Wonderfront won’t melt faces or save the world this May

Like Jack Black in “School of Rock,” I want face-melting guitar solos and a rock ‘n’ roll show that’ll save the world.

That won’t be happening in downtown San Diego this May. The Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival announced it won’t be back in late spring. No 80 bands playing on eight stages near Seaport Village.

Wonderfront’s on-and-off nature rivals the roller coaster relationship of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.

The festival debuted in November 2019. Then COVID-19 hit. The stage was dark for two years. Wonderfont returned in November 2022, only to call it off in 2023.

The stages roared back to life in 2024, and the show dates were moved to May. In 2025, Jason Mraz, Anderson .Paak and lots of talented musicians rocked out again in May.

Now, festival organizers say May 2026 is not happening. They don’t rule out another date or location this year.  

Let’s stay hopeful, despite memories of the pop/rock KAABOO festival’s flirtation with downtown. After a five-year run in Del Mar, KAABOO promised us it was coming to Petco Park in 2019. By 2022, KAABOO had ghosted us.

Since 2001, downtown has had Gator by the Bay at the Spanish Landing Park for the Zydeco, Cajun and blues music fans. And in 2015 CRSSD started bringing the house/techno vibe to Waterfront Park twice a year.

The halcyon days of downtown music fests was the Street Scene era (1984 to 2009). I got excited a few years ago and dreamt Wonderfront might revive the Wild West vibe of Street Scene. 

Nope. Guess it’s gonna be awhile before I get to melt my face downtown at a rock festival that’ll save the world.