Festivals
Boots In The Park Reveals Three 2025 Lineups Feat. Brooks & Dunn, Old Dominion, Parker McCollum & More
Country fans, dust off your boots — Boots In The Park is back, and the 2025 lineup is already looking stacked. The traveling country music festival, produced by Activated Events, just announced the first three stops of next year’s run, and it’s bringing some heavy hitters along for the ride.
Bakersfield: March 7
The party kicks off in Bakersfield, CA, at the Bakersfield Sports Village with Brooks & Dunn headlining. The legendary duo will be joined by rising stars Jackson Dean, Owen Riegling, Joe Peters, and Luwiss Lux for a boot-stomping good time.
Norco: March 8
The very next day, March 8, the crew heads to Norco’s Silverlakes, where the lineup gets even bigger. Brooks & Dunn, Dean, Riegling, Peters, and Lux will be joined by Parker McCollum, Rodney Atkins, and Bryce Leatherwood — talk about a stacked Saturday.
San Diego: April 5
Come April, the festival takes over Waterfront Park in San Diego on the 5th. This one’s anchored by Old Dominion, with support from Chris Young, Tyler Hubbard, Parmalee, Tayler Holder, Presley Tennant, and Luwiss Lux(who’s clearly not missing a single stop).
But it’s not just about the music — expect full-day country celebrations featuring line dancing, local craft food vendors, art installations, and all the sunshine-soaked vibes you can handle.
“Boots In The Park has become a signature event for country music fans that they look forward to year after year,” says Activated Events CEO Steve Thacher. “We’re excited to kick off 2025 with Brooks & Dunn headlining in Bakersfield and Norco, and Old Dominion returning to the beautiful San Diego Waterfront. I couldn’t be prouder of how this brand has grown, and there’s much more in store for 2025!”
Tickets
Presale for all three events begins Thursday, November 14 at 10 a.m. PT, with general onsale starting Friday, November 15 at 10 a.m. PT. Both General Admission and VIP options will be available. More info here.
Get ready to boot-scoot your way into 2025. More dates and surprises are sure to follow — so stay tuned.
Festivals
Coachella 2026 Set Times Are Out, With Jack White Added to Weekend One
The schedule for the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is here, and weekend one is already looking packed. Music starts at 1 p.m. PST on Friday, April 10, kicking off three days of tight set clashes, late-night headliners, and one surprise addition.
Headliners Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G lead the bill across the weekend. Carpenter opens things on Friday with a 9:05 p.m. set on the Coachella Stage, running just over 90 minutes. She’s followed by Anyma, who takes over at midnight to debut a new production titled “Æden.”
Saturday belongs to Bieber, who closes out the night with an 11:25 p.m. start. Before that, The Strokes hit the same stage at 9 p.m. Sunday wraps with Karol G, with competing sets from BIGBANG and Kaskade pulling fans in different directions.
The big curveball this year is Jack White, who joins the lineup for a Saturday afternoon slot. He’ll open the Mojave Stage at 3 p.m., marking a return to the festival after last headlining as a solo act in 2015. His appearance follows a recent run of surprise bookings at Coachella, a trend that’s become part of the festival’s identity.
Saturday night also brings Nine Inch Noize—a collaboration between Trent Reznor and Boys Noize—to the Sahara Tent for an 8 p.m. set.
Elsewhere, Coachella is leaning into immersive experiences. A new installation tied to Radiohead, called “Radiohead Motion Picture House: Kid A Mnesia,” will debut near the Sahara Tent. The 75-minute film blends visuals and audio pulled from the recording era of their albums Kid A and Amnesiac, created by Thom Yorke and longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood. It’s free with a reservation, with standby access for anyone willing to wait.
Beyond the headliners, the real challenge this year is picking a path through the schedule. Set conflicts are everywhere: David Byrne vs. Interpol, FKA twigs vs. The Rapture, and a crowded overlap featuring The xx, Dijon, Ninajirachi, DEVO, and more. Late Saturday gets especially messy with PinkPantheress going up against The Strokes, and Sunday throws in clashes like Moby vs. Turnstile.
A few lineup tweaks round things out. Foster the People move to Sunday, and new additions include Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Afrojack x Smiza, Deep Dish, and more.
Weekend two set times are still under wraps. For now, weekend one already looks like a scheduling headache, in the best way.
More information on the festival’s website.
Festivals
Morrissey and The Smashing Pumpkins to Headline Darker Waves 2026
Morrissey and The Smashing Pumpkins will headline Darker Waves Festival on November 14, 2026 in Huntington Beach, CA. Returning to Huntington Beach City Beach at Huntington Street and Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean-side festival will feature legendary performances from over 35 artists across three stages including Simple Minds, Bad Religion, Adam Ant, The Psychedelic Furs, Soft Cell, The Damned, Manic Street Preachers, Gary Numan, Silversun Pickups, Buzzcocks, EMF, Circle Jerks, Spacehog, Marky Ramone and more. Fans can sign up now for the festival SMS list at DarkerWavesFest.com to receive a passcode to the presale beginning Thursday, April 2 at 10am PT with access to the lowest-priced GA tickets from 10am to 11am PT. GA, GA+, VIP, and Ultimate VIP Tickets will be available, with layaway payment plans starting at $19.99 down. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public following the presale.
GA+ tickets include access to the exclusive GA+ Lounge with shaded seating and air-conditioned restrooms, plus a dedicated entry lane at the festival main entrance, and more. VIP tickets include unlimited entry into the VIP Lounge with preferred viewing area by the main stage, charging stations, air-conditioned restrooms, dedicated entry lane at the festival main entrance and more. Ultimate VIP tickets feature all amenities of VIP, plus access to elevated and unobstructed views of both main stages with shaded open lounge seating, dedicated VIP concierge team, a complimentary locker to store personal items, three complimentary drinks including choice of craft cocktails, beer, wine or non-alcoholic beverages, a complimentary meal redeemable for exclusive food options in the VIP Lounge and more.
Official Darker Waves vacation packages from Jampack pair GA, GA+, or VIP tickets with beachfront stays at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa or The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, and more. Bundles include a dedicated entrance, re-entry access, and commemorative merch.
For tickets and the full list of amenities available in each ticket package, please visit DarkerWavesFest.com.