Is For Lovers Festival, the North American touring festival that celebrates the vibrant spirit and culture of punk and emo, has unveiled the bands playing the beloved Summer outing, with 2024 featuring a mix of longtime favorites and newly discovered up-and-comers.
Yellowcard, Underoath, Thursday, and, of course, festival curators, Hawthorne Heights, are back, while new additions to the Is For Lovers family include The All-American Rejects, Movements, Finch, Turnover and Armor For Sleep.
“We are happy to be back in 2024, soaking up the summer sun with these bands and fans, most of who have been shedding and shredding tears with us since 2004,” JT Woodruff, Hawthorne Heights’ vocalist and co-founder of the Is For Lovers Festival. “While each show has a wildly different feel, we think it’s important to celebrate the local and regional attractions at each date. Is For Lovers Festival is designed to put the fan in a Time Machine, and transport them back to the most vibrant years of their lives. We try to make it an easy day spent in beautiful locations with bands that helped shape who they are. Hawthorne Heights is excited to be outside, setting up tents, loading gear, singing these songs, and personally spending time with our fans.”
Newly added Is For Lovers Festival locations include West Virginia Is For Lovers, Pop’s Is For Lovers in Sauget, Ill., and the first Los Angeles-based outpost for the festival (California Is For Lovers). Amongst the returning Is For Lovers cities are fan favorites, including Lake Tahoe Is For Lovers, OBX Is For Lovers, Iowa Is For Lovers and Ohio Is For Lovers.
Is For Lovers Festival is more than just a music event – it’s founded on the premise that Summer days are meant to be spent in the company of great music, good friends and endless laughter. Attendees are invited to forget their worries, soak up the sunshine, and embrace the magic of human connection. Whether you’re watching your favorite bands, partaking in the on-site activities like dunk-a-punk, or indulging in the delicious treats from local vendors in the adjacent marketplace, every moment at Is For Lovers Festival is infused with a sense of boundless possibility and excitement.
Is For Lovers Festival dates and line-ups:
June 22 – Lake Tahoe Is For Lovers – Harveys (Lake Tahoe, CA): The All-American Rejects, Movements, Hawthorne Heights, The Starting Line, Finch, Armor For Sleep, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Free Throw, with additional special guests to be announced soon.
July 13 – West Virginia Is For Lovers – GoMart Ballpark (Charleston, WV): Underoath, Hawthorne Heights, Thursday, Anberlin, Armor For Sleep, Emery, This Wild Life
July 20 – OBX Is For Lovers – Roanoke Island Festival Park (Manteo, NC): Motion City Soundtrack, Hawthorne Heights, Less Than Jake, Thursday, Armor For Sleep, This Wild Life, Battle Winner
July 27 – Pop’s Is For Lovers – Pop’s (Sauget, IL): Hawthorne Heights, Thursday, Anberlin, Armor For Sleep, Stick To Your Guns, This Wild Life
August 24 – Iowa Is For Lovers – Harrah’s Stir Cove (Council Bluffs, IA): Yellowcard, State Champs, Hawthorne Heights, Armor For Sleep, Emery, This Wild Life, Action/Adventure
August 31 – California Is For Lovers – The Torch at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA): Hawthorne Heights, Saosin, Finch, Anberlin, Bilmuri, Cartel, Armor For Sleep, Stick To Your Guns, This Wild Life, boycomma, New Aesthetic, plus more special guests
September 7 – Ohio Is For Lovers – Riverbend Music Center (Cincinnati, OH): Hawthorne Heights, Hot Mulligan, Silverstein, Senses Fail, The Devil Wears Prada, Anberlin, Arrows in Action, Emery, Snarls, Maura Weaver, Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, Movements, The Wonder Years, Turnover, For Your Health, Maura Weaver, Slow Joy, Leggy, Touchdown Jesus, Raging Nathans, Saturday’s At Your Place, Glassworld
Tickets for all dates, including VIP options, are on-sale now via Isforloversfestival.com.
The Is For Lovers Festival launched in 2022, with Hawthorne Heights, the founders and curators of the annual outing, bringing the touring trek to three cities for its inaugural run. In 2023, Is For Lovers expanded, spanning the U.S, from Hawaii to the Outerbanks of North Carolina. Named after Hawthorne Heights’ iconic song, “Ohio Is For Lovers,” previous performers have included Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Alkaline Trio, Yellowcard, Underoath, The Story So Far, State Champs, Bayside, Thursday, and more. Beyond the music, Is For Lovers delivers an all-around experience for attendees, fostering collaborations with local vendors, hosting a diverse, regionally-inspired marketplace, and featuring a range of activities such as the renowned “Dunk-a-Punk” booth. With its blends of music, camaraderie, and entertainment, Is For Lovers stands as a vibrant celebration of community and happiness.
Hawthorne Heights formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001. The band has released seven albums over the past 23 years: The Silence in Black and White (2004), If Only You Were Lonely (2006), Fragile Future (2008), Skeletons (2010), Zero (2013), Bad Frequencies (2018) and The Rain Just Follows Me (2021). Alternative Press dubbed them “the kings of writing knockout choruses,” Rolling Stone hailed them as the “grassroots chart kings,” in a nod to the band’s many impressive Billboard debuts including four of their seven albums in the Top 100, and New Noise described their music as “effortless joy.” Hawthorne Heights is JT Woodruff (vocals/guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass), Mark McMillon (guitar), and Chris Popadak (drums).
