Beck And The National Headline First City Festival at The Monterey County Fair and Event Center
First City Festival, photo courtesy of goldenvoice
Event will take place Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24 ~ Tickets On Sale Friday, May 9th (10:00 am) at Firstcityfestival.Com.
Line-Up for Two-Day Festival Revealed Today ~ Performers Include The Naked And Famous, Phantogram, Best Coast, Dawes, Cults, Lake Street Dive, and Many More
First City Festival Features Vaudeville Stage, Full Carnival & Rides, Unique USA Marketplace, Craft-Beer Garden, California Wines, Gourmet Food Vendors, and a Vinyl Record Marketplace Curated by Beat Swap Meet
Beck
After a successful inaugural year in 2013, Goldenvoice has announced the return of First City Festival ~ a boutique music and arts festival which celebrates indie and underground artists. The 2014 First City Festival will feature a wide mix of performers who represent artistry and an independent spirit. Complete ticket purchasing and presale information is listed below.
Promoters are encouraging fans not to miss out by unveiling the majority of the line-up for 2014 early. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 9 at 10am here. Two-day GA tickets are $159.50 and VIP passes are $289.50 with no service fees and a “layaway” option. This year the ticket price includes unlimited access to carnival rides. Hotel and shuttle packages are available for purchase. The festival is all ages and will run from Noon until 11pm each day. All tickets are available here.
First City Festival, photo courtesy of goldenvoice
“We are excited to bring this festival back to Monterey,” shares festival promoter Goldenvoice. “The 2014 line-up is spectacular, the setting is perfect and we believe that this has created the template for what a boutique festival experience should be.”
The Naked and Famous
Performers will appear across three intimate stages which boast excellent sightlines for every concertgoer. First City Festival has thoughtfully curated an explosive roster of talent; the current line-up for 2014 includes Beck, The National, The Naked And Famous, Phantogram, Best Coast, Dawes, Cults, Cocorosie, Blind Pilot, Lake Street Dive, Tokyo Police Club, Geographer, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Midlake, How To Dress Well, San Fermin, The Men, Lo-Fang, Miniature Tigers, Speedy Ortiz, Midi Matilda, Sleepy Sun, The Stepkids, Mimicking Birds, Quilt, Mr Little Jeans, The Lonely Wild, The Family Crest, Doe Eye, Cool Ghouls, Survival Guide, and others yet to be announced.
Vau de Vire Society
First City Festival promises other entertainment and distinctive attractions including a Vaudeville-style variety stage with Puddles Pity Party, John Brothers Piano Company and Vau de Vire Society dancers, fire-eaters and contortionists, plus a full carnival with rides and games. All rides are included in the ticket price. A boon to artisan entrepreneurs, First City Festival is the only U.S. festival to boast the Unique USA Marketplace ~ an extremely popular attraction for first year attendees ~ which features curated independent designers and hand-made couture, all of which is made in the U.S.A. by independent designers. New this year to the festival grounds is a full Craft-beer and Wine garden which will feature superb California wines as well as gourmet food vendors and a vinyl record marketplace curated by Beat Swap Meet, consisting of vinyl vendors and collectors from all over the state.
Passion Pit
First City Festival is named after Monterey’s claim as the official “first capital” of California, which eventually became one of the country’s most desirable vacation destinations. Musically, the city is well-known for the historic Monterey Pop Festival, as well as the annual Monterey Jazz Festival. In its debut year, First City Festival attracted more than 10,000 attendees each day that enjoyed a line-up of 30+ bands including Passion Pit, MGMT, Modest Mouse, Capital Cities, Father John Misty, Neko Case and many others.
Watch the recap for the inaugural First City Festival.
Check out what media had to say about the inaugural First City Festival:
“It’s an intimate spot that allows you to saunter between all three stages in a matter of minutes. The vibe was enjoyably mellow and the crowd seemed happy and well-behaved. Plus, the weather was perfect.” ~ Jim Harrington, San Jose Mercury News (Aug. 25, 2013)
“…an overwhelmingly young and mellow group… The crowd was treated to a surprisingly glorious day of weather on the Monterey Peninsula. It was the perfect set up for a large crowd that organizers described as ‘close to capacity’. The center’s previous history as the site of the Monterey Pop Festival was a point of reference for the musicians. Beach House singer Victoria Legrand gave a shout out to Jimi Hendrix and mentioned that the band was performing on the site where the guitar legend burned his instrument in 1967. As psychedelic rockers MGMT took the stage, the main arena filled to capacity.” ~ Marcos Cabrera, Monterey County Herald (Aug. 25, 2013)
“In its very first year, Monterey’s First City Festival is already off to a rollicking start. The fledgling festival, conceived by live-event giant Goldenvoice, was a major coup for the oft-overlooked central coast, drawing a nicely-curated range of bands that hung between indie cred and mainstream appeal, making for a nice alternative to other, bigger summer festivals for more discerning tastes. Say hello to the first Northern California festival to give Outside Lands a run for its money. Given time, there’s no doubt First City will find itself, and could even be a major contender in the years to come. It’s not that strange to think of a quaint central coast city as a festival destination. It works for other, even smaller towns that play host to huge festivals, like Sasquatch and Bonnaroo.” ~ Jody Amable, The Bay Bridged (Aug. 26, 2013)
“The energy was ripe on Sunday. The second and final day of the First City Festival’s maiden voyage reiterated what it had already proven on Saturday: This new event is going to become an annual Monterey tradition.” ~ Adam Joseph, Monterey County Weekly, (Aug. 26, 2013)
First City Festival, photo by Misha Vladimirskiy
First City Festival has been made possible by generous support from the City of Monterey, historically known as the “first city” of California. Monterey was home to the state’s first theatre, public library, publicly funded school, printing press, and newspaper. Today it is one of California’s most desirable vacation destinations with attractions including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival. For more information, visit SeeMonterey.com.
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