City of Trees is an annual Sacramento music festival presented by radio station Radio 94.7, named for Sacramento's "City of Trees" nickname.[1][2] It is a touring-act-driven festival staged at outdoor venues in the Sacramento area rather than a showcase of local artists, so its own origin status is not applicable.[1][2][3] The inaugural edition was held in 2015, making the Submerge-documented 2016 edition the 2nd annual event.[4][5]
At a glance
- Presented by Radio 94.7 (branded "Radio 94.7's City of Trees").[2][3]
- 2015 edition (inaugural): held August 15, 2015 at Gibson Ranch, Sacramento; drew more than 9,000 attendees.[4][5]
- 2016 edition (2nd annual): held September 10, 2016 at Bonney Field at Cal Expo, Sacramento.[1][6]
- 2017 edition: held September 24, 2017 at Papa Murphy's Park at Cal Expo, Sacramento.[2][3]
- 2017 drew more than 13,000 attendees "from Sacramento and beyond."[3]
- Full lineups and tickets were promoted via Cityoftrees.com.[2]
What it is
City of Trees is a multi-act outdoor music festival organized by Sacramento radio station Radio 94.7.[2][3] Submerge documented two consecutive editions, with the festival described as an "annual" event by 2017.[3] The lineups are dominated by national touring acts across alternative, pop and electronic styles. The festival launched in 2015 and moved venues between editions in response to operational issues.[4][6]
Editions
2015 — Gibson Ranch (Inaugural)
The inaugural City of Trees festival was held August 15, 2015 at Gibson Ranch Regional Park in Sacramento.[4][5] According to the Sacramento News & Review, more than 9,000 people attended to see headliners Cake and Of Monsters and Men, along with New Politics, BØRNS, James Bay, and Elle King.[4][5] The Sacramento Press confirmed at the time that the 2015 event was the first-ever City of Trees festival, with Sacramento act Cake serving as hometown headliners.[5]
2016 — Bonney Field at Cal Expo (2nd Annual)
The 2016 festival, explicitly billed as the "2nd annual City of Trees Summer Concert Event," took place on September 10, 2016.[1][6] After parking and traffic problems plagued Gibson Ranch in 2015, the festival moved to Bonney Field at Cal Expo.[6] General admission was priced at $54.50, with no ticket service fees and no parking fees — costs covered by Budweiser sponsorship according to the Dorks and Losers preview.[7] The lineup included Panic! at the Disco, Weezer, Phantogram, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Kungs, Weathers, The Unlikely Candidates, Trophii, The Rebel Light, DJ Oasis and The Color Wild,[1] with additional acts The Struts, Arden Park Roots, and Cemetery Sun also on the bill.[7]
2017 — Papa Murphy's Park at Cal Expo
The 2017 festival moved to Papa Murphy's Park at Cal Expo in Sacramento and was held September 24, 2017.[2][3] It was billed as "Radio 94.7's City of Trees 2017."[2] Headliners were Blink-182, with a lineup that included Bleachers, Bishop Briggs, Iration, DREAMCAR, New Politics, Joyzu and others.[2][3] Submerge's post-show coverage also documented performances by Sir Sly, Element of Soul, Our People and Sacramento act Rituals of Mine on the bill.[3] Attendance exceeded 13,000.[3]
Promoter and related shows
The festival is one of Radio 94.7's large-scale events. The station's coverage tied City of Trees to its other concert programming, such as the "Electric Christmas" show scheduled for December 7, 2017 at Golden 1 Center (headlined by The Lumineers with Portugal. the Man and Walk the Moon).[3]
Note on the name
The "City of Trees" name derives from Sacramento's well-known nickname, which Submerge invoked repeatedly in unrelated contexts — including a 2011 J*Ras solo album titled City of Trees (a reference to Sacramento) and a 2012 concert review that called Sacramento "the City of Trees."[8][9] Those uses are distinct from this festival.