By Armando
The Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival came roaring back to life Saturday night along the San Diego waterfront for its second of three days, delivering another strong bill of performances headlined by rock icons Kings of Leon, with support from G-Eazy, SOJA, and Swae Lee.
Kings of Leon gave the kind of headlining performance the festival deserved, a full-throttle rock set drawing from over two decades of catalog, played against the backdrop of the San Diego Bay at night. Earlier in the evening, Bay Area rapper G-Eazy worked the crowd with confidence, reggae veterans SOJA brought a laid-back but powerful energy to their stage, and Swae Lee kept the momentum going with his signature melodic style.
The festival sprawls impressively across the downtown waterfront, with eight stages tucked into parks, piers, and promenades along the Port of San Diego. The Events.com Headliners Stage, the Port of San Diego Stage, and the Sugarshack Sessions Stage anchor the action at Embarcadero Marina North Park, while the Coors Light Stage and ImmerXion Stages take over Seaport Village. Over at Ruocco Park, the TUStreams Stage and the Silent Disco Stage keep things going simultaneously, and the Spirit of San Diego Marietta Stage rounds out the lineup at 5th Ave. Landing. Water taxis shuttle festivalgoers between the venues, and yacht parties and sunset cruises are part of the experience as well, it’s a setup unlike most festivals anywhere in the country.
This is only the second time Wonderfront has taken place. The inaugural 2019 edition drew 57,000 people, but the pandemic wiped out both the 2020 and 2021 editions entirely. The 2022 return features over 80 artists across the three days, with the full weekend drawing on a genuinely diverse lineup, everything from rock and hip-hop to reggae, Christian pop, and R&B. Festival ambassadors include San Diego icons Tony Hawk, surfer Rob Machado, and Padres legend Trevor Hoffman, all of whom have invested in the event.
The festival wraps up tomorrow night with Gwen Stefani, three-time Grammy Award winner and multiplatinum solo artist, closing out the weekend as Sunday’s headliner. Other acts performing across the three days include Zac Brown Band, Young the Giant, Fitz & the Tantrums, Thundercat, Big Boi, EarthGang, Quinn XCII, Lauren Daigle, Noah Cyrus, Judah & the Lion, and many more.
Go to wonderfrontfestival.com for tickets and more details.
See some of the photo highlights from today’s performances below.
