From hardcore to post-punk to jazzy punk to comedy, over three dozen live acts will take over the Zaferia District for the seventh annual Happy Sundays Music Fest.
The one-day music festival, which started in Long Beach in 2017, is expected to bring thousands of people to the Zaferia District.
From 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Sunday, Aug. 27, attendees can either walk between the six venues along the half-mile stretch of the Anaheim Street corridor or hop on a free shuttle, which will run until 8 p.m.
The vibe is generally pretty, well, “happy,” since it’s free and always manages to capture the essence of a Sunday.
“It’s relaxing—’be outside, enjoy yourself,’” said artist and musician Jess Giles. “It’s not like going out on a Saturday night and getting really drunk, partying and all that, it has more just like the energy of a Sunday.”
The neighborhood fest was founded by wife-and-husband musician duo Scott Montoya, formerly of The Growlers, and Julia Kugel, of the Coathangers.
Giles, who lived in Long Beach for 10 years, said she was so taken with the “anti-festival,” free-to-all model when she attended in 2017, she contacted the couple to volunteer the following year. By 2019, she was planning the fest alongside them.
When Giles met the pair, their connection was “instant,” she said. Now, it’s a three-person operation to organize the fest, which just keeps getting bigger every year, Giles said.
“We’re trying to create memories and experiences for people that aren’t around money,” Giles said.
Each year, the Happy Sundays lineup includes a healthy mixture of well-known headliners, new artists and Long Beach legends. Giles said this balance is key, so that the lesser-known acts have an opportunity to get more of a crowd.
This year, psych-folksy garage band L.A. Witch (from L.A. obviously) is likely to bring that crowd. Guantanamo Baywatch, of Portland, is also likely to be a floor filler, with their frenzied drunken surf rockabilly sound.
Local beloveds like Nectarines, Hoop Jail, Terminal A, Black Hall and more will represent the city’s music scene and subculture. Montoya and Kugel will also be performing at Port City in their scrappy-ethereal dream-pop project, Soft Palms.
“It’s going to be a good mix between Long Beach people who have that fan base already and people who have never played in Long Beach before,” Giles said.
And after this year, Giles, Montoya and Kugel have plans to take Happy Sundays and its anti-capital model on the road—certainly to the Bay Area and perhaps someday abroad.
Next year, the fest may even enter other neighborhoods of Long Beach. For this Sunday, here’s what’s happening in Zaferia by venue.
Bar Envie – 4000 E. Anaheim St.
(all ages)
Goodbye Ranger – 2 p.m.
Gold Shimmer – 3 p.m.
Norman Woods – 4 p.m.
Dabble – 5 p.m.
Apollo Bebop – 6 p.m.
Suryah The Artist – 7 p.m.
Little Son DJ – 9 p.m. to midnight
Good Time – 1322 Coronado Ave.
(all ages)
Jacob Sorensen – 1 p.m.
Adron – 1:45 p.m.
Dennis Robichaeu – 2:30 p.m.
Cult Baby – 3:15 p.m.
Pardon Me Sir – 4 p.m.
Albert – 5 p.m.
Port City – 4306 E. Anaheim St.
Outdoor stage (21+)
Bonus Land – 1 p.m.
Balance Riot – 2 p.m.
The Killing Floors – 3 p.m.
Nutt – 4 p.m.
Scott Yoder – 5 p.m.
Soft Palms – 6 p.m.
Nectarines – 7 p.m.
Indoor stage (21+)
DJ Unholy
DJ Wave Wizard
Freedom Curse – 7:30 p.m.
Terminal A – 8:30 p.m.
Black Hall – 9:30 p.m.
Bamboo Club – 3522 E. Anaheim St.
Outdoor stage (all ages)
Tremours – 1:30 p.m.
Pearl Earl – 2:30 p.m.
Julia, Julia – 3:30 p.m.
The Paranoyds – 4:30 p.m.
The Shivas – 5:30 p.m.
L.A. Witch – 6:30 p.m.
DJ Red Baron
Indoor stage (21+)
Ughh – 8 p.m.
Bushfire – 9 p.m.
Guantanamo Baywatch – 10 p.m.
Supply & Demand – 2500 E. Anaheim St.
(21+)
The Frick Fracks – 1 p.m.
Hoop Jail – 2 p.m.
Chorus Pedal – 2 p.m.
John Boell Band – 4 p.m.
Zodiac Rippers – 5 p.m.
Birth Defects – 6 p.m.
LB Playhouse – 5021 E Anaheim St.
(Comedy/18+)
Carmen Christopher & Friends – 3 p.m.
Shane Torres & Friends – 5 p.m.
More info can be found right here.