NJ is one year away from the return of its largest music festival

Last year, The Bamboozle Festival announced its return for its 20th anniversary taking place May 5-7 2023.

What felt like a million years away, we are officially one full year out from one of the biggest festivals New Jersey has ever seen.

If you were a teenager/young adult between the years 2003-2012, you know about The Bamboozle Festival.

It was an annual 3-day music festival with multiple stages, lots of vendors, and some of the biggest artists the music industry has ever seen.

It started out as a “scene” festival. The bands on the lineup were mostly pop-punk and emo with headliners like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Taking Back Sunday.

But as the festival grew, the lineup expanded eventually hosting artists like Demi Lovato, Bon Jovi, Mac Miller, Foo Fighters, 50 Cent, and more.

The Bamboozle Festival started as the Skate and Surf Festival in 2001 in Asbury Park.

In 2013, the Skate and Surf Festival made its return and would do so for two years after and would eventually give the fans one of the most anticipated reunions, Midtown.

Aside from Skate and Surf and The Vans Warped Tour, Bamboozle was a weekend I never missed. It was a time for friends to get together and watch their favorite bands play with an occasional overzealous crowd surfer.

Now there is no additional information for the return of Bamboozle. All we have are dates and that it’s taking place in New Jersey, but we wouldn’t mind seeing it back at MetLife Stadium.

As for the lineup, that’s something we can’t wait to see. But since the festival is in New Jersey and the pop-punk scene here is the biggest in the country, here are Jersey bands that should make the roster:

My Chemical Romance (Newark, NJ)

Thursday (New Brunswick, NJ)

Crash Romeo (Bernardsville, NJ)

Senses Fail (Ridgewood, NJ)

Midtown (New Brunswick, NJ)

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Morning Show Producer Kristen. Any opinions expressed are her own.

Questions, corrections, or comments? Send Producer Kristen an email at kristen.accardi@townsquaremedia.com or follow her on Instagram.