Sacramento Colonial Music Fest might be the biggest local music showcase in town. More than 60 bands will play three neighboring venues over three days—May 16 through 18—and most of those bands are Sacto’s own.
The headliners all are hometown bands: Element of Soul, the SAMMIE-nominated reggae band, tops Friday night; industrial, hardcore punk band Kill the Precedent plays Saturday; and metalheads White Minorities close out the festival.
And each individual day largely follows the headliner in terms of style. Friday holds a whole lot of reggae, ska and rock. Saturday carries a ton of punk, hardcore and oi. Sunday’s biggest names play death metal and thrash. Here’s a sample of sounds, from people who use SoundCloud:
There’s also a burlesque performance Friday. And go-go dancers on Sunday. Just because.
It all goes down on Stockton Boulevard, at The Colonial Theater, Colonial Cafe and The Colony. Festivities start at 4 p.m. on Friday, noon the rest of the weekend, and each day winds down at midnight. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased before May 14 online—$35 for all three days or $15 for one day. At the door, tickets will run you $50 for the whole festival or $25 per day.