We’re still a couple of months away from music festival season, but we’re already deep into its hype-building harbinger: lineup announcement season. That continues today with the radio-friendly lineup drop for Virgin Fest, the reentry into the festival scene from Richard Branson’s travel and hotel company of the same name.
Lizzo, A$AP Rocky, Anderson .Paak, Major Lazer, Ellie Goulding and Kali Uchis will top the fest’s inaugural SoCal outing, which takes place at Banc of California Stadium and Exposition Park on June 6 and 7.
Virgin Fest is attempting to define itself by adopting an “all are welcome” ethos, from booking a majority-female lineup down to relabeling general admission passes as “fan tickets.” No matter the name, though—and unlike Virgin’s earliest forays into stateside fests—this one will cost you: Fan tickets start at $229, with multiple tiers of VIP upgrades available, as well. (Don’t worry, though: Everyone will have access to complimentary Wi-Fi, indoor lounges and climate-controlled bathrooms.)
Back to the music: The full lineup includes a genre-hopping mix of 30-plus acts, including Jorja Smith, Banks, Clairo, Tanks and the Bangas, Japanese Breakfast, Lay Zhang, Celeste, Trixie Mattel, Empress Of and Madame Gandhi. Doing a bit of back-of-the-envelope math, we’d expect the per-stage programming to be similar to the schedule of the defunct FYF Fest (but with only three stages, you’ll hopefully be hoofing it around Exposition Park a lot less than that former event).
When we spoke to Virgin Fest co-founder and CEO Jason Felts late last year, he dubbed the event “the music festival of tomorrow, today.” On the sustainability front, the fest really seems like it’s living up to that promise: All single-use plastics are banned, surplus food will be donated to local homeless shelters and the fest is committing to a still-to-be-announced renewable energy and solar program. Attendees are encouraged to bring reusable bottles, and the only water available for purchase will be in recyclable aluminum bottles. Plus, each ticket comes with two free round-trip rides on the Metro (which has a stop just north of the park).
There’s also a focus on future tech as part of Beyond, an on-site exhibit that festival organizers pitch as “an interactive world’s fair showcasing the creative minds, products and technologies shaping our collective future.” Translation: You’ll have the chance to check out samples and demos of next-gen wearables, wellness products and transportation advancements (don’t forget, Virgin is a company exploring both space travel and Hyperloop pods).
Tickets are available now, as is the event-specific Virgin Fest app and its virtual concierge Violet.