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Wonderfront 2025 festival full performance schedule and critic's picks

George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune on

Published in Entertainment News

SAN DIEGO — 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 megayacht 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 15

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 15

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 17

Events.com Stage

The Main Squeeze, 12:30-1:25 p.m.

Donovan Frankenreiter, 2:20-3:20 p.m.

Neil Frances, 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


©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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