Inside San Diego’s dance music and festival scene

From CRSSD to warehouse raves, the 619 is bumping year-round.

If you’re pulling up to San Diego for a weekend trip this year, we’ve got you covered. The SD dance scene is that girl. Whether you’re a CRSSD festival regular or looking for a quick getaway and need a good spot to dance after strolling the bars in PB, here is your local guide to San Diego‘s dance music and festival scene. 

Spring: CRSSD

When springtime begins to bloom, CRSSD festival takes over and sets the tone for the year with house, techno, and live electronic acts spread across oceanfront stages. This is the kind of festival your coolest surfer and underground lover friends go to. The Waterfront Park venue, coupled with the undeniably clean and curated lineup, is polished and nonstop groovy. CRSSD serves as the ultimate prelude to California’s peak festival summer season.

Summer: Rooftop & Day Party Time

When summer hits, the San Diego scene shifts gears into full daytime mode. Enter Afternoon Umbrella Friends. They host underground open-air house parties in the heart of San Diego. This local gem is ultimate feel-good energy, featuring local talent that is guaranteed to make you dance all night. If you’re looking for a community-driven scene, AUF is for you.

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A post shared by AUF (@afternoonumbrellafriends)

Fall: Underground + More CRSSD

If you missed CRSSD in the spring, have no fear, CRSSD is back in the fall for round two. The only real trade-off is swapping your swim trunks for a hoodie, though you’ll likely still be rocking flip-flops like every other SD local.

Local crews like AUF and SubSessions throw down in the fall and tap into San Diego’s grittier side. For those craving a bass-heavy night, these underground warehouse-style events are perfect. Halloween in SD is also unmatched; their annual collaboration event, FREAKUENCY, is the best place to dress up and headbang all night long at a secret location revealed on the day of Halloween.

Winter: Santa hats by the beach 

As the year wraps, Almost Nakey’s SantaCon is the place to be. It might sound weird, and no, you don’t have to disrobe to attend, but it is exactly what it sounds like. This is a barely-dressed, unhinged holiday crawl and full-on dance party takeover at Belmont Park, complete with full-on holiday decor, Santa hats and probably some pretty fire techno remixes of Jingle Bells.

Year-round staples in SD

In between these standout events, San Diego’s real magic is in the consistent weekend circuit. You can start the night at Quartyard, which is a go-to, low-key, outdoor spot that always has a good crowd. Bloom Nightclub, Nova SD and Spin Nightclub are your mainstays, depending on the night and what subgenre you’re into.

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A post shared by Bloom Nightclub (@bloomdtsd)

Bottom line, San Diego has a little something for everybody, no matter what time of the year. 

Featured image courtesy of CRSSD Instagram.

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