BRIDGEPORT — Approaching its fourth anniversary,the yearly Soundside Music Festival, a central element in the city's attempt to promote itself as a hub for live performances, will no longer take place.
The festival's website announced the news on Friday, citing "circumstances beyond our control" as the reason for the cancellation. They assured ticket holders that refunds would be issued to their original payment method, with processing times potentially taking up to 30 days depending on the bank. The event was scheduled for September 27th and 28th at its usual location, Seaside Park, in the South End.
The event organizers didn't release any details right away about why it happened. However, Thomas Gaudett, the chief administrative officer for Mayor Joe Ganim, stated in a short interview, "We believe the event wasn't attracting as many people as it has in previous years, and that might have influenced the cancellation."
The festival organizers' announcement offered no additional details about why the event was called off.
The festival's organizers expressed their profound appreciation in an email to the City of Bridgeport, Mayor Ganim, their local collaborators, and all the attendees for their ongoing support. They stated that despite their regret over the cancellation of this year's event, they take pride in the unforgettable musical experiences they created together at Seaside Park and cherish the chance to have Bridgeport as their base.
The event, boasting headliners like The Killers, Weezer, and Hozier, arose from the triumph of the newly established concert amphitheater that began operations in 2021. Howard Saffan, the developer and a partner in the amphitheater project, and Live Nation, the concert promotion behemoth, collaborated with Tom Russell and Jordan Wolowitz, the masterminds behind New York City's Governors Ball festival.for the first-ever Sound on Sound festival in 2022.
Sound on Sound took place again in both 2023 and 2024., but it was rebranded as Soundside in the previous year.Following a reorganization that merged Russell and Wolowitz's Founders Entertainment with C3 Presents, a festival-oriented event production firm under Live Nation's umbrella, Saffan, while continuing to manage the municipal amphitheater, stayed on as a liaison with Bridgeport but relinquished his role as a producer. Saffan directed inquiries to C3 Presents on Friday.
John Hosier, the parks board director, expressed his disappointment over the cancellation.
It's unbelievable," he stated on Friday. "Soundside briefly brought us recognition. I hope they can recover in some form or fashion. It's regrettable that this occurred.
Danielle Wedderburn, Bridgeport's Director of Communications, stated that the city had "no part in deciding" to cancel Soundside and only found out about the cancellation "once the decision had already been made."
Wedderburn stated that the city is undoubtedly let down by this result, considering how important this yearly Bridgeport event has become.
It's also proven to be a money-maker, as the 2025/26 budget approved this spring allocated $500,000 from park rentals. The event planners also took care of associated costs, including police overtime pay.
Saturday's schedule this year featured The Killers as the main act, along with performances by Weezer, Djo (Joe Keery, known as Steve from the Netflix show "Stranger Things"), Japanese Breakfast, The Last Dinner Party, Inhaler, Rachel Chinouriri, Wild Rivers, Hollow Coves, and Dipsea Flower.
Sunday's schedule featured Hozier as the main act, along with performances by Vampire Weekend, The Backseat Lovers, Remi Wolf, Chelsea Cutler, Alex Warren, Gigi Perez, Brenn!, Vundabar, and Happy Landing.
In the last three years, the festival has showcased artists such as:John Mayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews, Stevie Nicks...and The Lumineers. The main acts from the previous year included...Noah Kahan, who returned after playing a set at the inaugural Sound on Sound festival, and Jack White along with Greta Van Fleet., who were tapped to co-headline the Sunday following a Foo Fighters' decision to call off their plans..
. We will continue to add details to this report as they surface..
This article incorporates previous reporting from staff writer Andrew DaRosa, with contributions from staff writer Hana Ikramuddin.
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