With ideal spring weather in store (highs should reach around 80 this weekend with only a slight chance of rain Saturday), Shaky Knees Music Festival returns to the scene of an earlier year – 2015 – when it was staged at Central Park, near Old Fourth Ward.
The alt-rock-heavy event – founded by Atlanta concert promoter Tim Sweetwood — will commandeer the area through Sunday, with a lineup topped by Queens of the Stone Age and The National. Jack White helped kick off the fun on Friday night.
This year’s gathering will also mark the first festival performance from punk rockers The Distillers (on Saturday), who are reuniting after 12 years.
» Make sure to check out The Music Scene blog throughout the weekend, as well as Facebook and Twitter for full coverage of the festival.
Here are some tips to help you navigate the weekend.
Daily concert lineup
Saturday: Queens of the Stone Age; The War on Drugs; Cake; Manchester Orchestra; Matt and Kim; The Distillers; Parquet Courts; Circa Survive; Greta Van Fleet; Chicano Batman; Andrew W.K.; Jacob Banks; Torres; Broncho; Bully; Charly Bliss; Mikky Echo; Bayonne; Teenage Wrist; The Sherlocks; Stop Light Observations; Sun Seeker.
Sunday: The National; Tenacious D; Vance Joy; Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats; Lord Huron; The Voidz; All Time Low; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Alvvays; Sir Sly; The Menzingers; Basement; Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real; Parcels; Alice Merton; Mt. Joy; The Wild Reeds; Post Animal; Frankie Rose.
When
The festival began on Friday, and continues Saturday and Sunday. Gates open each day at 11:30 a.m., with music starting at 11:45 a.m. The festival ends at 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday. There are designated lanes at the festival entrances for patrons with disabilities (look for the wheelchair signs above entrance lanes).
Tickets
$99 (one-day general admission); $850 (one-day platinum). Children 8 and under are free with a ticketed adult (limit two kids per adult); it is not recommended to bring children under 8. (The three-day tickets were $189 for general admission and $1,500 for platinum.
The only tickets that are 100 percent guaranteed are those purchased at frontgatetickets.com or shakykneesfestival.com. In the event of a festival cancellation, only tickets purchased through these sites will be refunded.
Box office
Located at the corner of North Avenue NE and Central Park Place NE. Hours of operation are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. through Sunday.
Transportation
The North Avenue MARTA station (on the red-gold rail line) is the closest option, but be prepared for about a 15-minute walk.
An Uber pickup zone will be located at the corner of Piedmont and Pine streets.
Parking
There are three lots within a half-mile of the festival, including the Atlanta Civic Center and locations at 121 Linden Ave. and 463 Peachtree St.
Bags
Restricted to small purses and drawstring bags than cannot exceed 14” x 11” x 5”. CamelBaks are allowed, but must be empty and with only one additional pocket. Backpacks and bags with multiple pockets are prohibited.
Items that are allowed
Water (two factory sealed bottles, up to 1 liter each, which can be refilled at free water filling stations); baby strollers; blankets, sheets and towels; binoculars; empty CamelBak water bottles and empty plastic or aluminum water bottles.
Items that are prohibited
It’s a long list, so check out shakykneesfestival.com for the full rundown): Firearms; coolers of any size; framed backpacks; professional cameras and recording equipment; drones; outside food or beverage (two water bottles excepted); umbrellas; pets (except service animals); selfie sticks; fireworks; bicycles inside festival grounds (free parking available near festival entrance); any chairs.
Leaving the site
All passholders may enter and exit the festival up to three times per day. Attendees must be scanned upon exit at the gate in order to re-enter that same day.
Weather info
Traffic info
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