»MAY 8 – 13
Lightning in a Bottle
Bakersfield, CA
LightningInABottle.org
Featuring:
Big Gigantic // Gramatik // Toroy Moi // Rising Appalachia // Masego // Doc Martin // Clozee // Soohan // The Fungineers // Datura // Dela Moon // Edamame // Vandana Shiva // Paul Stamets // Kevin Powell // Desirae Harp & Niria Alicia // Armando Kroma // MD // Aabo
Vibe and Venue:
Kicking off the festival season with an intimate new Buena Vista Lake venue. With seven music stages, immersive environments focused on yoga and meditation, art, learning, and culture zones, there’s plenty for everyone. You can hear food activist Dr. Vandana Shiva lecture during the day and later experience Flying Lotus’s 3D set in the evening.
»MAY 24 – 26
California Roots Festival
Monterey, CA
CaliforniaRootsFestival.com
Featuring:
Stick Figure // Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals // Atmosphere // lightly
Stoopid // Dirty Heads // Rebelution // SOJA // Cypress Hill // Tash Sultana // Matisyahu // Citizen Cope
Vibe and Venue:
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the annual California Roots Music & Arts Festival is back again with sunny tunes and dope environmental initiatives including planting 2,000 redwood seedlings, eliminating single-use plastic water bottles onsite, selling steel pints, waste diversion, and even carbon
offsets. Don’t forget the kiddos! Children 10 and under are free with a paid adult.
»MAY 24 – 26
BottleRock Napa Valley
Napa, CA
BottleRockNapaValley.com
Featuring:
Neil Young// Imagine Dragons // Mumford and Sons // Santana // Logic // Michael Franti and Spearhead // One Republic // Pharrell Williams // Nathaniel Rateliff // Tash Sultana // Lord Huron // The War and Treaty // Vintage Trouble // Big Boi // Bishop Briggs
Vibe and Venue:
Napa Valley’s finest food and wine converge with a wide array of top-line music headliners for all tastes. A showcase of Northern California living, from shampoo and Chardonnay spa service to immersive art experiences, silent disco, and a full-on culinary stage.
»JUNE 6-9
SoulPlay Festival
Pinecrest, CA
Soulplay.co
Featuring:
Poranguí // Mikey Pauker // Yemanjo // OK2Change // Colin Martin // Faye Adinda // Laughing Lady Love
Vibe and Venue:
Dance, connection, nature. This adults-only conscious gathering provides a container for a deep dive through work-shops, yoga, and ecstatic dance. A beautiful venue deep in the forest, with pool access and meals included with ticket—more of a retreat than a classic festival.
»JUNE 21-22
Relaxpansion Fest
Ashland, OR
Relaxpansionfest.com
Featuring:
Elijah Ray & the Band of Light // Donna de Lory // Adey Bell & Venus Exalted // Olox // Jens Jarvie & The Heart Wide Open // Katie Wise & Bhakti Explosion // Sara Tone // Ilan Navah // Norma Burton
Vibe and Venue:
This is the premiere of Relaxspansion Fest, organized by Common Ground music editor Lloyd Barde in Ashland’s Jackson Wellsprings. With its hot soaking pool, sauna, steam rooms, and ample camping options (including RVs), this looks to be a micro fest to rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit with movement arts, visionary arts, and speakers—all for a low price of only $108. As a bonus for journeying to Ashland you can take in a play at the concurrent Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
»JUNE 21-24
Stilldream Festival
Wilseyville, CA
StilldreamFestival.com
Featuring:
Yheti // Toadface // Partywave // Mr. Rogers // Khromata // Sumthin Sumthin // Leafygreen // Moonjuice
Vibe and Venue:
Stilldream is a small electronic music festival celebrating its 19th anniversary at a new Blue Mountain Event Center, located 2.5 hours from San Francisco. Enjoy the solstice with music, live art, camping, yoga, flow arts, swimming, and wondrous star-filled nights.
»JUNE 27-30
Kate Wolf Music Festival
Laytonville, CA
KateWolfMusicFestival.com
Featuring:
Kris Kristofferson // Los Lobos // John Hiatt // California Honeydrops // Paul Thorn’s Mission Temple Fireworks Revival // Blind Boys of Alabama // Jim Messina // Amy Helm // The Singing Out Tour // Rainbow Girls // Alice DiMicele
Vibe and Venue:
In its 24th iteration, the Kate Wolf Music Festival benefits from Black Oak Ranch’s bucolic setting, where you can enjoy the summer sun while taking in sweet bluegrass and more. Bring your ukulele for Saturday’s jam circle and Sunday’s sing-along gospel Love Choir. Or join a simple tai-chi class.
»JULY 4-7
High Sierra Music Festival
Quincy, CA
HighSierraMusic.com
Featuring:
Dispatch // Umphrey’s McGee // Greensky Bluegrass // Jim James (Full Band) // St. Paul & The Broken Bones // Galactic // The Del McCoury Band // Pigeons Playing Ping Pong // Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Presents // Eat a Bunch of Peaches // Steel Pulse // Alo
Vibe and Venue:
High Sierra is where jazz, bluegrass, new grass, and of course jamband tunes are plentiful. A favorite family-friendly festival complete with Rocking Nannies services, sunrise kickball, silent disco, and kaleidoscope parades. Super duper chill at the Plumas Sierra County Fairgrounds.
»JULY 11-14
California WorldFest
Grass Valley, CA
Worldfest.net
Featuring:
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue // Toots and the Maytals // Lila Downs // Las Cafeteras // ÌFÉ // Delhi 2 Dublin // Ayla Nereo // The Turbans // Con Brio // Taimaine // Raye Zaragoza // Radio Free Honduras // Kara Grainger // Twanguero
Vibe and Venue:
Another family favorite at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, where hot summer days and beautiful pine trees provide a gorgeous atmosphere to get your boogie on. This intimate festival, organized by the local non-profit Center for the Arts, reflects the local artisan community, which is carefree, family friendly, and simply beautiful.
»JULY 12-14
Oregon Country Fair
Veneta, OR
OregonCountryFair.org
Featuring:
TBD
Vibe and Venue:
Started in 1969 as a benefit for an alternative school, OCF has a rich and varied history of alternative arts, performance promotion, educational opportunities, land stewardship, philanthropy, radical whimsy—and just plain magic. Vendors are fastidiously vetted for handmade craftsmanship—no Coca Cola or Pepsi. The 50th anniversary iteration promises to be special at the fabled Veneta setting (15 miles west of Eugene) where the Kesey-Grateful Dead connection has mystical roots.
»JULY 18-21
Redwood Ramble
Navarro, CA
RedwoodRamble.com
Featuring:
Sam Bush // Keller Williams’ Petty Grass // The Ramble Jam // Mike Farris & The Rosalind Rhythm Revue // Achilles Wheel // New Monsoon // Steve Poltz // Tony Furtado // Dirty Revival // Dead
Vibe and Venue:
A close-knit festy that resembles an extended family reunion of friends and music enthusiasts featuring small stages, children’s talent shows, and impromptu campfire strum jams. Proceeds benefit the Insight Out prison project.
»JULY 19-21
Northern Nights Music Festival
Piercy, CA
NorthernNights.org
Featuring:
Big Wild // Desert Hearts Takeover // Alix Perez // Con Brio // Shades // The Funk Hunters // Xiuhtezcatl // Juice Crew // Torie // Zordon
Vibe and Venue:
Cook’s Valley Campground, located on the border of Humboldt and Mendocino counties, is a perfect setting for this Redwood frolic. Northern Nights is an upbeat smallish fest with a focus on electronic music, art, yoga, and yes, cannabis. Bring your tent and plan to cool off in some beautiful swimming holes.
»JULY 18-21
Wanderlust Festival
North Lake Tahoe, CA
Wanderlust.com
Featuring:
Thievery Corporation// MC Yogi // Seane Corn // Elena Brower // Ana Forrest // Jose Calarco // Janet Stone // Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts // Schuyler Grant // Above & Beyond
Vibe and Venue:
Nestled in the pristine Squaw Valley ski resort overlooking Lake Tahoe, one of California’s natural wonders, a place to connect with your true North, this festival encourages you to practice, listen, explore, and learn while immersing in yoga, music, and spectacular mountain nature. Explore the marketplace village (no ticket needed) or enjoy a poolside DJ party at 8,000 feet.
»JULY 25-28
Guitarfish Music Festival
Truckee, CA
GuitarfishFestival.com
Featuring:
Kinky // The California Honeydrops // Afrolicious // Yak Attack // Diggin Dirt // Mestizo Beat // Smoked Out Soul // Earth Arrow // Biddadat // Joy + Madness // Funksalot
Vibe and Venue:
The 300-acre Cisco Grove Campgrounds on the glimmering Yuba River provide a naturelover’s ideal home base for hiking, mountain biking, climbing, swimming, birdwatching, and more. Bridging environmental awareness with entertainment is the crux of Guitarfish’s non-profit partnerships. Now co-produced with the Joshua Tree Music Festival—where funk, bluegrass, and jambands weave into nature conservancy.
»JULY 27-28
Prasada Festival
Occidental, CA
Prasada-Festival.com
Featuring:
Jai Uttal // Nagavalli // Mayapuris // Sheela Bringi // Prajna Vieira & the Mukti Kiran Ensemble // Śekhar Boddupalli // David Estes & Ananda Rasa Kirtan // Acharya Mangalananda // Revital Carroll
Vibe and Venue:
Bliss out to the divine with Bhakti Arts Collective’s celebration of kirtan and traditional Indian dance in the small peaceful town of Occidental. In its second iteration, this intimate gathering provides a sacred container where you’ll find heart-centered connections with like-minded devotees and share delicious Indian vegetarian meals at the Occidental Center for the Arts.
»AUGUST 9-12
Beloved Festival
Tidewater, OR
BelovedFestival.com
Featuring:
Lineup TBD
Vibe & Venue:
Take time to heal in this luscious sanctuary of a festival: Beloved, where consent is key and there’s no shying away from true devotion. Tune into Mama Earth’s wisdom and practice heart-centering with the sacred mystic. Share interactive art installations, live painting, yoga, and social and environmental justice programming. With only one exquisite stage and a ”no booze or shoes on the dance floor” rule, this Oregon festival, and the trek to Tidewater, may be perfect for you.
»AUGUST 9-11
Outside Lands
SFOutsideLands.com
Featuring:
Paul Simon // Childish Gambino // Twenty One Pilots // The Lumineers // Flume // blink-182 // Kygo // Anderson Paak // Leon Bridges // Kacey Musgraves // Lil Wayne // Mavis Staples // Counting Crows // Ella Mai // Bebe Rexha // The Neighbourhood // Toro y Moi // Masego // Big Wild // Justin Martin // Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
Vibe and Venue:
Known by some as the Coachella of the Bay; folks buy Outside Lands tickets before the lineup drops, trusting the music will always be top notch. The Bay Area’s biggest backyard party provides for all tastes and aims to be as green as possible while catering the hippest food menu with special treats from local eateries, food trucks, and breweries right inside Golden Gate Park.
»AUGUST 15-19
Om Rising
Navarro, CA
OmRising.org
Featuring:
Larisa Stow and Shakti Tribe // Samuel J. // Pete Guinosso // Peter Walters // Katchie Ananda // Chris Tompkins // Darren Main // Mac Murphy // Eric Monkhouse // Nayelli Bouvier // Nubia Teixeira // Christy Brown // Lisa Rueff + surprise guests.
Vibe and Venue:
Join Yoga Tree co-founder Tim Dale in the second iteration of Om Rising after earning rave reviews for the inaugural gathering. Camp Navarro, nestled amid 200+ acres of Mendocino redwoods, provides the idyllic setting for core-deep community fun, 10+ yoga classes per day, dharma talks, meditation, a yoga and activism panel, and delicious locally sourced food. With plenty of camping accommodation options, this is a perfect place for an offsite disconnect with local yoga pals.
»AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 2
Burning Man
Black Rock City, NV
Burningman.org
Featuring:
Metamorphoses (2019 theme)
Vibe and Venue:
Not billed as a festival per se but more as a vast interactive participatory community project extolling 10 guiding principles and extraordinary art. See Common Ground’s annual theme and art installation preview in the upcoming summer issue.
»SEPTEMBER 25-30
Bhakti Fest
Joshua Tree, CA
Bhaktifest.com
Featuring:
Deepak Chopra // Ram Dass (via DVD) // Krishna Das // Jai Uttall // MC Yogi // Shiva Rea // Sianna Sherman // Saul David Raye // Donna DeLory // Trevor Hall // Radhanath Swami // Fanna Fi Allah // Rising Appalachia // David Newman // Nina Rao // Gaura Vani // Adam Bauer
Vibe and Venue:
Now in its 11th successful year, this end-of-summer destination will activate you into higher levels of awakening. Join the migration of fellow seekers in the sacred Joshua Tree desert where the mantra is “be in the bhava” (i.e., the mood of feeling embraced by devotion). With a new location at the Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground, this festival nurtures loving-kindness for humanity as a refuge from its disarray, with offerings of prayer in a multitude of forms, including kirtan, dance, and breath work.