With more than 100 performances scheduled on seven stages between Friday and Sunday, the 2025 Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival promises to be a marathon weekend whose celebratory bayside party vibe should provide a quintessential San Diego experience.
The three-day festival, which debuted in 2019, will be held primarily in downtown’s Embarcadero Park South. There is also a stage in the adjacent Seaport Village — where free performances will be offered each day — and on the three-deck Adventure Hornblower mega yacht as it cruises San Diego Bay.
The lineup of performers boasts such established artists as Gary Clark Jr., Janelle Monáe and San Diego’s Jason Mraz, along with the reunited 4 Non Blondes, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Khruangbin and Friday night headliner Peggy Gou. But Wonderfront also seeks to introduce attendees to up-and-coming young acts that could perhaps one day become headliners in their own right.
This approach seemed to gel at last year’s edition of the festival, whose opening night drew a sold-out audience of 15,000 and whose second night came close to selling out. Will Wonderfront do as well, or even better, this year? We’ll soon find out.
In the meantime, here’s the full performance schedule and some likely highlights.
Friday, May 16
Events.com Stage
DJ Contest Winner, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Biig Piig, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Overmono, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Duke Dumont, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Peggy Gou, 8:40-10 p.m.
Cypress Ascendant Stage
Erick The Architect, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Jordan Ward, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Isaiah Rashad, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Daniel Caesar, 7:30-8:40 p.m.
Hazy Stage by Sierra Nevada
Boostive, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Nourished By Time, 2-2:55 p.m.
bLAck pARty, 3:30-4:20 p.m.
Drama, 5:05-6 p.m.
Cavetown, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Freddie Gibbs, 8:30-9:45 p.m.
Harbor Club Stage
Porcelain, 1:15-2 p.m.
Saint Luna, 2:55-3:30 p.m.
Yonny, 4:20-5:05 p.m.
Mexican Slum Rats 6-6:45 p.m.
BabyJake, 7:45-8:30 p.m.
Critic’s pick: Mexican Slum Rats. Led by singer and guitarist Kevin Villalba, this five-piece band from Grenada Hills, injects a welcome dose of vulnerability into its blend of emo, punk, indie and surf-rock.
City Cruises Yacht Stage
The Diz, 2:15-3 p.m.
Boostive, 3:30-4:15 p.m.
BabyJake, 4:45-5:30 p.m.
Tommy Guala 6-6:45 p.m.
bLAck pARty, 7:15-8 p.m.
Bloom Electric Lounge
Groove Affair, 12:30-2 p.m.
Casmalia, 2-3:15 p.m.
Proppa, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
Mia Moretti, 4:30-5:45 p.m.
The Botanist, 5:45-7 p.m.
Angrybaby, 7-8:30 p.m.
Daft Hill, 8:30-10 p.m.
Seaport Village Stage
Jordo, 1-2 p.m.
Caravan, 3-4:30 p.m.
Futuresexuals, 5:30-7 p.m.
Where’s West?, 8-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Events.com Stage
Bombargo, 12:30-1:15 p.m.
Strfkr, 2:20-3:20 p.m.
SiR, 4:20-5:20 p.m.
Janelle Monáe, 6:20-7:20 p.m.
Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, 8:35-10 p.m.
Critic’s pick: For sheer ingenuity, charisma and shape-shifting dexterity, Janelle Monáe is hard to beat. The enterprising singer, songwriter and actress is now at work on an interactive concept album that will utilize AI to enhance and expand real-time musical experiences.
Cypress Ascendant Stage
Baby Rose, 1:25-2:20 p.m.
Magdalena Bay, 3:20-4:20 p.m.
Portugal. the Man, 5:20-6:20 p.m.
Foster the People, 7:20-8:30 p.m.
Hazy Stage by Sierra Nevada
Saint Luna, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Felly, 2-2:45 p.m.
Pawpaw Rod, 3:30-4:20 p.m.
Orion Sun, 5:05-6 p.m.
Peter Cat Recording Co., 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Neon Trees, 8:30-9:45 p.m.
Harbor Club Stage
The Diz, 1:15-2 p.m.
Daring Greatly, 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Tommy Guala, 4:20-5:05 p.m.
Timmy Skelly, 6-6:45 p.m.
Ekkstacy, 7:45-8:30 p.m.
City Cruises Yacht Stage
Porcelain, 2:15-3 p.m.
Three Legged Dog, 3:30-4:15 p.m.
The Saint Cecilia, 4:45-5:30 p.m.
Bombargo, 6-6:45 p.m.
Felly, 7:15-8 p.m.
Bloom Electric Lounge
Monción, 12:30-2 p.m.
Jay Huncho, 2-3:15 p.m.
Apex Martin, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
Justjoe, 4:30-5:45 p.m.
Luke Andy 5:45-7 p.m.
Slugg, 7-8:30 p.m.
Ferra Black, 8:30-10 p.m.
Seaport Village Stage
Caravan, 12:30-2 p.m.
Where’s West?, 3-4:30 p.m.
Helena Holleran, 5:30-7 p.m.
Divina, 8-9:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 18
Events.com Stage
The Main Squeeze, 12:30-1:25 p.m.
Donovan Frankenreiter, 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Neil s, 4:20-5:20 p.m.
Jason Mraz, 6:20-7:20 p.m.
Khruangbin, 8:35-10 p.m.
Cypress Ascendant Stage
Paco Versailles, 1:25-2:20 p.m.
Allen Stone, 3:20-4:20 p.m.
4 Non Blondes, 5:20-6:20 p.m.
Gary Clark Jr., 7:20-8:30 p.m.
Critic’s pick: Gary Clark Jr. This Texas-bred guitar-slinger has evolved from a young blues-rock sensation into an adventurous, genre-blurring artist whose songs provoke and entertain in equal measure.
Hazy Stage by Sierra Nevada
Timmy Skelly, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Jalen Ngonda, 2-2:45 p.m.
Vacations, 3:30-4:20 p.m.
La Lom, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Leon Thomas, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
The Fray, 8:30-9:45 p.m.
Harbor Club Stage
Uncle Chris, 1:15-2 p.m.
Bombargo, 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Saint Cecilia, 4:20-5:05 p.m.
Benches, 6-6:45 p.m.
Sam Austins, 7:45-8:30 p.m.
City Cruises Yacht Stage
Where’s West?, 2:15-3 p.m.
Daring Greatly, 3:30-4:15 p.m.
The Main Squeeze, 4:45-5:30 p.m.
Donovan Frankenreiter, 6-6:45 p.m.
Jalen Ngonda, 7:15-8 p.m.
Bloom Electric Lounge
Blue Jade, 1-2:30 p.m.
Dazzle Camouflage, 2:30-4 p.m.
Babsy., 4-5:30 p.m.
Burko, 5:30-7 p.m.
Familiar Faces, 7-8:30 p.m.
Amtrac, 8:30-10 p.m.
Seaport Village Stage
Jordo, 12:30-2 p.m.
Helena Holleran, 3-4:30 p.m.
Three Legged Dog, 8-9:30 p.m.
Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival
When: Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18
Where: Embarcadero Marina Park North, next to Seaport Village, downtown
Tickets: $165-$899
Online: wonderfrontfestival.com
