ZONA Music Festival: Festival Spotlight

A brand new music festival is coming to Downtown Phoenix this winter. The first-ever inaugural ZONA Music Festival will take place on December 3rd & 4th, calling Margaret T. Hance park it’s new home. Brought to you in collaboration with Psycho Steve Presents and Downtown Phoenix Inc, the first edition of ZONA will be huge. Reminiscent of the once great VIVA PHX Festival, this boutique festival is for all lovers of alternative, indie, pop, and rock. 

The festival announcement was Wednesday, August 24th, in a press conference where Mayor Kate Gallego and Congressman Greg Stanton gave a few words before an acoustic performance from Phoenix-based band Breakup Shoes.

Who’s On The Lineup?

ZONA Music Festival is a breath of fresh air for the Phoenix Indie music scene featuring a diverse lineup of national and local talent. Set to headline the festival is Beach House, Portugal. The Man, Bleachers, Tegan & Sara, and Japanese Breakfast. With an undercard featuring great acts such as Chicano Batman, Lucy Dacus, The Front Bottoms, TV Girl, and many more! It doesn’t stop there, though, as 40 bands and various local vendors will transform Margaret T. Hance park this winter. 

Psycho Steve Presents has been involved in the Phoenix music scene for over 20 years and has always emphasized incorporating local talent within their events. This show is no different. It features touring acts that originated here in Phoenix, such as UPSALH, Breakup Shoes, and Sydney Sprague, who have all recently had significant years in their careers. Joining them are up-and-coming local talents such as Pariah Pete, Glixen, Playboy Manboy, Diva Bleach, and Miniature Tigers. 

Finishing up the killer lineup are Bartees Strange, Beach Goons, Black Carl, Chloe Lilac, Destroy Boys, flor, the Garden, the Happy Fits, Jeff Rosenstock, July Talk, Lucius, the National Parks, Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, Pom Pom Squad, the Red Pears, the Regrettes, SALES, SASAMI, Sitting On Stacy, Sub Urban, Turnover, Waxahatchee, and Kevin Morby.

The Buzz

“We are beyond thrilled to be among this incredible lineup and return to one of our favorite cities in the United States. It’s been three years, and we look forward to getting on stage and strutting our stuff at ZONA in December!” Tegan Quin & Sara Quin said in a recent press release. Destroy Boys said, “So excited to return to Phoenix for ZONA festival!!! So many killer bands are playing, plus this is one of our favorite cities.”

Our favorite artists playing ZONA

Baltimore-based indie-pop duo Beach House is headlining the festival, and rightly so. The last time the duo played in Arizona was in May 2018, making this a long-awaited comeback. Coming straight off the tour of their brand new album “Once Twice Melody, “this is a set you won’t want to miss. 

Michelle Zauner, also known by her stage name Japanese Breakfast, is another artist headlining the two-day festival in the winter. Combining the sounds of alternative and pop, her most recent album, “Jubilee,” has something everyone will like. Japanese Breakfast will be a weekend standout with an incredible stage presence and a bubbly personality.

Hidden within the undercard is Lucy Dacus, an extremely talented singer and songwriter, with bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. Her third solo album, “Home Video,” is an emotional autobiography about her religious upbringing in Virginia and her self-exploration battle.

The Front Bottoms are another undercard band that is a must-see. Hailing from New Jersey, this rock band has been around since 2006 and found its fame within the midwest emo and punk scenes in the early 2010s. The band has great energy on stage and puts on a great show every time they perform.

Weekend passes are available on  ZONAmusicfest.com Single-day GA and VIP tickets won’t be available until closer to the festival date. Make sure to check this one outcome during wintertime.