Sacramento is fast becoming California’s festival capital. Every year, the best in music, arts, culture, and food converge on this beautiful, vibrant city primed to host the hottest festivals on the West Coast. Sacramento boasts incredible weather, ridiculously fresh farm-to-fork cuisine, unbeatable local wine, and a location easily accessible by air, car or Amtrak—all A-list qualifications that make California’s capital city the place to visit this year.
Planning a visit to Sacramento anchored by its music and food festival scene is always a win-win. The city itself provides a thriving cultural backdrop in which to enjoy your festival-going experience. This year’s festival season begins in May, launching a dynamic list of returning festivals that includes Aftershock, GoldenSky and the Farm-to-Fork Food Festival.
Here’s your ultimate guide to this year’s can’t-miss festivals, including where to stay and the best in Sacramento food and nightlife.
Your Ultimate Guide
to Sacramento
Festival Season
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DISCOVER
Planning a visit to Sacramento anchored by its music and food festival scene is always a win-win.
Aftershock Festival is the largest rock festival in California. Since 2012, tens of thousands of rock music fans gather at the 302-acre site in Sacramento’s Discovery Park. This October 10th-13th, Aftershock will once again be the center of the rock universe, where legendary acts and rabble-rousing upstarts converge. Featuring delicious farm-to-fork food, craft beer, cocktails, and tons of activities, Aftershock is the other premier festival event of the season.
Aftershock is the kind of event you plan your trip around. Tickets sell out, so the sooner you begin making travel arrangements, the better. This year’s headliners include Slayer, Pantera, Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Disturbed, and Motley Crüe.
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1. Aftershock
GoldenSky is Sacramento’s newest festival addition, welcoming country fans from around the globe to experience the best in modern and legacy country in the heart of one of country music’s foundational destinations. GoldenSky is produced by the same team that brings Aftershock to Discovery Park, so festival-goers can expect the same high-level farm-to-fork food and beverage service as well as unparalleled sightlines and dynamic sound.
This year’s GoldenSky Festival, held Oct 18th-20th, promises to be the biggest yet, featuring performances by Keith Urban, Turnpike Troubadours, Thomas Rhett, Riley Green, Luke Bryan, and Bailey Zimmerman.
2. GoldenSky
What does farm to fork mean? It means celebrating the agricultural bounty native to the Sacramento River Delta. At the Farm-to-Fork Festival, the best way to do that is by pairing local organic fare with top-notch musical acts, celebrity chefs, unique dining experiences, and regional wine and cocktails. This September 5th-21st, the free festival returns to Sacramento, encouraging those from all walks of life to get to know the hardworking people who grow our food in a setting that highlights the California good life: music, food, drinks, regional wine, family, and fun.
Sacramento is the festival capital of California. With so much to see, eat, drink, and experience, California’s capital city should be the destination of choice for any culture lover. For an insider’s guide to everything Sacramento, check out VisitSacramento.com.
3. Farm-to-Fork Festival
buy tickets now
By StoryStudio on June 12, 2024
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Sponsored by Visit Sacramento
1. Aftershock
2. GoldenSky
3. Farm-to-Fork Festival
Guns N’ Roses, Incubus, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Tool, Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, Turnstile, Korn, 311, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid
Oct. 5-8
Discovery Park, where the American River and the Sacramento River meet, just off Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento, easily accessible by car, ride share, or bus.
Aftershock is the kind of event you plan your trip around. Tickets sell out, so the sooner you begin making travel arrangements, the better. The festival provides a variety of pass packages. For ultimate savings, check out the hotel options where concert-goers can save up to 25%.
2023 Headliners
Dates
Where
Pro Tips
Jon Pardi, Maren Morris, Eric Church, Parker McCollum
Oct. 14-15
Discovery Park, where the American River and the Sacramento River meet, just off Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento, easily accessible by car, ride share, or bus.
A weekend VIP festival pass is the best way to experience the GoldenSky Festival. The pass includes VIP tickets, hotel accommodations with transportation to the event, $50 Merchandise Voucher, and Festival Fast Track Entry & Re-entry.
2023 Headliners
Dates
Where
Pro Tips
