Touring pop-punk event Sad Summer Fest returns this summer and also celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. This year’s headliners are Mayday Parade and the Maine, who both co-headlined the first edition, and the lineup also includes the Wonder Years, We The Kings, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, and Daisy Grenade, on all dates, plus the Summer Set, Hot Milk, Diva Bleach, and Like Roses on select shows.
Read more: Sad Summer Festival is growing beyond emo nostalgia
Mayday Parade’s Alex Garcia says:
For most of my adult life, I’ve associated the summer with music festivals; their open-air venues, the mix of tour bus exhaust and heat radiating off asphalt, and, of course, hearing my favorite music at twilight, lit by the flicker of fireflies – Sad Summer epitomizes this experience. It also serves as a unifying force in our music scene, a place for every emo kid to gather around, connect with fellow fans, and truly be themselves. With this in mind, it is a deep honor to close Sad Summer; the music we’ve poured our hearts and souls into becoming an indelible part of those warm summer nights, where friends and memories are made.
The Maine’s John O’Callaghan adds:
A lot can change in four summers. And for me, a lot has. But a constant throughout the peaks and valleys of the last four summers has been my love for playing music loudly, seeing old faces and making new amigos. This marks the 5th anniversary of the Sad Summer Festival, and I couldn’t dream up a better place to rip gigs and see smiling people lose their heads. But the real question at hand is…Corn dogs or nah?
The fest includes stops in Sacramento, Santa Ana, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and more. Tickets go on sale March 8, with presale sign-ups starting March 1. See all the dates below.
Sad Summer Fest 2024Friday, July 12, 2024 Sacramento, CA The Backyard%$Saturday, July 13, 2024 Santa Ana, CA Observatory Festival Grounds%$Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom%Friday, July 19, 2024 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom%$Saturday, July 20, 2024 Chicago, IL Salt Shed Outdoor+$Sunday, July 21, 2024 Pontiac, MI Crofoot Festival Grounds+$Tuesday, July 23, 2024 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE Outdoor+^Wednesday, July 24, 2024 Columbus, OH KEMBA Live! Outdoor+^Friday, July 26, 2024 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy+^Saturday, July 27, 2024 Clearwater, FL The Sound at Coachman Park+^Monday, July 29, 2024 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion+^Thursday, August 1, 2024 New York, NY The Rooftop at Pier 17+^Saturday, August 3, 2024 Worcester, MA Palladium Outdoor+^Sunday, August 4, 2024 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony Summer Stage+^Tuesday, August 6, 2024 Buffalo, NY Terminal B at the Outer Harbor+^Thursday, August 8, 2024 Philadelphia, PA Highmark Skyline Stage+^Friday, August 9, 2024 Columbia, MD Chrysalis Stage+^
%Like Roses+Diva Bleach$The Summer Set^Hot Milk