Our annual music fest returns for its third year with more artists and venue partners
Mainline Music Fest will return for its third year in Atlanta this September, featuring 22 bands across three days at four venues. Tickets, including a limited run of 25 all-weekend passes, are now available for purchase here.
This year’s lineup includes some of the city’s greatest up-and-coming acts like Scattrbrain, BAUMS, and MUELAS, along with local vanguards such as CDSM, mallbangs, and Janie Danger. This year’s fest also marks the return of indie post-punk outfit Shepherds, which carved new lanes in Atlanta’s scene before going on an extended break in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Founded in 2024, Mainline Music Fest’s values are simple: protect press freedom, support artists, sustain humanity. Inspired by the massive artist boycott against SXSW in 2024 in response to the festival’s ongoing collaborations with defense tech companies like BAE and Raytheon, Mainline’s festival organizers strive to create another access point for musicians, allied workers, and music lovers that is free from corporatization, artist exploitation, and war profiteering.
“No one wants warmongers and corporate heads controlling the music industry, but that’s sadly where we’ve been heading for a long time,” says Mainline’s founder and lead festival organizer and curator Aja Arnold. “We hope this annual music fest is one of many contributions and examples of working class people building worlds in place of what corporate overlords have sold us, whether that’s through Spotify, Live Nation, or Ticketmaster. Our fest is for music lovers by music lovers, handled with the level of intention and care that artists and our communities deserve.”
The fest is being hosted across four venues in different parts of the city, including Star Community Bar and Aisle 5 in Little Five Points, Halfway Crooks Biergarten in Summerhill, and Thinking Man Tavern in Decatur.
Here is the full run of show for the fest:
Fri., Sept. 11, Star Community Bar with MUELAS, Janie Danger, Shepherds, Safety Switch, Glittering Insects, and Grebe. Doors at 8pm. 21+. Tickets: $25.
Sat., Sept. 12, Halfway Crooks Biergarten with Envilittle, STUNNER., boycat, and Nico!. Doors at 1pm. All ages. Tickets: $15.
Sat., Sept. 12, Aisle 5 with Scattrbrain, CDSM, BAUMS, major, Posture Clinic, mallbangs, Culprits of the Youth. Doors at 7pm. All ages. Tickets: $28.
Sun., Sept. 13, Thinking Man Tavern with Sloping, Jahnah Camille (Birmingham), Equal Creatures, Feltie, Reed Winckler. Doors at 6pm. All ages. Tickets: $15.
Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available for interested local businesses. Please contact our head of operations, Aja Arnold, at ajajean@pm.me.
