NJ Music Festivals

The “inaugural” Soundside Festival is taking place this weekend in Bridgeport, CT, and it’s set to be one of their biggest lineups yet.

The festival, which has been operating under the name “Sound on Sound” for the past two years, has featured names like John Mayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Stevie Nicks.

This year, the two-day festival, taking place on one stage with no overlapping sets, is headlined by Jack White and Noah Kahan, who is making his return to the festival for the first time since 2022.

On Thursday afternoon, the Foo Fighters, who were originally scheduled to headline, dropped out of the festival. The band did not give a reason, but it is amid controversy over Dave Grohl’s relationship with his family and his new child, which he had outside of his wedlock.

Jack White and Greta Van Fleet were added as the replacement co-headliners on Sunday night.

Below is a full in-depth guide of the festival:

Activate Your Wristband

If you’re going and have received your wristband in the mail, it’s important to activate it before heading in. By doing this, you can link your name to it, as well as your credit card on file. The festival is cashless (though some vendors allow cash tips), so you’ll need a card anyway, but adding a card on file to your wristband makes the process a little easier.

Bag Policy

Soundside’s bag policy is similar to other music festivals run by C3 Presents. Bags must be clear, or else they have to be smaller than 12x6x12 inches. They will all be checked upon entry, though if you arrive early enough, it shouldn’t take much time.

Hydration packs are allowed but must be empty, and fanny-packs and small purses are allowed, but must have only one pocket.

Box Office

If you haven’t yet received your wristbands, you need to pick them up from will call at the box office. Below are the hours:

Friday, September 27th: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm

Saturday, September 28th and Sunday, September 29th: 10:30 am – 9:00 pm

Chair Policy

Unique to Soundside, the festival allows chairs into the grounds. They must only be used in General Admission areas and outside the “no chair or blanket” zone.

Chairs must be “small, compact” and foldable. Additional seating will be provided at the festival.

Locker Rentals

Lockers can be rented prior to or at the festival to keep your items in a safe place! Rent a locker here for $25 per day or $48.50 for the weekend.

Festival Map

Merch

Click here to see a sneak peak of the limited edition festival merch.

Schedule

Doors open at 11:45 am for each day at Soundside Fest, and music starts at 12:00 pm. There is one stage that rotates for no overlapping sets.

Bolded sets are recommended by NJ Music Festivals staff. Read the blurbs about each bolded set under the schedule.

Saturday

Main Stage

12:00 – 12:30: Rijah

12:40 – 1:10: Madi Diaz

1:20 – 2:05: Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories

2:15 – 3:00: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

3:10 – 3:55: Thee Sacred Souls

4:05 – 4:50: Grace Potter

5:00 – 6:00: Boyz II Men

6:10 – 7:10: Fleet Foxes

7:20 – 8:20: Goo Goo Dolls

8:50 – 10:20: Noah Kahan

NJ Music Festivals Staff Recommendations

• 2:15 – 3:00: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Kingfish is a super fun live act, especially in a setting like this. The blues guitarist features that type of sound, while mixing in his own elements.
• 4:05 – 4:50: Grace Potter – Grace Potter plays a bunch of shows all around the country, so 45 minutes is pretty short for her, but it’ll be a fun one. The lead singer of the former band Grace Potter & the Nocturnals performs songs from the band as well as her solo songs.
• 6:10 – 7:10: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes are the perfect subheadlining Soundside band. The Indie Folk band, who have a similar sound to Noah Kahan, the fest’s headliner, are that but bigger.
• 7:20 – 8:20: Goo Goo Dolls – You might not recognize the name Goo Goo Dolls or their hit song “Iris” by its title, but everyone knows it when they hear it. The set is worthwhile just for that, but also for their diverse discography.
• 8:50 – 10:20: Noah Kahan – Kahan has been on a crazy rise to fame in the past few years. In 2022, he was near the bottom of the Sound on Sound lineup, and after the success of “Stick Season,” featuring collaborations with the likes of Post Malone and Hozier, he is now headlining festivals around the country.

Sunday

Main Stage

12:00 – 12:30: Darren Kiely

12:40 – 1:10: Hurray for the Riff Raff

1:20 – 2:05: The War & Treaty

2:15 – 3:00: Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

3:10 – 3:55: Gregory Alan Isakov

4:15 – 5:15: Norah Jones

5:25 – 6:25: Teddy Swims

6:45 – 7:45: Bleachers

TBA: Jack White & Greta Van Fleet

NJ Music Festivals Staff Recommendations

• 1:20 – 2:05: The War & Treaty – The War & Treaty are rising fast on the country scene. While they are technically country, they have a heavy blues and gospel influence which makes them unique for the festival, and a talented act to see.
• 3:10 – 3:55: Gregory Alan Isakov – Isakov has worked with Noah Kahan on his latest album, and as you’d imagine, they have a similar sound. I wouldn’t be surprised if he appeared at Kahan’s set.
• 4:15 – 5:15: Norah Jones – Jones has a unique set, and a it’s a breather for the rest of the festival. It’s very mellow, but she and her band are extremely talented.
• 5:25 – 6:25: Teddy Swims – Swims probably has the most following on Spotify out of any artist that has played the festival. At well over 40,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Teddy relates to the youth, and they will come out during his show in the crowd.
• 6:45 – 7:45: Bleachers – Being a New Jersey based media outlet, there is a little bias on Bleachers and Jack Antonoff, but it’s well deserved. Bleachers’ new album, a self-titled one, features hits like “Tiny Moves” along with “Modern Girl,” which is already a self-proclaimed anthem for the band by Antonoff.
• TBA: Jack White & Greta Van Fleet – Jack White and his band, along with Zeppelin-core rock group Greta Van Fleet replaced Foo Fighters in the headlining slot. Each of their set times have not yet been announced, but the festival confirmed that White will be closing the festival out.

Are you heading to Soundside this weekend? If so, don’t forget to tag @NJMusicFestivals in your stories and reels on Instagram!

Header image: Paige Warton