifts, onboard gear must be moved by hand. Rotella also cites “much stricter” safety standards on the ship, “with anchoring and load capacities carefully calculated in advance with limited options for last-minute adjustments.” He adds that “another layer of difficulty comes from the strict manifests for equipment and personnel. Every item and individual must be documented ahead of time, with no room for late additions.” Despite the logistical challenges, he says, “the payoff is unparalleled when we finally set sail.”
Richards agrees. “There are so many things you can do at this kind of an event that’s not like a festival. Like, when you go to the bathroom, I can pick the music in the toilet that you’re listening to. We can put chocolates from DJ Pee.Wee on your pillows. I have your full attention for five days.”
KCON is back!
Entertainment company CJ ENM announced on Thursday (Jan. 23) its official dates for the K-pop festival’s Japan and United States shows this year. KCON JAPAN 2025 will take place in the country’s Chiba prefecture from May 9 to 11. Shortly after, KCON LA 2025 will take place from August 1 to 3.
Venue information, performing artists and ticket sales will be announced at a later date.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
KCON, which launched in the United States in 2012 and has since expanded to all over the globe, combines “masterfully produced K-pop shows with a convention where fans can experience every aspect of Korean culture – from music and fashion, to television and food,” per the event’s description.
KCON LA 2024, which took place at Crypto Arena, L.A. Convention Center and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, featured performances by Alexas, A.CE., Apoki, Bibi, Boynextdoor, Craxy, Drippin, Dxmon, Enhyphen, god, Hyolyn, INI, Isaac Hong, Jeon Somi, Jo Yuri, Kep1er, Katseye, Kim Soo Hyun, Me:I, NCT 127, NMIXX, P1Harmony, Park Min Young, Pow, Stayc, Taemin, TWS, Tiger JK, Zerobaseone and Zico.
Trending on Billboard
Last year’s festival marked an incredible success for the company, with KCON JAPAN notching a record-breaking crowd of 140,000 and attracting over 5.9 million fans worldwide for KCON LA 2024 both at the festival site and via its digital platforms. KCON also made U.S. history with the first-ever national primetime broadcast of a K-pop show with CW Network’s live broadcast.
Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier and more are headed for New York City this summer. The Governors Ball announced its 2025 lineup Tuesday (Jan. 14), revealing that the three stars will headline, with dozens of other musicians filling out the rest of three-day showcase.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The festival will take place Friday, June 6, through Sunday, June 8. The “Sticky” rapper will lead the first day alongside Benson Boone, while Mk.gee, T-Pain, Tyla, Role Model, the Backseat Lovers, JPegMafia and more acts will also take the stage in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on the festival’s kickoff.
Saturday will see the “Vampire” singer take over the main stage, while Feid, Conan Gray, Young Miko, Wallows, Marina, Mariah the Scientist, Car Seat Headrest, Artemas, Wave to Earth and several more are also slated for Day 2. On Sunday, Hozier will close out the festival on a day packed with outings from Mt. Joy, Clairo, Raye, Royel Otis, The Japanese House, Amaarae, Key Glock, Berlioz, Montell Fish and more.
Trending on Billboard
Those interested in attending can sign up for a ticket presale now on Gov Ball’s website. The hour-long presale will begin Thursday (Jan. 16) at 10 a.m. ET, after which public on-sale will begin with increased prices.
This year’s iteration of the NYC festival comes more than a decade after Gov Ball first originated in 2011. Starting as a one-day music event, the annual showcase now features multiple stages, numerous food and drink options and pop-up stops from different brands for festivalgoers to visit.
Last year’s lineup featured Post Malone, The Killers and SZA as headliners, along with memorable performances from Rauw Alejandro, 21 Savage, Peso Pluma, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and more. Check out Billboard‘s roundup of Gov Ball 2024 for more best moments.
See the full Gov Ball 2025 lineup below.
Bay Area punk rockers Green Day will join pop icon Justin Timberlake and folk singer/songwriter Noah Kahan to headline this year’s BottleRock festival in Napa, California, May 23-25, topping off a stacked lineup that includes something for nearly all musical tastes.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Since launching in 2013 and later being purchased by its current ownership group Latitude 38 Entertainment in 2014 (and later selling a majority stake to Live Nation in 2017), BottleRock has become a booking bellwether for the festival business with a lineup that would often provide a preview of the year ahead. Scheduled for Memorial Day weekend each year, BottleRock’s early summer date (late May) places it early on the festival season calendar, with many of the bands announced for one of its half-dozen stages typically booked for other major festivals later that summer.
Green Day, for example, is also booked to play Coachella this year and will headline 10 rock festivals in Europe and the U.K. over the summer, while Justin Timberlake is scheduled to play Lollapalooza festivals in Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Paris. Other acts appearing at this year’s BottleRock festival include “Beautiful Things” singer/songwriter Benson Boone, experimental Texas outfit Khruangbin, alt rock veterans Cage the Elephant and hip-hop legend Ice Cube, who dropped his 11th studio album Man Down in November, garnering 8 million views from the album’s lead single “It’s My Ego” on YouTube.
Trending on Billboard
Also performing at this year’s BottleRock festival is legendary Bay Area rapper E-40 (a member of hip-hop supergroup Mount Westmore along with Ice Cube), Long Beach reggae and punk legends Sublime (now led by Jakob Nowell), EDM superstar Kaskade, Cali-roots reggae outfit Rebelution, surfer-soul duo G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter, Mexican singer/songwriter Carín León, jam band Goose, NYC electro-duo SOFI TUKKER, rap icons Public Enemy, Icelandic tour-de-force KALEO, Americana couple The War and Treaty, Texas troubadour Bob Schneider, Hollywood actress Kate Hudson who released her cover of “Voices Carry” last Spring, Beastie Boys turn-tablist Mix Master Mike, Doors founding guitarist Robby Krieger, the Linda Perry led 1990s alternative pioneers 4 Non Blondes and many, many more.
Known for its high-end food and wine pairings and embrace of the culinary world, this year’s BottleRock festival will once include the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage, featuring a number of world renowned chefs, celebrities, performers and artists. Organizers also announced that it will be supporting California wildfire relief by matching every dollar donated by fans for the first $50,000 to support FireAid, a benefit concert dedicated to aiding those affected by the devastating wildfires.
Tickets for BottleRock go on sale Tuesday (Jan 14) at 10 a.m. PT. Three-day general admission tickets, including all fees, begin at $456 per person, and a special layaway plan is available for fans who want to pay as they go, starting with a $100 deposit. Learn more at BottleRockNapaValley.com.
iHeartRadio has canceled 2025’s ALTer EGO show — which Cage the Elephant, Glass Animals and more had been set to headline — amid the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. In an announcement posted on Instagram Thursday (Jan. 9), organizers wrote, “It is with heavy hearts that we report that we will be canceling our ALTer […]
The upcoming Field & Stream Music Fest has revealed its slate of performers for the Oct. 3-5 event set for Winnsboro, S.C. Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top have top billing at the festival, which is co-produced by Field & Stream alongside key investors Church, Morgan Wallen and Southern Entertainment.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The three-day festival will feature more than 40 artists performing on multiple stages. Alongside the headliners, the fest will feature performances from artists including Shane Smith & The Saints, Kameron Marlowe, Boy Named Banjo, Ashland Craft, David Lee Murphy, Taylor Richardson, Maddie Rean, Whey Jennings, Larry Fleet and more.
Trending on Billboard
One of the key differentiators for this upcoming fest is the number of activities it offers beyond hearing musical sets. The fest offers themed “villages,” such as the Ugly Stik Fish on America Village, which gives fishing tips and casting competitions, while the OnX Hunt Village showcases various outdoor gear and gives expert-led demonstrations. The GameWatch Football Showdown Village delivers a place for sports fans to watch games on massive screen and offers a fully stocked bar and various activities. The fest also offers excursions such as trophy fishing, archery, mountain biking and off-road tours, while the At the Field & Stream Expo will highlight interactive exhibits and showcase new outdoor innovation from top brands.
The 2025 Field & Stream lineup comes after last year’s festival (which was to be its inaugural year) was postponed due to the destruction Hurricane Helene brought to the Carolinas and other states. Last year, Church and Wallen teamed up to acquire the iconic Field & Stream brand. In addition to announcing the music festival, the acquisition also included reviving Field & Stream in print, starting the Field & Stream 1871 Club and more.
Pre-sales for the 2025 Field & Stream Music Fest launch Thursday, Jan. 9, for Field & Stream 1871 Club Members, with tickets on sale to the general public Friday, Jan. 10.
See the full lineup below:
Since its 2022 debut at Barclays Center, MetaMoon Music Festival has built itself up as a New York City stalwart for Asian entertainment and talent worldwide with concerts, industry panels, block parties, and more. At the top of 2025, MetaMoon is officially going global with its first overseas iteration.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Billboard can exclusively reveal that MetaMoon in Dubai will take place this February in the United Arab Emirates’ Al Wasl Plaza – Expo City Dubai. Singer-songwriter-actor Henry Lau and Korea’s viral singer-rapper Lee Young Ji will headline the inaugural UAE fest. The festival rounds out its lineup with rising Japanese-American singer-songwriter mikah, 2024’s Red Bull Dance Your Style champion MT Pop of Vietnam, and DJ and radio veteran Poon from New York. Rapper and comedian MC Jin, who participated in the 2022 and 2023 MetaMoon events, will host the event.
Lau was last year’s MetaMoon headliner, where the former Super Junior member not only delivered his mix of pop and classical music but sat down for a career-focused fireside chat with SiriusXM’s Michael Tam as part of The Summit, which MetaMoon launched in partnership with the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment. “I’m just excited to share what I’ve learned,” the Berklee College of Music graduate told Billboard ahead of the fest. “I’ve gotten to an age where there are a lot of aspiring musicians, and I hope that my experiences can help give them a good idea of what to expect and what they need to work on in certain aspects.”
Trending on Billboard
Live Nation Middle East is promoting and producing MetaMoon in Dubai.
“Live Nation Middle East is proud to partner with MetaMoon to bring this unique celebration of Asian pop culture to Dubai,” said James Craven, President of Live Nation Middle East. “The UAE is a vibrant and diverse region and this event is a perfect reflection of the incredible cultural exchange we aim to foster through music and entertainment. We are thrilled to debut such an exceptional lineup of talent, and we look forward to creating unforgettable memories for fans in the Middle East.”
After showcasing nearly two dozen different API stars, MetaMoon founder Grace Chen sees the overseas expansion as a considerable way to help spread Asian pop culture at large.
“Our partnership with Live Nation Middle East to bring MetaMoon to Dubai signifies our commitment to introducing Asian artists and pop culture to new fans while giving existing fans a chance to see their favorite artists live,” Chen said in a statement. “We are excited to be debuting an incredible lineup of Asian talent for their first appearances ever in the region and for what will be an entertaining evening for fans.”
Citing a growing Asian diaspora in the Middle East as well as increased interest in Asian pop culture in the region, MetaMoon in Dubai says it hopes to “bring a full fan experience to audiences in the Middle East in the coming years” in a press release.
Tickets for MetaMoon in Dubai go on sale Jan. 8, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Dubai time exclusively through LiveNation’s Middle East site and United Arab Emirates’ Ticketmaster site.