Mission Bayfest’s rock, reggae and Cali vibe returns this weekend

Mission Bayfest returns to the scenic Mariner’s Point Park this weekend, Oct. 17–19, and San Diego’s home-grown music fest is primed to be bigger and better than ever.

This year’s celebration of reggae, rock, and Cali vibes features more than 30 acts across two expanded stages — with the second in a new location — and a larger festival footprint. 

“We took over the adjacent park, Ventura Cove, which has a stage as big as last year’s main stage,” said event co-founder Mikey Beats. “And this year’s main stage is twice as big as last year’s, with two massive front-facing LED screens.” 

The addition of the Ventura Cove Stage boosts daily capacity from 12,000 to 15,000 fans, and organizers are incorporating new activations on the peninsula, including lounges, umbrellas, an LED screen tower with full sound, and a walkway across the sand that affords greater mobility. 

The 2025 lineup features headliners Sublime, Ocean Beach’s Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, 311, British reggae revolutionaries Steel Pulse, and Pepper. The bill also includes hip-hop legend KRS-One, singer-guitarist Rome (who performed with Sublime in 2009–10), and a DJ set from Montreal electro-funk duo Chromeo.

“Having Sublime play at San Diego Bayfest in 2024 was a full-circle moment for me,” Beats recalled. “I had seen them when I was 16 years old at Soma Live in 1995, and then 29 years later I produced their first show back in San Diego with the original members and Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob, as the frontman.” 

Founded in 2019 by San Diego locals Beats, Dominic Coleman, and Joe Rinaldi, Bayfest began as two separate events: San Diego Bayfest debuted that year at Embarcadero Marina Park North before moving to Waterfront Park, while Mission Bayfest launched in 2022 as a one-day event at Mariner’s Point Park. It doubled to two days in 2023 and hit three days last year — growing with the same organic energy that inspired its founders.

Reflecting on its origins, Beats said, “We grew up going to shows, throwing backyard parties, and wanting to bring something real to the city we love. We didn’t want to recreate Coachella or build some flashy scene. We just wanted something that felt like us.”

Now expecting weekend attendance of around 45,000, Bayfest has become the largest concert event ever held in Mission Bay. But for Beats and company, it’s never been about breaking records.

“It’s about bringing people together,” he said, “the way San Diego has always done best — laid-back, outdoors, and centered around live music.”

For tickets and more information about the all-ages event, go here.

Donovan Roche is a regular music and culture contributor to Times of San Diego.