Music festivals within driving distance of L.A.

This laid-back, Gen X-ish music fest will once again take over the Redondo Beach coastline for three days in May. Duran Duran, the Chainsmokers, the Offspring, Slightly Stoopid and James Taylor and His All-Star Band headline the 2026 edition, with additional sets from My Morning Jacket, Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Grouplove, Peach Pit and more.

This chill fest—quite literally compared to the scorching desert outings—brings a few dozen acts to San Luis Obispo. This year’s lineup includes Chris Lake, the Backseat Lovers, Magdalena Bay, INJI and TOPS at Dairy Creek Golf Course.

Make your way to the desert for the Joshua Tree Music Festival, a gathering of like-minded indie musicians who will be rocking out to a dance-world-electro-funk’n groove. The biannual festival is a four-day party with over 30 bands in a unique lineup of artists who aren’t necessarily household names. There’s free water to all patrons, minimal service charges on tickets and yoga classes aplenty.

On the outskirts of town at the Motor Speedway, Electric Daisy Carnival is pure, condensed Vegas. There is a VIP Ferris wheel. Helicopters shuttle in high rollers. The massive crowd is soaked in ecstasy and spray tan. Every millionaire DJ that plays the laser-riddled nightclubs on the Strip is here. EDC introduced EDM as a Day-Glo spectacle for the masses in America, and its lineups in recent years have certainly lived up to the hype (this year’s includes John Summit, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Zedd, Kaskade, the Prodigy, the Chainsmokers and many more). Once you let the neon and bass wash over you, it is the time of your life.

After years on the Central Coast, the annual event has more recently made a move significantly closer to L.A., at Bakersfield’s Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area. Sure, it’s still a bit of a trek, but where else can you find a sustainable, vegetarian festival dedicated to equal parts music, food, art, yoga and wellness? Expect to do some serious soul-searching during this five-day retreat, all while immersing yourself in everything from a speaker series to an old timey trading post. Empire of the Sun, Mau P, Sara Landry, Zeds Dead, Chase & Status, Mochakk, Barry Can’t Swim and Tinashe top the 2026 lineup.

This weekend-long concert will once again return to West Hollywood Park as part of WeHo Pride; the reunited Pussycat Dolls, Jade and Ava Max top the 2026 edition, with additional sets from Ashlee Sumpson, Confidence Man, Flo, Blue Man Group and a DJ set from Melanie C. If the ticket prices have you down, don’t worry: Friday night’s programming is usually free with an RSVP.

House music hits the Queen Mary waterfront during this two-day fest from Insomniac. This year’s event, which features two existing stages plus the brand-new Long Beach Amphitheater, has yet to announce its lineup, but past performers include the likes of Dom Dolla, Fisher, John Summit, Gorgon City and BLOND:ISH.

EDM juggernaut HARD Summer hopped around Southern California for a while, but now it’s settled back in town—and for 2026 again heads to the grounds of Hollywood Park, next to SoFi Stadium. No matter the location, its dedication to bringing the biggest names in the hip-hop and electronic scene has stayed the course. This year’s lineup is still to come, but the 2025 edition included Dom Dolla, Feid, Gesaffelstein, Kaytranada, Sean Paul, Juvenile & the 400 Degreez Band, Four Tet, Floating Points, Sara Landry and Nico Moreno.

Pan-Asian music and media collective 88rising’s music fest once again returns to the grounds outside the Rose Bowl, albeit only for a single-day fest this time around. The 2026 edition’s headliners include KATSEYE (only a few months after their Coachella performance), XG, Dabin.kr, Rich Brian and more.

Say goodbye to dusty thoroughfares and violent porta-potties: Splash House takes the music festival concept off of sweltering desert land and places it poolside. Movers and shakers at this multi-location getdown are shuttled between the Saguaro, the Renaissance and the Hilton Palm Springs (with after-hours programming at the Palm Springs Air Museum) to lap up big-name dance acts and DJ sets. With the added comforts of air-conditioned rooms and critically acclaimed restaurant fare just steps away from the party scenes, the experience will make you question whether to bother with more punishing locales come next year’s festival season.