Aftershock, GoldenSky help Sacramento become ‘festival destination.’ What to expect this year
In just a matter of days, Discovery Park in Sacramento will transform into one of the nation’s top destinations for fall music festivals.
It starts with a four-day barrage of guitar riffs and headbanging at Aftershock, which runs from Oct. 5-8 and is expected to draw upwards of 40,000 fans daily.
That’s followed Oct. 14-15 by the country-flavored GoldenSky Festival, now in its second year, which is geared up to accommodate 30,000 fans daily.
In other words, it’s time to throw a devil-horns salute or yell a big “yeehaw” near the banks of the Sacramento River.
Both events are produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, a Los Angeles company that organizes and promotes concert festivals around the country. The company’s plan is to continue putting Sacramento on the map for live music and grow its footprint even more. And civic leaders are eager to help thus far.
“Sacramento is becoming a festival marketplace,” said Chamie McCurry, chief marketing officer for Danny Wimmer Presents. “Sacramento is becoming a destination city and it’s on people’s radar. Our long-term goal is to program three (festival) weekends in October.”
The story of Aftershock and GoldenSky is one of tremendous growth – and steady civic support.
Aftershock launched in 2012 as a single-day event at Discovery Park, headlined by Stone Temple Pilots and Sacramento’s own Deftones. It was attended by some 12,000 fans, about a three-quarter house at downtown’s Golden 1 Center.
By 2015, Aftershock moved to more spacious digs at Gibson Ranch. It had grown to a two-day event and attracted a combined crowd of 45,000, but parking woes and other logistical issues prompted a move back to Discovery Park.
Aftershock continued to feature some of the biggest names in hard rock, such as Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and KISS. By 2019, it expanded to a three-day event, and then four in 2021. That year, the concert trade publication Pollstar ranked Aftershock as the world’s third-highest grossing music festival.
Who’s playing Aftershock this year?
Aftershock 2023 will feature some of the heaviest hitters in hard rock and metal. On the festival’s Oct. 5 kickoff, they include Avenged Sevenfold and nu metal favorite Incubus. Heavy metal band Pantera, originally slated for the festival’s opening day, pulled out of the concert last week and was replaced by Stone Temple Pilots.
Tool, known for its intense prog-metal and mesmerizing sets, will headline Oct. 6 following a day that also includes speed-metal stalwart Megadeth as well as Tallah, a metalcore band formed by Max Portnoy of Code Orange.
Korn will return Oct. 7 for its fourth Aftershock appearance, with more than two dozen bands including hardcore sensation Turnstile, Japan’s Babymetal and rap-rockers 311 bringing the noise.
And it all wraps up Oct. 8 with a stacked lineup featuring Sacramento’s Dance Gavin Dance, punk legend Rancid, Queens of the Stone Age and Guns N’ Roses bringing it all home in a headlining set.
It’s a lot of music to consume – and a lot of tourism dollars that will be flowing into Sacramento.
According to festival organizers, Aftershock tickets have sold in all 50 states, 40 countries and every continent save for Antarctica. The event is expected to sell out once again.
Can Sacramento be a ‘City of Festivals’?
Figures from Visit Sacramento estimate the total economic impact of Aftershock is upwards of $27 million. That includes tax revenue generated from 43,925 concertgoers staying overnight at hotels along with Airbnb and Vrbo bookings.
“Sacramento has quickly grown into a year-round festival destination and the pioneer on that list is Aftershock,” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento, in a statement. “The event fills hotels from Davis to Placer County and brings significant business to restaurants, bars and retail shops across the region. It is amazing to see the economics that the festival spreads throughout the region each year.”
GoldenSky appears to be on the same trajectory as Aftershock. In its 2022 debut, the country festival drew a combined crowd of about 50,000 over two days. This figure is expected to grow by an additional 10,000 attendees, with a lineup including headliners Jon Pardi and Eric Church along with Wynonna Judd, Parker McCollum and more than 20 other acts. Its estimated economic impact was more than $12 million last year.
The inaugural GoldenSky was boosted with significant civic support, to the tune of $1.5 million approved by Sacramento City Council in July 2022. Those funds, which came from the federal American Rescue Plan stimulus package in 2021, were issued to Visit Sacramento, which, in turn, helped secure GoldenSky and underwrite its risk as a new festival.
“We are working hard to make ourselves a City of Festivals,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in a 2022 phone interview with The Sacramento Bee. “I’m not afraid to champion investing public resources in building the creative economy, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. These are the seeds for something that over time is going to continue being very special. It’s part of building a great city. And frankly, it’s the fun part.”
Even more fun may be on the horizon. The long-term plan is to add a third music festival at Discovery Park each October, possibly one that showcases Americana acts. In between these festivals, there’s talk of hosting music industry workshops and seminars on the days in between the festivals, a la South By Southwest in Austin.
“These are ongoing conversations,” said McCurry. “Sacramento is a great city for conferences and events. Downtown is built for it.”
But for now, the focus is on rock and country, two formats that have traditionally played well in the area’s music market. The influx of outsiders who are ready to soak in Sacramento and its sounds is about to begin.
“We want this to be something people look forward to every year, their can’t miss vacation,” said McCurry. “Sacramento’s been an amazing partner to bring this into fruition.”
