KCRW World Festival with WizKid
KCRW World Festival with SiR and Leon Thomas
KCRW World Festival with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
KCRW World Festival with Stephen Marley and Damian Marley
KCRW World Festival with ASTROPICAL
KCRW World Festival with Air
The KCRW World Festival is held annually at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. This festival takes place over several programs. Each program is a different event, held on a different night. The World Festival showcases the best musical talent from around the world. This event is produced in cooperation with the LA Philharmonic. Season ticket holders are able to see all the World Festival shows as a part of their package. Single tickets are also available.
The KCRW World Festival got its start in 1999. This festival is designed to bring a diverse array of talent to an audience at the Hollywood Bowl. KCRW is an NPR-affiliated radio station based in Santa Monica, and it helps curate this event. The station broadcasts via towers throughout the city and reaches much of the LA area. KCRW is located on the campus of Santa Monica College and trains students for the radio industry. KCRW provides hosting talent for the World Festival event. Both emerging and established talent have taken the stage and rocked the crowd as a part of this festival's lineup.
StubHub is your source for tickets to see the KCRW World Festival. As the largest ticket marketplace, even when a cultural event like this sells out, StubHub most likely can still get you in.
KCRWs World Festival is an eclectic event. The key thing for the LA Phil and for KCRW is that the talent be good. Beyond that, there are no restrictions on genre, age or career stage of performers. In previous years, it's featured everything from a Serge Gainsbourg tribute to an alcohol-soaked, good-natured performance by the legendary
Grace Jones
in 2009. Each event in the lineup also features a KCRW host. During some years, there were five programs affiliated with the festival, while at other years there were six.
The Hollywood Bowl features great in-house food and wine. The culinary program at this venue is overseen by James Beard Award winner Suzanne Goin. Patrons are also allowed to bring food of their own into the Hollywood Bowl venue. Picnic baskets are a popular option there. Performers more used to arena shows are often surprised to see the audience dining. In 2018, Tunde Adebimpe humorously asked audience members how their dinner was during
TV On The Radio's
set.
Over the years, just about everyone has taken the stage at this festival. In 2018, famous Brooklyn rockers TV On The Radio helped close the festival down. Janelle Monae, Santigold, The Flaming Lips and
The Pixies
have also played this event over the years. In 2018, Bon Iver and contemporary dance troupe Tu Dance performed together for the World Festival. Their show both challenged and wowed the audience. Tu Dance's mix of modern, African and other dance styles is unique, and their performance added depth to the show. These special moments and unique partnerships really set the World Festival apart.
The hosts can change from year to year. For 2019, hosts at the festival included Jason Bentley, Garth Trinidad, Madeleine Brand, Ann Litt, Aaron Byrd and Raul Campos.
The KCRW World Festival actually has a lot in common with a traditional theater or philharmonic seasonal membership. However, this event brings some of the most dynamic performers in the world to the Hollywood Bowl for one night only. In that way, it's very similar to more standard music festivals like Reading, Lollapalooza or Coachella.