Great South Bay Music Festival: All you need to know

WHAT'S ALLOWED

To make yourself comfortable on the grass, bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Backpacks and strollers are fine, but will be searched. Cigarettes and e-cigarettes are no problem.

WHAT'S NOT ALLOWED 

There’s no outside alcoholic beverages, flasks, glass bottles, ice or ice packs, coolers, outside food or beverages, cans, bicycles, scooters, pets, tents, unauthorized vending/soliciting, fireworks, grills, weapons, illicit drugs or drones allowed.

TICKET FORMAT

Your tickets can be printed out from your computer, scannable from your phone or old-school paper tickets. It’s best to buy tickets before arriving, but if there are any available, they can be purchased on the day-of-show at the box office on Smith Street.

PARKING OPTIONS

Those who arrive early can get free parking on the street. Otherwise parking is $20 on Rider Avenue. VIP and Ultra VIP ticket holders get free parking on Rider Avenue and Smith Street, respectively. Bike racks are available on Smith Street and Rider Avenue.

ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION

The SCT buses 7B, 7A, S40, S54, S63 and S66 drop off near Shorefront Park. The Long Island Rail Road stops at the Patchogue train station, which is a 17-minute walk from the festival site. There are also an Uber/Lyft/taxi pickup and drop-off locations right across from the entrance on the corner of Smith Street and Rider Avenue.

FESTIVAL ATTIRE

Loose fitting clothing and comfortable sneakers or sandals are suggested. Because the festival site is along the bay, bring a sweatshirt in case it gets chilly when the sun goes down.

DON’T FORGET

Have your ID with you at all times. Both cash and credit cards are accepted throughout the festival grounds. Sunscreen is a must and hand sanitizer is helpful. Consider bringing a brimmed hat and sunglasses. Make sure to fully charge your phone before arriving. There’s no readmittance — if you leave, you can’t come back in.

BAYSIDE

Bayside began in a basement in Islip back in December 2000. Just over two decades later, the emo/punk rock foursome is performing on the Main Stage on opening night at the Great South Bay Music Festival.

“We are really high energy,” says singer-guitarist Anthony Raneri. “The set is fast paced with not a lot of talking in between songs. The goal is to keep the show moving.”

Expect to hear fan favorites like “Devotion and Desire,” “Duality,” “Sick, Sick, Sick” plus new single “Strangest Faces.”

SET TIME 6 p.m.

OTHER ACTS Check out Zuli Jr. (4 p.m.), Family Dinner (5 p.m.), Manchester Orchestra (7:20 p.m.) and Grouplove (9 p.m.) on the Main Stage. Don’t forget the Bohemians (3:30 p.m.), Like Minded Criminals (4:30 p.m.), The Montauk Project (5:30 p.m.), The Dude Ranch (6:50 p.m.) and Scared 20 (8:30 p.m.) at the Clamshell Bandshell.

REBELUTION

Hailing from Isla Vista, California, the members of Rebelution have become masters of blending rock and reggae starting with their 2007 debut release, “Courage to Grow” up to the band's latest album, “In the Moment” from 2021.

“We mix it up so much because we just want to make music that feels good to us,” singer Eric Rachmany told Spin last year. “We’re not trying to reach a certain demographic or a certain sound because we feel like we need to fit that hole. We’re just making music that we really like.”

SET TIME 9:30 p.m.

OTHER ACTS Don’t miss Aqua Cherry (4:15 p.m.), Oogee Wawa (5:20 p.m.), Badfish (6:30 p.m.) and Steel Pulse (7:50 p.m.) on the Main Stage. Catch Sturdy Souls (3:30 p.m.), Samurai Pizza Cats (4:50 p.m.), Big Happy (6 p.m.), Nonstop to Cairo (7:20 p.m.) and Bumpin’ Uglies (8:50 p.m.) at the Clamshell Bandshell. Listen to SAMSARA (4 p.m.), Bunktown Falls (5:15 p.m.), Project Vibe (6:30 p.m.), Dudley Music (7:45 p.m.) and Roots Foundation (9 p.m.) at the Sunshine Stage.

BRANDON “TAZ” NIEDERAUER

Long Island’s newest guitar hero Brandon “Taz” Niederauer is ready to take the Main Stage by storm with his four-piece band playing a mix of originals (“My Revival,” “Where I Belong”) and covers from The Beatles, the Allman Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire.

“My music is mainstream but it has elements of rock, funk and blues,” says Niederauer, 19, of Dix Hills. “All of the guitar solos are improvised and every set is different. It’s something we pride ourselves on.”

SET TIME 4:45 p.m.

MOE.

When it comes to jam bands, moe. is one of the leaders of the scene. The band now returns to Great South Bay after its last performance in 2014. 

“Our music has a little bit of everything ranging from rock to bluegrass to jazz to country to Latin to prog rock. It’s all in there,” says percussionist Jim Loughlin. “We take elements from everything, put it in a blender and see what comes out.”

SET TIME 7:30 p.m.

OTHERS ACTS See Kerry Kearney & the Kings of the Psychedelta (2:15 p.m.), Aqueous (3:30 p.m.), Galactic (6 p.m.) and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (9:15 p.m.) on the Main Stage. Jam to Tristate Alehouse (1:35 p.m.), WEHM Winner (3 p.m.), Escaper (4:15 p.m.), Aubrey Haddard (5:30 p.m.), Circus Mind (7 p.m.) and Baked Shrimp (8:45 p.m.) at the Clamshell Bandshell. Take in the Boomer Brothers (2:25 p.m.), the Kerry Agnew Band (3:30 p.m.), Sailin' Shoes (4:45 p.m.), The Allmost Brothers (6 p.m.), Wonderous Stories (7:30 p.m.) and The Weight Band (9 p.m.) at the Sunshine Stage.

“WHEELS OF SOUL”

The “Wheels of Soul Tour” takes over on Sunday as the Tedeschi Trucks Band headlines supported by Los Lobos and Gabe Dixon. While each act will play its own set, expect them to collaborate.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie touring with three bands,” says TTB guitarist-singer Susan Tedeschi. “We always get together and jam with each other which brings an element of excitement.”

Los Lobos saxophonist-keyboardist Steve Berlin adds, “It’s hard to say what will happen but it will be entertaining. We try to keep it pretty loose because we have to entertain ourselves as well.”

SET TIME Tedeschi Trucks Band: 8 p.m., Los Lobos: 6:30 p.m.

OTHER ACTS Witness Gabe Dixon (5:30 p.m.) opens the Main Stage. Dance to the Pamela Betti Band (2:30 p.m.), Shecky & the Twangtones (3:35 p.m.), Quarter Horse (4:45 p.m.), Funkin’ A (6 p.m.) and Robinson Treacher Band (7:30 p.m.) at the Clamshell Bandshell. Enjoy the Rock Underground (2:15 p.m.), The Om-en (3:15 p.m.), The Joni Project (4:30 p.m.), The Lawn Boys (5:45 p.m.) and The Electrix (7:15 p.m.) at the Sunshine Stage.

Children can enjoy musical performances of Squonk’s “Hand to Hand” show in the KidsZone twice a day on Saturday at 1:45 and 4:15 p.m. as well as Sunday at 2:45 and 4 p.m.

“The show features two giant purple puppet hands, each the size of a house and rigged like a sailing ship, designed so the audience can grab the rigging and be part of the show,” says co-artistic director Steve O’Hearn. “You could call it art rock. We have a classical pianist, a circus drummer, a rock guitarist, an Irish piper and a funk bassist.”

The Food Court offers a wide array of delectables that can fit any palate. Tashana’s Kitchen serves up mac and cheese cupcakes with pulled pork, pot roast, chicken or shrimp toppings. Cactus Jack’s Grill will be making po’ boy sandwiches, loaded nachos and bloomin’ onions. Lady Empanadas has both savory and sweet empanadas plus chicken wings and jumbo shrimp. 

Blue Point Brewing Company of Patchogue runs its own tent selling a selection of its craft beers such as Summer Ale, Toasted Lager, Anytime Sunshine, Blueberry Ale, Hoptical Illusion, Spectral Haze and Imperial Sunshine. There will also be wine available. Those purchasing alcohol must be 21 or older presenting a valid ID before obtaining a wristband.

Do some shopping at the Craft Village where more than 40 vendors will sell items that range from fun to funky. Vision of Tibet offers clothing from the Himalayas including fine and ethnic jewelry, stones and meditation items. Meanwhile Southwest Expressions has hand woven purses, puppets and dreamcatchers. You can even get a henna tattoo from FreeBird Henna.