3 Things The Soundside Music Festival Needs to Address Before Considering a Return in 2026

When the Soundside Music Festival announced it had cancelled its 2025 event, unless you were a ticket holder you likely met the news with a shrug.

The Bridgeport, CT-based festival, which was launched in 2022 as Sound on Sound, and changed its name to Soundside in 2024, brought some big name acts to the area during its three year run, but as it stands it will more than likely be remembered for what it wasn’t, rather than what it was.

What went wrong with Soundside? A lot, and if organizers want to bring it back in 2026 they’ll need to address the following three things before making a return.

1. There was no vibe 

The biggest issue with Soundside was that it was a festival without an identity. There was nothing cohesive about the lineups.

When you look at some of the major music festivals over the years – Lollapalooza, Riot Fest, Warped Tour, Coachella, Rock The Bells, Ozzfest, Lilith Fair, When We Were Young – you see the name of the festival, and know the type of music they’re going to feature.

Soundside, despite its name, didn’t have a sound. Rather, it featured haphazardly thrown together lineups where the only connecting idea behind who was selected seemed to be – artists white people with disposable income might like.

Each year I’d hear friends give the same reaction when the lineup was announced – “I like one, or two of the bands, but wouldn’t pay that much to see them.”

Many locals hoped Soundside would take the place of the beloved Gathering of the Vibes, which was a Bridgeport staple that had its final show in 2015. Soundside, however, failed to do that, and that failing was due in large part to the fact that the organizers neglected to read the room, and see what the area is into.

Gathering of the Vibes was all about jam bands, and Deadheads. It had a vibe, and that vibe reflected one of the great loves of the local music community.

Anyone who hung out at the old Acoustic, or hangs out presently at Park City Music Hall, knows that jam bands are what fill a venue in the area. Soundside never booked with that in mind, and never got past the mistaken idea that simply filling a bill with known artists will get people interested in a show.

2. It neglected the arts scene of the area 

Bridgeport, specifically the Black Rock section, has a huge arts scene, but Soundside either didn’t realize this, or simply ignored it.

There is always live music going on in Black Rock, and there are generations of bands and artists from the area that, while not necessarily being nationally known, are well-respected, and beloved within the community.

For year one of Soundside, when it was Sound on Sound, I believe there was a grand total of one local artist featured.

Because of the lack of of local bands, the festival felt like a bunch of outsiders coming in and attempting a money grab.

Yes, I realize all festivals are money grabs, but most at least attempt to hide it better.

I’m not sure what the fix would be here – a second stage for local acts? Having a lineup of local acts on in the afternoon as the openers?

Whatever the fix, it would bring the booking costs down, and truly connect the festival with the community, which in turn would create far more community support.

3. It was plagued by issues, many of which were of their own doing 

Some of the issues Soundside has experienced over its brief existence have been totally out of their control.

There was the year a major storm caused a number of sets to be completely wiped out.

There was the year a certain headliner’s frontman decided to have a baby out of wedlock, causing the band to drop out of the festival at the last minute.

But acts of God, and acts of Grohl aside, a lot of the problems Soundside has faced have been self-inflicted.

Case in point, when people who’ve already paid a hefty price for tickets suddenly learn off-site parking will cost $75, it makes them feel like they’re being taken for a ride. (What was I saying earlier about it feeling like a money grab?)

As with most festivals, prices for food were also out of control, but unlike most festivals, the first year there were complaints that they ran out of food!

Finally, in the ultimate irony, the festival, which has sound in its name, had numerous complaints about bad sound.

Listen, if you’re a festival, and you have Norah Jones, and she doesn’t sound good, that’s definitely a YOU problem, because Norah Jones isn’t the issue.

Will Soundside come back? I don’t know, but based on the fact that they’ve wiped their website, and deleted their social media, I wouldn’t bet on it. It seems like it really was just a money grab, and a promoter thought he could take the place of Gathering of the Vibes without learning anything about the community, or understanding what made that festival work so well in Bridgeport.

If it does attempt a comeback, hopefully those involved will address these issues of the past, so they won’t repeat them in the future.