Punk-Scene Announces Brand New ‘Sad Summer Festival’

Natalie Dest, Art and Entertainments Editor

Your summer is going to be anything but sad with this lineup ahead — several of our punk-scene favorites began teasing a new cross-country music tour called “Sad Summer Festival.”

Two weeks ago, all that fans were given was a mysterious clip and the date March 19. Thankfully, this past Tuesday, the festival finally dropped information fans have been eagerly waiting for.

Sad Summer Festival is going to be a nationwide run featuring full sets from pop-punk artists such as State Champs, The Maine, Mayday Parade, the Wonder Years, Stand Atlantic, Mom Jeans, Just Friends and L.I.F.T. Featuring guest appearances at selected cities by Four Year Strong, Set It Off, Forever The Sickest Kids, Emo Nite and Every Avenue.

“What could be better than being emo with your best friends in the sweet summer sun? Being emotional with your friends in the sweet summer sun at the Sad Summer Festival, that’s what,” The Maine’s John O’Callaghan tweeted. “Ditch the cold hot dogs and f*cked up sunburns and join [us] all summer long!”

SSF will be a seventeen-city month long treck, kicking off in Dallas, Tx on July 5 ending August 3 in Anaheim, CA.

The tour will be featuring several unique fan experiences, including interactive activities that will be on-site, exclusive merch for each band, and more to be announced in the upcoming months. The festival also shares a commitment to non-profit partnerships, according to the Sad Summer Festival media accounts.

The tour is soon to be announcing its national partner, which will involve “a daily presence on-site at the festival to provide education and resources to fans,” according to Broadwayworld.

In addition, the festival will tie in individually with each date, working alongside specific charities in the community in hopes to encourage fans to give back by donating their time to volunteer at a local level. More information about the festival’s non-profit efforts and how fans can individually get involved is expected to be released sometime soon.

There is also discussion through the interwebs of SFF being named the new “warped tour,” since the monumental music festival took its last cross-country run in the summer of 2018.

Warped tour is not being confined to just three shows, taking place in California, New Jersey and Ohio during the summer of 2019 with tickets starting over $100. Neither State Champs, The Maine nor Mayday Parade have been announced for any of these dates, making it a promising premonition that SSF could slowly be taking over.

Many more headliners shared their excitement to fans via Twitter for putting together the first ever run of Sad Summer Festival, bringing together longtime friendships and past tour mates onto one massive festival lineup.

“We’ll be headlining Sad Summer Festival alongside some amazing bands that have inspired us along the way and that we can now call our friends,” Derek DiScanio from State Champs said. “A true honor. It’s sure to be a wild time.”

“This tour is about putting aside our differences and coming together as a community of people to enjoy music and art. I’m thrilled to be a part of it and I can’t wait to see everyone out there,” Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders tweeted.

“If you live near one of these cities, we’d love to sing and yell and flail around in the sun with you,” Dan Campbell from the Wonder Years said. “Looking forward to feeling alive together. Winter is dead. Long live the summer.”

It’s looking like a packed-filled summer for fans and those in the pop-punk scene, one you sure can’t miss. For the most up to date information, tickets, full lineups, and exclusive content from the artists please visit www.sadsummerfest.com.