Darker Waves 2026 returns to Huntington Beach City Beach on Saturday, November 14, with Morrissey, The Smashing Pumpkins, Simple Minds, and more. The one-day festival brings more than 35 artists across three stages.
Morrissey and The Smashing Pumpkins lead the bill, with Simple Minds among the top names. The broader announcement brings together artists across new wave, post-punk, punk, and alternative rock, including The Psychedelic Furs, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Bad Religion, The Damned, Manic Street Preachers, Gary Numan, and Silversun Pickups.
The lineup moves between familiar sounds and different corners of the scene. New wave and synth-pop artists include Simple Minds, Adam Ant, Soft Cell, Gary Numan and The Psychedelic Furs; punk names include Bad Religion, Buzzcocks, Circle Jerks, The Damned and Marky Ramone. The Smashing Pumpkins, Silversun Pickups, Spacehog and Manic Street Preachers bring more alternative-rock selections to the bill.
The festival takes place at Huntington Beach City Beach, at 21301 Pacific Coast Highway. The official getting-here guide places the festival site across from The Waterfront Beach Resort and Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa. Tickets are available through the official festival website.
Photos from the 2023 festival
These archival photos show the inaugural 2023 edition, including returning 2026 artists Soft Cell and The Psychedelic Furs, along with scenes from the festival grounds. They are not images of the upcoming 2026 event. Photography by Wilson Lee for FLOOD Magazine.
Stay Connected 🎶
Tickets and event updates are available through the Darker Waves website. Follow @darkerwavesfest for the latest festival announcements.
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Full Lineup (in alphabetical order) 🎶
Adam Ant • All the Damn Vampires • Bad Religion • Benches • Buzzcocks • Casket Cassette • Choir Boy • Christian Death • Circle Jerks • Cold Cave • Deceits • EMF • Gary Numan • Gene • I Forget • Kim Theory • Manic Street Preachers • Mariachi El Bronx • Marky Ramone • Migs Whiskey • Missing Persons • Modern English • Morrissey • Past Self • Prayers • Purest Form • Riki • Silversun Pickups • Simple Minds • Soft Cell • Spacehog • The Damned • The Mainliners • The Motels • The Psychedelic Furs • The Smashing Pumpkins • The Sounds • TR/ST • Warfield
