Summer Sonic (サマーソニック, Samā Sonikku) is an annual music festival held on one weekend in August simultaneously in both Chiba (branded as Summer Sonic Tokyo) and Suita (branded as Summer Sonic Osaka), Japan. Organized by Creativeman Productions, Summer Sonic is one of the largest major music festivals in Japan, and features rotating lineups with artists performing one day in Chiba and the following day in Suita, and vice versa. The lineup often features major international acts alongside Japanese artists from major and independent record labels.
The festival was first held in 2000 at the Fuji-Q Highland resort in Yamanashi Prefecture. The festival moved to Chiba in 2001, just east of Tokyo, and has been held simultaneously in Chiba and Osaka since 2002. The festival is often accompanied by separately ticketed overnight events held exclusively in Chiba featuring an EDM-centric lineup, which have been branded variously as Sonicmania or Midnight Sonic. The 2009, 2011 and 2026 editions of the festival were held over three days, while all other editions have been held over two days. International editions of the festival have occasionally been held outside Japan, including Shanghai in 2017 and Bangkok in 2024.
History
Summer Sonic Festival was founded in 2000 in Japan, by Naoki Shimizu, CEO of Tokyo promotions company Creativeman Productions Ltd. Addressing the ever-growing demand for western music, the festival drew established and emerging musical acts of most genres to become, by 2010, Japan's biggest music event.
The Tokyo event takes place at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba City, which overlooks Tokyo Bay, with the main stage located in nearby Zozo Marine Stadium, as well as an additional stage located on Makuhari Beach. In Osaka, the festival was first held at WTC Open Air Stadium before moving to Maishima Sports Island in 2007. In 2024, the Osaka event was moved to Expo Commemoration Park in nearby Suita.
In 2017, Summer Sonic held its first event outside of Japan, taking place in Shanghai, China. Placebo was originally was set to be the headline act for day two, but the band was refused entry into the country by the Chinese government after posting a picture of the Dalai Lama; as a result Travis took their place.
In 2011, the festival established Sonicmania, a separately ticketed overnight event focusing on electronic dance music. It is traditionally held at Makuhari Messe the day before the festival. In some years, the festival has instead featured a similar event named Midnight Sonic, which regular festival ticket holders are also permitted to attend.
In 2019, B'z was announced as the first Japanese headliner in the festival's twenty-year history. Further Japanese headliners have included Ado and L'Arc-en-Ciel, both in 2026.
The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An abridged version of the festival, branded as 'Supersonic', took place in September 2021 with restrictions in place and a typhoon affecting day one. Possibly because of the logistics of moving people around during a pandemic, the 2021 lineup was mainly electronic. Controversy arose when some foreign DJs were allowed to enter Japan without having to quarantine, despite the quarantine requirement for most other international arrivals.
Summer Sonic celebrated its 25th edition of the festival in 2026, returning to a three-day format for the first time since 2019.
Performances
Lineups for the festival in past years are as follows. The artists in bold are the headlining acts for that year.
2000
- 311
- Arrested Development
- At the Drive-In
- Ben Folds Five
- Coldplay
- Dragon Ash
- Eastern Youth
- Oblivion Dust
- Eels
- Glow
- Grandaddy
- Green Day
- G-Shock Winner
- James Brown
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
- Mansun
- Muse
- Quruli
- Reef
- SBK
- Sigur Rós
- Snail Ramp
- Snug
- Supercar
- Tahiti 80
- Teenage Fanclub
- The Bluetones
- The Flaming Lips
- The Living End
- The Mad Capsule Markets
- Triceratops
- Ween
- Weezer
2001
- ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
- Air
- Beck
- Bilal Oliver
- Cibo Matto
- Cosmic Rough Riders
- Eels
- Elbow
- Gloss
- Incubus
- Jet Black Crayon
- King Adora
- Love Psychedelico
- Marilyn Manson
- Matthew Sweet
- Mercury Rev
- MxPx
- My Vitriol
- Ocean Colour Scene
- Primal Scream
- Rancid
- Reel Big Fish
- Rize
- Russell Simins
- Seo Taiji
- Shea Seger
- Skrape
- Slipknot
- Soulwax
- Tahiti 80
- The Cult
- The Living End
- The Mad Capsule Markets
- The Moldy Peaches
- Zebrahead
2002
- A
- Andrew W.K.
- The Avalanches
- Aya (Tokyo only)
- B-DASH (Osaka only)
- Cave In
- Cult of Personality (Tokyo only)
- Disturbed
- Dragon Ash (Osaka only)
- Fake?
- The Flaming Lips (Tokyo only)
- GagagaSP (Osaka only)
- Guns N' Roses
- Hanoi Rocks
- Haven
- Hitomitoi (Osaka only)
- Hoobastank
- HY
- The Icarus Line
- The Libertines
- March 25
- Mongol800
- Millionaire
- Morrissey
- múm
- Murderdolls
- NANANINE
- No Doubt
- NOFX
- The Offspring
- Ozma
- Pleymo
- Puffy
- Quarashi
- Raging Speedhorn
- The Reindeer Section
- Relish
- Rise From The Dead (Osaka only)
- Rival Schools
- Shaka Labbits loves 175R
- Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Ska Ska Club
- The Skylarks
- Soft Ballet
- The Streets
- Suede
- Vex Red
- Weezer
- The Wildhearts
- Wrench (Tokyo only)
2003
- AFI
- Air
- Alkaline Trio
- Army of Freshmen
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation
- B@by Soul
- Blink-182
- Blondie
- Blur
- Buck-Tick
- Cheap Trick
- The Datsuns
- Devo
- DMBQ
- The Doors
- Elephant Kashimashi
- GO!GO!7188
- Good Charlotte
- The Greenhornes
- Heesey with Dudes
- Hermann H. & The Pacemakers
- The High-Lows
- Hot Hot Heat
- HY
- InMe
- Interpol
- Jet-ki
- Blues Explosion
- Kick the Can Crew
- The Kills
- Kings of Leon
- The Living End
- Mando Diao
- The Mars Volta
- Mew
- My Morning Jacket
- New Found Glory
- Orange Range
- Original Love
- The Polyphonic Spree
- Polysics
- Puddle of Mudd
- Radiohead
- Rapture
- Razorlight
- The Rocket Summer
- Rooney
- Sons of All Pussys
- Soul'd Out
- Starsailor
- The Star Spangles
- The Strokes
- Stereophonics
- Sugarcult
- Sum 41
- Syrup16g
- Thmlues
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
- Travis
- YKZ
- Zebrahead
2004
- 10-Feet
- The All-American Rejects
- Amen
- Avril Lavigne
- Beastie Boys
- Beat Crusaders
- Blackmail
- Bloc Party
- Boom Boom Satellites
- Borialis
- Brides of Destruction
- The Bronx
- The Cribs
- Damned
- The Darkness (Cancelled)
- The Dead 60's
- Dirty Americans
- Erskin
- The Faint
- Fountains of Wayne
- The Go-Go's
- Green Day
- The Hives
- Hoobastank
- Hope of The Saints
- IMA Robot
- Jude
- Junior Senior
- Jurassic 5
- Kasabian
- Koshi Inaba
- Lee Scratch Perry
- Living Things
- locofrank
- Lordz of Brooklyn
- Lostprophets
- The Mad Capsule Markets
- Mad Professor
- Mando Diao
- MC5/d.k.t.
- Midtown
- The Music
- My Chemical Romance
- Nas
- N.E.R.D
- Oceanlane
- Orange Range
- The Ordinary Boys
- Peaches
- Pennywise
- Phantom Planet
- Razorlight
- Rhymester
- Secret Machines
- Silvertide
- Sketch Show
- smorgas
- Sum 41
- TMG
- Tommy Heavenly 6
- The Veils
- Whyte Seeds
- Zebrahead
2005
- Afra & Incredible Beatbox Band
- Ai
- alexisonfire
- Arcade Fire
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation
- Attach Haus
- Beat Crusaders
- Be Your Own Pet
- Billy Talent
- The Black Crows
- Bloc Party
- Blue-Eyed Son
- Boy
- Buckcherry
- Bullet for My Valentine
- Caesars
- Citizen Cope
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Deep Purple
- Def Tech
- The Departure
- Detroit 7
- DJ Akakabe
- Doping Panda
- Duck Rock
- Duran Duran
- Echo & the Bunnymen
- Eighteen Visions
- Ellegarden
- Fightstar
- Fire Ball with Jungle Roots Band
- Flipsyde
- Freenote
- Great Adventure
- HAL
- Halfby
- Her Space Holiday
- HIM
- Home Made
- Ian Brown
- I-DEP
- Inme
- Interpol
- Johnny Panic
- K-Switch
- Kasabian
- Kelson & Caravan
- The La's
- Little Barrie
- The Little Flames
- Louis XIV
- The Mad Capsule Markets
- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
- MEW
- M.I.A.
- The Micteeth
- Mo'Some Tonebenders
- Natsumen
- Nine Inch Nails
- No Warning
- Oasis
- Orange Pekoe
- Orange Range
- The Ordinary Boys
- The Others
- The Phanky Okstra
- Polysics
- Public Enemy
- Puffy AmiYumi
- Q-Tip
- Radwimps
- The Rakes
- Rammstein (Cancelled)
- Ramrider
- Rhymester
- Rip Slyme
- RIZE
- Roddy Frame
- Rooster
- The Roots
- Ryukyudisko
- Sakerock
- Shin Nishimura
- Slightly Stoopid
- Slipknot
- The Special Beat
- Steph Pockets
- Straightener
- Sugiramn
- Teenage Fanclub
- The Subways
- The Tears
- Tommy Guerrero
- Towers of London
- Tuff Session
- TV on the Radio
- Weezer
- Yellowcard
- Zazen Boys
2006
- 10 Years
- 65daysofstatic
- AFI
- The All-American Rejects
- Amusement Parks on Fire
- Avenged Sevenfold
- Blindspott
- The Cardigans
- The Cat Empire
- The Charlatans
- Daft Punk
- Daniel Powter
- Deftones
- DJ Shadow
- Editors
- Ellegarden
- El Presidente
- Fall Out Boy
- The Feeling
- The Flaming Lips
- Fort Minor
- Hawthorne Heights
- Hoobastank
- The Kooks
- Linkin Park
- Lostprophets
- Massive Attack
- Matisyahu
- Metallica
- Muse
- My Chemical Romance
- Phoenix
- The Polyphonic Spree
- Polysics
- Puffy AmiYumi
- The Rapture
- Scritti Politti
- She Wants Revenge
- Stone Sour
- Taking Back Sunday
- Tool
- We Are Scientists
- Whirlwind Heat
- Zebrahead
2007
- Avenged Sevenfold
- 120 Days
- Thirty Seconds to Mars
- The Academy Is...
- Arctic Monkeys
- Avril Lavigne
- B'z
- The Black Eyed Peas
- Bloc Party
- Blue King Brown
- Bonde do Rolê
- Cansei de Ser Sexy
- Cobra Starship
- Cornelius
- Cyndi Lauper
- Digitalism
- Dinosaur Jr
- Does It Offend You, Yeah?
- Ellegarden
- The Enemy
- Enter Shikari
- Fall Out Boy
- The Fratellis
- The Goo Goo Dolls
- Gwen Stefani
- Gym Class Heroes
- Hadouken!
- Hinder
- The Horrors
- Interpol
- José González
- Kasabian
- Klaxons
- LCD Soundsystem
- Locksley
- The Long Blondes
- Madina Lake
- Manic Street Preachers
- Maxïmo Park
- Modest Mouse
- MSTRKRFT
- MxPx
- The Offspring
- OK Go
- Pet Shop Boys
- The Pipettes
- The Polyphonic Spree
- Remioromen
- Sean Lennon
- Sugar Ray
- Sum 41
- The Sunshine Underground
- Tilly and the Wall
- Travis
- The Twang
- Unkle
- Vitalic
- The Young Punx
2008
- 311
- The Academy Is...
- Adele (Cancelled)
- Against Me!
- Alicia Keys
- Band of Horses
- Becca
- Bedouin Soundclash
- Blood Red Shoes
- Boom Boom Satellites
- Cajun Dance Party
- Coldplay
- Crystal Castles
- Café Tacuba
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Devo
- Fatboy Slim
- The Fratellis
- Friendly Fires
- Hadouken!
- The Hoosiers
- Hot Chip
- The Jesus and Mary Chain
- Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
- Junkie XL
- Justice
- The Kills
- The Kooks
- Late of the Pier
- The Living End
- Los Campesinos!
- Lostprophets
- Maximum the Hormone
- MAJESTYS
- The Metros
- MGMT
- Mutemath
- Nell
- New Found Glory
- New Young Pony Club
- OneRepublic
- Panic! at the Disco
- Paolo Nutini
- Paul Weller
- Pendulum
- Perfume
- The Prodigy
- Radwimps
- Sex Pistols
- Silversun Pickups
- Spiritualized
- The Subways
- Super Furry Animals
- Skindred
- South Central
- These New Puritans
- The Ting Tings
- Tokyo Police Club
- Trivium
- The Troubadours
- Vampire Weekend
- Vamps
- The Verve
- The Wombats
- Xavier Rudd
- Yelle
- Zebrahead
2009
- 65daysofstatic
- Acidman
- The All-American Rejects
- Aloha from Hell
- Aphex Twin
- B'z
- Beat Crusaders
- Beyoncé
- The Big Pink
- Birdy Nam Nam
- Boom Boom Satellites
- Boys Like Girls
- Bring Me the Horizon
- Cancer Bats
- Cavalera Conspiracy
- Coldrain
- CSS
- Datarock
- Delphic
- Dragon Ash
- Elephant Kashimashi
- Elvis Costello
- The Enemy
- Enter Shikari
- Five Finger Death Punch
- The Flaming Lips
- Ghostland Observatory
- Gogol Bordello
- Golden Silvers
- Grizzly Bear
- The Hiatus
- Hollywood Undead
- Hoobastank
- The Horrors
- Iglu & Hartly
- In Case of Fire
- Jack Peñate
- Jenny Lewis
- Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
- Kasabian
- Katy Perry (Cancelled)
- Keane
- Kid Sister
- Klaxons
- Kylee
- Kyte
- Lady Gaga
- Lenka
- Linkin Park
- Limp Bizkit
- Little Boots
- Mando Diao
- Marié Digby
- Masayoshi Furukawa
- Mastodon
- Matisyahu
- Mercury Rev
- Metronomy
- Mew
- Mogwai
- Mutemath
- My Chemical Romance
- N.A.S.A.
- Never Shout Never
- Ne-Yo
- Nine Inch Nails
- Oreskaband
- Paolo Nutini
- Paramore
- Patrick Watson
- Phoenix (Cancelled Osaka)
- Placebo
- The Qemists
- Razorlight
- Red Light Company
- Rin Toshite Shigure
- Saosin
- School of Seven Bells
- Scott Murphy
- Solange Knowles
- Sonic Youth
- Soulwax
- The Specials
- Tahiti 80
- Tame Impala
- The Temper Trap
- Teenage Fanclub
- The Ting Tings
- Tom Tom Club
- Tricky
- Unicorn
- The Vaselines
- The Veronicas
- V V Brown
- War
- Yuksek
2010
2011
2012
| August 18 (Chiba)/August 19 (Osaka) | August 19 (Chiba)/August 18 (Osaka) |
|---|---|
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2013
2014
| August 16 Chiba / August 17 Osaka | August 16 Osaka / August 17 Chiba |
|---|---|
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2015
2016
| August 20 Chiba / August 21 Osaka | August 20 Osaka / August 21 Chiba |
|---|---|
|
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2017
2018
| August 18 Chiba / August 19 Osaka | August 18 Osaka) / August 19 Chiba |
|---|---|
|
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2019
| August 16 Chiba / August 18 Osaka | August 17 Chiba / August 16 Osaka | August 18 Chiba / August 17 Osaka |
|---|---|---|
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2020
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
| September 18 Chiba / Osaka Cancelled | September 19 Chiba / Osaka Cancelled |
|---|---|
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2022
| August 20 Chiba / August 21 Osaka | August 21 Chiba / August 20 Osaka |
|---|---|
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2023
| August 19 Chiba / August 20 Osaka | August 20 Chiba / August 19 Osaka |
|---|---|
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2024
| August 17 Chiba / August 18 Osaka | August 18 Chiba / August 17 Osaka |
|---|---|
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2025
| August 16 Chiba / August 17 Osaka | August 17 Chiba / August 16 Osaka |
|---|---|
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2026
| August 14 Chiba / August 15 Osaka | August 15 Chiba / August 16 Osaka | August 16 Chiba / August 14 Osaka |
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