The 12th annual Carlsbad Music Festival, called "one of the area's most innovative music showcases" by KPBS, is a three-day summer celebration of adventurous music by the beach featuring 60+ performances of creative music of all kinds. These include three ticketed Mainstage concerts, the free Village Music Walk on Saturday, free Concerts in the Park on Sunday, and the free new Currents stage on Saturday and Sunday.

The festival programming is a mix of creative and adventurous music ranging from contemporary classical, jazz, and world music to indie rock and musicians who work across genres and fall between the cracks. The ticketed Mainstage artists are New York-based violinist and electronics wizard Todd Reynolds, Los Angeles-based acclaimed contemporary pianist Vicki Ray, and Encinitas-based master Indian sitarist Kartik Seshadri.

Highlights of the 60+ free performances include San Diego Opera’s Opera Exposed! in a first-ever collaboration between our organizations, a New Orleans-style second line march through the Village by Euphoria Brass Band, up and coming psychedelic indie pop by Inspired and the Sleep, 1920s and 30s Americana music from urban blues to mountain fiddle by the G Burns Jug Band, traditional Persian classical music by Koroush Taghavi, and contemporary works for piano duo by Hocket.

Complete list of performers: Todd Reynolds, Vicki Ray, Kartik Seshadri, Adrianne Pope, Aurora Borealis, Decisive Instant, Drew Ceccato & Kyle Motl, Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer, Euphoria Brass Band, G Burns Jug Band, George Sarah, Hocket Duo, Inspired and the Sleep, Jennifer Bewerse, Keith Haman & the Tin Stars, Kourosh Taghavi, LA Edwards, La Jolla Chamber Winds, the Liquorsmiths, Lou Damian Trio, MandoBasso, Matt McBane, Now Hear Ensemble, Ogd_S(11) Translation Has Failed, Paper Days, Peter Kuhn Trio, Peter Wanjira, Red Fox Tails, San Diego Opera Opera Exposed, Stephen Solook, Swarmius, and Trouble in the Wind.