If a trip to Hawaii isn’t in the cards this year, a drive to Sacramento for the Holo Holo Music Festival can still give you those island vibes. The weekend-long festival, spotlighting Polynesian music and culture, will go down at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento Sept. 9-10.
The festival’s co-owner Dan Sheehan — whose company, Good Vibez, also produces the Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival — says on the festival’s website that “holo holo” is a phrase used in Hawaii that means “to travel, to sail, to move.”
The first iteration of the Holo Holo Music Festival happened last year at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater. After this year’s event, the festival looks like it will “holo holo” to Las Vegas for 2024, meaning this may be your last opportunity to catch it in Sacramento.
Whether you’re already planning on attending the Northern California music fest or you’re contemplating whether or not to nab tickets, keep reading for everything to know about the 2023 Holo Holo Music Festival in Sacramento.
Who’s on the Holo Holo Music Festival lineup?
The Holo Holo Music Festival lineup is loaded with Polynesian artists and includes several Hawaiian acts, including teenage “American Idol” winner Iam Tongi.
Saturday’s bill will be headlined by Kolohe Kai, a reggae pop group from Oahu, and Long Beach reggae singer J Boog. Orange County-based Common Kings are co-headlining Sunday’s bill with English reggae icons Steel Pulse, who won a Grammy Award in 1987 for their album “Babylon the Bandit.”
Other performers slated for Saturday include Fiji, Rebel Souljahz, Mike Love, Ka’Ikena Scanlan, Chris Boomer and Tongi. Sunday’s slate will also see Maoli, Thee Plus, Koauka, Eli-Mac, CRSB and Finn Gruva.
Gates open at 11 a.m. both days, with music scheduled to start by noon.
Singer Iam Tongi is seen arriving at “Live with Kelly and Mark” on May 23, 2023 in New York City. The “American Idol” winner will be among the acts performing at the 2023 Holo Holo Music Festival in Sacramento.
Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC ImagesHolo Holo Music Festival ticket prices and packages
If you’re looking to score tickets to this year’s fest, single-day general admission, single-day VIP, weekend passes and kids’ tickets (for those ages 4-12) were on offer earlier this, but at last check weekend passes, Saturday VIP tickets and Saturday kids’ tickets were sold out; Saturday single-day tickets were by waitlist only. All three options, however, are still available for Sunday, with GA tickets selling for $120, VIP tickets for $200 and children’s tickets for $53.
If you want to attend both days, the only option at this point is the festival’s travel packages, which include a hotel stay and festival tickets. As of this writing, the cheapest package includes two-day passes to the festival and a hotel room less than 10 miles from the venue for $619 per person. The price for the travel packages increase depending on which available hotel you choose. There are also travel packages that include weekend VIP passes with hotel stays.
Jr. King (L) and Uncle Lui of Common Kings perform at Ironstone Amphitheatre on July 22, 2022 in Murphys, Calif. The band will be on the lineup at the 2023 Holo Holo Music Festival in Sacramento.
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty ImagesWhat to bring to Holo Holo Music Festival Sacramento
Sacramento in September is going to be hot (the average high temperature is 94 degrees), so you’ll want to prepare accordingly. Holo Holo allows attendees to bring either an empty water bottle or empty camel bag of up to 2 liters, and will have water stations available for free refills throughout the event. Sunscreen will also be a must and is on the event’s OK list.
Beyond sun preparations, festival organizers recommend you bring a blanket to sit on while you watch the show from the grass. Chairs aren’t allowed, nor are tents, pop-ups, canopies or umbrellas. Point-and-shoot cameras are permitted inside the festival grounds, provided they have an attached lens smaller than 2 inches. But leave those professional cameras with detachable lenses at home; they are prohibited. If you’re traveling with little ones, strollers and wagons are allowed.
The festival prohibits bringing in outside food and drinks, coolers of any kind, pets, selfie sticks and negative vibes (yes, that’s on the official banned list). If you’re not sure what to bring with you or leave at home, make sure to check the festival’s official list. Holo Holo is also offering lockers where you can store your gear for the day. Lockers can be reserved in advance on the festival’s website and are 8″ x 12″ x 18″. Each locker also has a universal phone charger inside.
Find it: Holo Holo Music Festival, Sutter Health Park, 400 Ballpark Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95691
This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].