13th annual
Carlsbad Music Festival
Fri-Sat, August 26-28

Adventurous music by the beach

“one of the area’s most innovative music showcases”
-KPBS

"phenomenal"
"you'll think that Carlsbad is the coolest place on earth"
-San Diego Union Tribune

Ticketed Mainstage Artists:

wild Up • Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith • LA Percussion Quartet • Namaad Trio • Pascal Le Beouf • HOCKET • Richard Valitutto, Justine Aronson and gnarwhallaby • Matt McBane • and more!

Free Stages Artists:

Alexander Elliott Miller • Alexandra Matloff • Aperture Duo • B Band • Ben Phelps • Daniel Corral • Daniel Pate • Euphoria Brass Band • G Burns Jug Band • Inspired and the Sleep • Isaura String Quartet  • Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble • Kamini Natarajan • MandoBasso • Now Hear Ensemble • Paper Days • Peter Sprague • Qamar • Sakura Cello Trio • Taken by Canadians • The Red Fox Tails • and more!

Friday, August 26

Ticketed Mainstage Concerts

7:00-7:30pm Matt McBane and Friends
8:00-9:15pm wild Up performs Future Folk

Free Stages Concerts

State and Grand Concerts schedule TBA

Saturday, August 27

TICKETED MAINSTAGE CONCERTs

1:30-2:15pm Pascal Le Beouf
5:00-7:00pm LA Percussion Quartet
8:00-9:15pm wild Up performs WEST.
10:00-11:00pm Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith

FREE STAGES CONCERTS

Lawn Concerts and New Currents Concerts schedule TBA

Beer Garden •Food Trucks •Artisan Market

3:00-10:00pm St Michael's Lawn

SunDAY, AUGUST 28

TICKETED MAINSTAGE CONCERTS

1:00-2:00pm HOCKET
4:30-5:30pm wild Up Invasion: Richard Valitutto, Justine Aronson and gnarwhallaby 
7:00-8:00pm Namaad Trio

FREE STAGES CONCERTS

Lawn Concerts and New Currents Concerts schedule TBA

BEER GARDEN •FOOD TRUCKS •ARTISAN MARKET

2:00-7:00pm St Michael's Lawn

Passes and Tickets

VIP Passes good for Reserved Priority seating at all Mainstage Concerts plus VIP reserved seating for Lawn Concerts and New Currents Concerts.

Individual tickets available below.

Mainstage concerts

concert programs, audio and video

Matt McBane and Friends

Friday, August 26, 7:00-7:30pm

Festival Founder and composer/violinist Matt McBane and friends perform his critically-acclaimed suite compositions for bluegrass string band, “Drawn.”

“a natural composer, a fresh voice and, from the evidence of his festival, a first-rate organizer with a broad range of musical interests” -Los Angeles Times

wild Up perform future folk

Friday, August 26, 8:00-9:15pm

Modern music collective slash chamber orchestra wild Up creates a communal concert of sound/noise/experience that celebrates old-world ways of living in the modern era. Featuring works by Meredith Monk, Julius Eastman, members of the ensemble and more.

“All the performances, led by Rountree, were exceptional, the ensemble turning on an astonishing stylistic dime.” -Los Angeles Times

Pascal Le Boeuf

Saturday, August 27, 1:30-2:15pm

Jazz pianist and composer Pascal Le Boeuf and his trio, Pascal’s Triangle, perform a set of his forward-looking compositions.

"[Le Boeuf's] performances and compositions display an impressive level of sophistication. Textured harmonies and shifting time signatures are handled with aplomb." -San Francisco Chronicle

“a starry array of new music specialists” -Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

“magnificently enlightening” -Los Angeles Times

“The Carlsbad Music Festival has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best single gatherings of diverse, avant-garde musicians in Southern California.” -San Diego City Beat

About this year's Festival...

The 13th annual Carlsbad Music Festival is a 3-day summer celebration of “adventurous music by the beach” on Friday-Sunday, August 26-28 in the charming seaside Village of Carlsbad. The Festival, called “one of the area’s most innovative music showcases” by KPBS, features 60+ performances of creative music of all kinds curated by Founder and Artistic Director, composer/violinist Matt McBane. These include 10 ticketed concerts featuring wild Up, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, LA Percussion Quartet, Namaad Trio and more; FREE outdoor concerts all weekend; FREE New Currents concerts on Saturday and Sunday; and a beer garden, food trucks and artisan market on Saturday and Sunday. The Festival programming is an eclectic mix of creative and adventurous music ranging from contemporary classical, to indie rock, to world music, to electronic, to jazz, to musicians who work across genres and fall between the cracks. The Carlsbad Music Festival is a nationally-acclaimed presenter and a beloved community event that draws thousands from near and far for its unique programming and beautiful setting.