Summer Sonic Festival


The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up contains many Japanese rock musicians from both major and indie record companies, and also international acts. It also operates the festival Sonicmania, with an EDM focus, since 2011. Summer Sonic is an independent festival, owned by Creativeman Productions Ltd.

History

Summer Sonic Festival was founded in 2000 in Japan, with a focus on major national and international acts. Among the first bands in 2000's lineup were 311, Arrested Development, At the Drive-In, Ben Folds Five, and Coldplay.
The EDM section of the festival was later split into Sonicmania which is held at Makurai Messe the day before the festival, which according to Time Out, "Held as a warm-up for Summer Sonic each year, the all-night Sonicmania party caters to dance kids who aren't so well served by the main festival itself" in 2011.
Producer Creativeman formed a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment in 2012. Live Nation bought full control of the venture in 2014.
In 2017, the festival was expanded to Shanghai, China.

Performances

Lineups for the festival in past years are as follows:

2000

2001

2002

Tokyo Only

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

August 13 /August 14 August 14 /August 13

  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • X Japan
  • Maximum the Hormone
  • Panic! at the Disco
  • Zebrahead
  • Hollywood Undead
  • Mona
  • Neon Trees
  • Primal Scream
  • P.i.L.
  • The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
  • House of Pain
  • Friendly Fires
  • Two Door Cinema Club
  • Yelle
  • The Telephones
  • Gypsy & the Cat
  • Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas
  • Girls' Generation
  • Suede
  • James Blunt
  • The Pop Group
  • Bow Wow Wow
  • Metronomy
  • Deerhunter
  • The Morning Benders
  • Smith Westerns
  • Negoto
  • Fact
  • Rival Sons
  • Pay Money to My Pain
  • Mucc
  • One Ok Rock
  • Tribes
  • Puro Instinct
  • Totalfat
  • Crossfaith
  • Village People
  • Bootsy Collins and The Funk U Band
  • Little Barrie
  • Yanokami
  • Shibusashirazu Orchestra
  • Johnny Saito
  • The Ghost Spardac
  • Queen Sea Big Shark
  • Muma & Third Party
  • Perdel
  • Black New-new

    • 2012

    August 18 /August 19 August 19 /August 18

  • Rihanna
  • Garbage
  • Jamiroquai
  • New Order
  • Kesha
  • Pitbull
  • The Cardigans
  • Gym Class Heroes
  • Hoobastank
  • Foster The People
  • Calvin Harris
  • Vintage Trouble
  • Cast
  • Azealia Banks
  • Tears For Fears
  • Mayday
  • Momoiro Clover Z
  • Perfume
  • Mao Abe
  • Anna Tsuchiya
  • Miliyah Kato
  • Fact
  • Lecca
  • Pay Money to My Pain
  • Babymetal

    • 2013

    2014

    August 16 /August 17 August 16 /August 17

    Marine Stage /Ocean Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage
    		Ocean Stage /Marine Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage

    2015

    August 15 /August 16 August 15 /August 16

    Marine Stage /Ocean Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage
    		Ocean Stage /Marine Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage

    2016

    August 20 /August 21 August 20 /August 21

    Marine Stage /Ocean Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage
    		Ocean Stage /Marine Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage

    2017

    August 19 /August 20 August 19 /August 20 August 26 /August 27

    Marine Stage /Ocean Stage
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage
    		Ocean Stage /Marine Stage
    • Foo Fighters
    • Babymetal
    • Man with a Mission
    • Maximum the Hormone
    • Royal Blood
    • All Time Low
    • Inaba/Salas
    • Circa Waves
    • The Struts
    Mountain Stage
    Sonic Stage
    		Marine Stage
    Bravo Stage
    Garden Stage

    2018

    2019