After a chaotic finish in 2024, BeachLife Festival returns for sixth year with Lenny Kravitz, Sublime & Alanis Morissette headlining

BeachLife Festival - 2025 lineup

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 2nd-4th, 2025 //

It’s a new year, and that means a new festival season is almost upon us.

On a day that saw high winds lead to wildfires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, the organizers of BeachLife Festival just down the coast in Redondo Beach were announcing the lineup for its sixth edition after high winds caused the event’s final day in 2024 to end abruptly and never resume (read our festival review here).

It does feel a bit familiar considering the circumstances we found ourselves in last year when BeachLife had no choice but to cancel scheduled sets by ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB and headliner My Morning Jacket even with the wind dying down only a few hours to go before curfew. The fest did its best to make things right with fans, offering refunds and turning “lemons into lemonade” out of what was a very unfortunate situation, but there is no doubt it was quite a blow (no pun intended) to the psyche that left a lasting impression despite Day 1 and Day 2 going off without issue and featuring standout performances from headlining acts Sting and Incubus.

But this time around, Seaside Lagoon plans to host Lenny Kravitz, Sublime and Alanis Morissette at the top of another rock-heavy bill that boasts an undercard filled with plenty of top-notch talent. Also joining the aforementioned in LA’s South Bay this May are Train, Pretenders, Mt. Joy, O.A.R., CAKE, Jackson Browne, Aloe Blacc, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, The Beach Boys, The Struts, Skip Marley, Marcus King, Digable Planets, Sugar Ray, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Shovels & Rope, ALO, Lily Meola, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Donavon Frankenreiter, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Greg Graffin of Bad Religion, Common Sense, Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root and more over the course of three days. Take a peek at the poster above to see who else will be heading down to the beach.

BeachLife Festival - The SpeakEasy Stage - 2025 lineup

While the music always serves as the main attraction at BeachLife, that’s not all there is to see and do with art installations, onsite activations, giveaways, boutique shopping, games and more very much a part of the whole experience.

Guests will also have the chance for the first time to become acquainted with the full-service California Surf Club opening next month that mixes gourmet cuisine with handcrafted cocktails in a personalized, fine-dining setting overlooking the main stage for both year-round members and festival attendees.

If that hasn’t sold you on attending BeachLife yet, it’s worth mentioning that the festival has continued to make waves in the local community by partnering with key organizations doing important work, including Heal the Bay as well as the Surfrider Foundation, Redondo Beach Education Fund, Wyland Foundation and Redondo Beach Police Foundation.

Looking to buy tickets? They are actually already on sale here! Three-day GA and GA+ passes are listed at $409 or $524, and VIP is available for $999 as well as single-day tickets set for $169 (GA), $204 (GA+) and $399 (VIP). If you’re for something new though, the Captain’s Plus pass will provide exclusive non-member access to a more intimate setting, including an opportunity to dine at the VIP restaurant onsite. BeachLife might be four months away, but it will be here before you know it so get those swim suits and sandals ready!

BottleRock Napa Valley makes more strides in 2016

BottleRock Napa Valley 2016By Mike Rosati & Norm de Veyra //

BottleRock Napa Valley //
Napa Valley Expo – Napa, CA
May 27th-29th, 2016 //

BottleRock Napa Valley once again returned to downtown Napa over Memorial Day weekend for its fourth edition, boasting an improved fan experience and an eclectic bill of music over a three-day stretch.

Serving as this year’s headliners were Stevie Wonder, Florence & the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers, while other notable acts included The Lumineers, Death Cab for Cutie, Lenny Kravitz, Walk the Moon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ziggy Marley, Grouplove and more.

But some of the best performances of the weekend came from artists playing on the festival’s smaller stages, from Long Beach’s Cold War Kids to Welsh alt-rockers The Joy Formidable. The Suffers, a 10-piece soul band from Texas, made one of the biggest impressions on the final day of BottleRock, along with San Francisco indie-pop outfit Dangermaker and singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim.

BottleRock Napa Valley 2016 - Florence & the Machine


Florence & the Machine

Among all of the music being played, one of the highlights was undoubtedly the festival’s Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage, which welcomed appearances by classic stoner-comedy duo Cheech & Chong (who kicked things off with a special show at The Uptown Theater in Napa the night before BottleRock) and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Even “American Pie” actor Thomas Ian Nicholas joined in on the fun during a set dedicated to the 1999 film.

We were on hand for all three days of BottleRock, noting an upgraded layout, more food/beverage options and better VIP accommodations than in past years. And though the festival still has room to grow, it has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time.

BottleRock drops 2016 lineup, led by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder, Florence + the Machine

BottleRock Napa 2016 lineup

BottleRock Napa Valley //
Napa Valley Expo – Napa, CA
May 27th-29th, 2016 //

While everyone has been fixating on Monday night’s Coachella lineup announcement, which includes a reunited LCD Soundsystem and some form of Guns N’ Roses headlining the Indio festival, BottleRock Napa Valley was busy unveiling their own bill less than a day later.

The three-day festival in downtown Napa, which appeals to an older crowd than the aforementioned Coachella, announced its lineup early Tuesday and will welcome Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder and Florence + the Machine as headliners over Memorial Day weekend.

With more than 70 artists scheduled to perform across four stages, other noteworthy acts on this year’s lineup include The Lumineers, Death Cab for Cutie, Lenny Kravitz, Walk the Moon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ziggy Marley, Grouplove, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Gogol Bordello, Cold War Kids, Iration, Misterwives, Atlas Genius, Buddy Guy, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The Pharcyde, The Joy Formidable, X Ambassadors, Ozomatli and Jamestown Revival.

BottleRock will also be bringing back and expanding its popular Culinary Stage that’s known for matching culinary stars up with celebrities, as last year’s festival saw Snoop Dogg teaming up with “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday, January 7th at 10 a.m. here and start at $269 for a three-day GA pass. VIP passes will be sold for $619, and a three-day platinum pass is as much as $3,100.

So, as you get ready for your “first taste of summer,” go back in time with our 2014 coverage.