Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival


The Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival is an annual outdoor punk rock festival held since 1999 mixing a bowling tournament and live music performances.
The first occurrence was held in 1999 with a show at the now-defunct Huntridge Theater and originally based as a casual get-together bowling tournament and party for punk rock musicians, labels, fanzines and friends.
The live music components grew over the years into a full-fledged music festival from 2010 onwards including a 3-day outdoor music festival with additional night clubs performances, live music pool-parties, poker and bowling tournaments as well as other associated entertainment or punk culture events.
Notable acts such as Social Distortion, Devo, the Damned, Skatalites, and Suicidal Tendencies have performed at the festival, supported by smaller local bands from Las Vegas and other cities. As of 2024, it is estimated that eight to ten thousand people attend the festival per day.
The event became part of the Downtown Las Vegas entertainment offer and happened there every year with the exception of 2010, 2020 and 2022. The 2016 edition also included an additional weekend held in Asbury Park, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado.

History

The festival was started in 1999 by brothers Mark Stern and Shawn Stern, members of the band Youth Brigade and owners of the independent record label BYO Records. Before moving to Las Vegas, a predecessor to the event was an amateur bowling tournament at Santa Monica's Bay Shore Lanes for local labels, zines, and bands in the SoCal punk community. BYO Records employee Andre Duguay, who ran the original SoCal league tournament, suggested the Sterns start a bowling night similar to Fat Wreck Chords' bowling league in San Francisco.
From 1999 to 2009, the festival took place during Presidents' Day weekend, and from 2010 forward has been on Memorial Day weekend. Originally held with the bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino and the live music at Huntridge Theater, the event moved to Sam's Town in 2006, and in 2010 again moved to Sunset Station, as the venue had both an amphitheater and a bowling alley. From 2011 forward, the festival has been held in Downtown Las Vegas.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival was canceled in 2020 and 2022.
In 2025, three bands from the Mexico, Sweden, and United Kingdom were unable to perform at the festival due to visa issues for entering the United States, which the organizers attributed to "xenophobic hysteria at the border". In line with punk music's historical focus on social and political issues, according to the LA Times, organizer Shawn Stern "sees his platform as an artist and a festival host as a crucial way to remind everyone to stand up against authoritarianism and fascism even if it's not directly affecting you and your surroundings just yet."

Lineups by year 1999-2009

13–14 February 1999 - DIY Bowling Tournament

'' Bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino ''

Friday 12 February

Kick off party
Location: Double Down Saloon, 4640 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday 13 February

Festival
Location: Huntridge Theater

18–20 February 2000 - 2nd Annual DIY Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
Live music
Location: Huntridge Theater

Friday 18 February

Saturday 19 February

16–18 February 2001 - 3rd Annual DIY Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
''Live music ''

Friday 16 February

Location: House of Blues

15–17 February 2002 - 4th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
Live music
Location: Hurricane Harry's, 3190 W Sahara, Las Vegas, Nevada

Friday 15 February

Saturday 16 February

7–9 February 2003 - 5th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Castaways Bowling Center, 2800 Fremont St
Las Vegas, Nevada
'' Live music ''

Friday 7 February

Location: Huntridge Theater

Saturday 8 February

Location: Huntridge Theater
Location: Castaways Bowling Centre Cantina

6–8 February 2004 - 6th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Castaways Bowling Center, 2800 Fremont St
Las Vegas, Nevada
'' Live music ''

Friday 6 February

Location: House of Blues

Saturday 7 February

Location: Castaway Bowling Centre Cantina
Location: Castaways Bowling Centre Lounge

18–20 February 2005 - 7th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
'' Live music ''

Saturday 19 February

Location: Pink Room of the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
  • Flock of Goo Goo
Location: House of Blues
Location: Rock Room of the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino

19–22 January 2006 - 8th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at Sam's Town
'' Live music ''

Thursday 19 January

Location: Sam's Town Live

Friday 20 January

Location: Sam's Town Lounge
  • Flock of Goo Goo
Location: Jillian's, 450 S Fremont St, Las Vegas, Nevada

18–21 January 2007 - 9th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at Sam's Town
Live music
Location: Sam's Town Live

Thursday 18 January

Kick off party

Sunday 21 January

Award Ceremony

17–20 January 2008 - 10th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament

Bowling tournament at Sam's Town
'' Live music and entertainment ''

Friday 18 January

Friday night kick off party
Location: Sam's Town

Saturday 19 January

''Movie premiere: "Let The Know" - The story of Youth Brigade and BYO Recoards ''

Sunday 20 January

Award party
Location: Canyon Club, 202 Fremont St, Las Vegas, Nevada

15–18 January 2009 -

Bowling tournament at Sam's Town
'' Live music ''

Friday 16 January

Location: El Premier Nightclub, 3015, E Fremont St, Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday 17 January

Location: House of Blues

Sunday 18 January

Location: House of Blues
Location: El Premier Nightclub, 3015, E Fremont St, Las Vegas, Nevada

Lineups by year 2010-2020

7–9 May 2010 - Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival, [Henderson, Nevada]

Bowling tournament at Sunset Station (hotel and casino)
'' Live music festival and clubs ''

Friday 7 May

Location: Sunset Station Lounge - Club Madrid
Location: Sunset Amphitheater

Saturday 8 May

Location: Sunset Station Lounge - Club Madrid
Location: Sunset Amphitheater

Sunday 9 May

Location: Sunset Station Lounge - Club Madrid
Location: Sunset Amphitheater

27–30 May 2011 - 13th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival

Friday 27 May

Location:

25–28 May 2012 - 14th Annual Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 25 May

Location:

24–27 May 2013 - 15th Annual Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 24 May

Location:

23–26 May 2014 - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 23 May

Location:

22–25 May 2015 - 17th Annual Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 22 May

Location:

2016

26–30 May 2016 - Las Vegas, Nevada Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Thursday 26 May
Friday 27 May
Location:
Saturday 28 May
Sunday 29 May
Monday 30 May

10–12 June 2016 - Asbury Park, New Jersey Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Saturday 11 June
Location:
Sunday 12 June

27–29 May 2017 - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 26 May

Location:

25–28 May 2018 - Punk Rock 20th Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 25 May

Location:

24–27 May 2019 - 21st Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Friday 24 May

Location:

21–25 May 2020 - 22nd Annual Punk Rock Bowling

''First postponed to September, the event was subsequently cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Parts of the planned lineups were rescheduled to 2021.''

Lineups by year 2021 onwards

24–26 September 2021 - 22nd Annual Punk Rock Bowling

''Originally planned for May 2021, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation forced the event to be held in the Fall.''

Thursday 23 September

Kick off party
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas

Friday 24 September

Morning Pool Party
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
Main Stage
Club shows
Location: Nerd Bar, 450 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • Guttermouth
  • Narcoleptic Youth
  • Modern Action
  • Gob Patrol

Saturday 25 September

Morning Pool Party
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
  • Guttermouth
  • Babe Patrol
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
Main Stage
  • The Side Eyes
  • Urethane
  • Good Riddance
  • Youth Brigade
  • Leftover Crack
  • Streetlight Manifesto
  • Circle Jerks
Club shows
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: Nerd Bar, 450 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • MDC
  • Verbal Abuse
  • Middle Aged Queers
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
  • Days N Daze
  • Left Alone
  • The Potato Pirates
  • Dead 77
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas

Sunday 26 September

Morning Brunch Event
  • Blag Dahlia acoustic set
Morning Pool Party
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
  • Dr. Know
  • Field Day
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
  • The Twits
  • Crazy & The Brains
  • Bridge City Sinners
  • MDC
  • Riverboat Gamblers
  • The English Beat
  • Municipal Waste
Main Stage
Club shows
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • Slapshot
  • Overexposure
  • Youth of Today as surprise guest
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
  • The Unseen
  • Defiance
  • Starving Wolves
  • Soldiers of Destruction
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas

2022

''The event did not occur due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.''

26–29 May 2023 - 23rd Annual Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Thursday 25 May

Kick off party
Location: Fremont Country Club
  • Dwarves
  • Dead Boys
  • Zeke
  • Angelo Moore presents Dr. Madd Vibe and the Missin Links
  • Lean 13

Friday 26 May

Club Shows
Location:
Location: Citrus Grand
Location: Backstage Bar
  • The Avengers
  • The Skulls
  • The Venomous Pinks
  • Some Kind of Nightmare
  • Unit F
Location: Place on 7th
  • Lion's Law
  • Wisdom & Chains
  • Militarie Gun
  • Anti-Vision
  • H.A.L.T.
Location: Fremont
Location: The Usual Place
Location: Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 27 May

Location: Citrus Grand
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
Main Stage
Club Shows
Location: Citrus Grand
  • Roy Ellis and the Aggrolites
  • Bedouin Soundclash
  • The Skints
  • Bad Operation
  • Amalgamated
  • Robert Stokes Band
Location: Fremont
Location: Place on 7th
  • Strung Out
  • The Copyrights
  • Western Addiction
  • Washed
Location: The Usual Place
  • Anti-Heros
  • The Generators
  • Antagonizer
  • Hunting Lions
Location: Backstage Bar
Location: Sand Dollar
  • Ignite
  • Pulley
  • End It
  • The Hate

Sunday 28 May

Location: Citrus Grand
  • The Briefs
  • Bad Operation
  • TV Party
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
Main Stage
Club Shows
Location: Citrus Grand
  • Fishbone
  • HR of Bad Brains
  • Son Rompe Pers
  • Los Astakados
  • Secos
  • Eclipse
Location: Fremont
  • L7
  • Svetlanas
  • Grade 2
  • Informal Society
Location: Backstage Bar
Location: Place on 7th
  • Booze & Glory
  • The Rumjacks
  • The Bar Stool Preachers
  • The Provos
Location: Sand Dollar
Location: The Usual Place

Monday 29 May

Location: Citrus Grand
  • Sloppy Seconds
  • Playboy Manbaby
  • Madam Bombs
Festival
Monster Energy Stage
  • The Exploited
  • Agnostic Front
  • The Chisel
  • Fea
  • Svetlanas
  • Infamous Stiffs
  • Desert Island Boys
Main Stage
Club Shows
Location: Fremont
  • TSOL
  • Punk Rock Karaoke
  • Spider
  • The Infirmities
Location: Backstage Bar
  • The Beltones
  • The Chisel
  • The Drowns
  • Speed of Light

24–27 May 2024 - 24th Annual Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival

Thursday 23 May

Kick off party
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: The Usual Place, 100 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas
Special screening of Punk Rock feature film 'Wrong Reasons ' - hosted by Kevin Smith.
Live music

Friday 24 May

Agnostic Front Art exhibit '40-years victim in pain' including signing by Vinnie Stigma and Roger Miret at The Notoriety
Club shows
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • Redd Kross
  • Playboy Manbaby
  • The Side Eyes
  • Spoon Benders
  • Cosmic Kitten
Location: The Notoriety Chandelier Room
  • Generacion Suicida
  • Home Front
  • DAK
  • Terminal A
  • Spelling Hands
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: The Notoriety Padded Room
  • 8 Kalacas
  • 3LH
  • La Pobreska
  • Sancho Villa
  • Skabrones
Location: The Usual Place, 100 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas
Location: The Sand Dollar downtown, 1 S Main St, Las Vegas
  • Los Yesterdays
  • Johnny Ruiz & The Escapers
  • The Inciters
  • Roots & the Barrio
  • DJ Tommy Gunn
Location: The Notoriety Lounge
  • Mac Sabbath
  • Fartbarf
  • Bonavega
  • The Mormons
  • Ukelele Hiro

Saturday 25 May

Matinee Pool Parties
Other matinee activities Screening of feature documentary 'The Art of Protest ' and 'Ghost of the Chelsea Hotel - and other Rock & Roll Stories ' at The NotorietyAgnostic Front Art exhibit '40-years victim in pain' including signing by Vinnie Stigma and Roger Miret at The Notoriety Bowling tournament preliminaries at Sam's Town
Festival
Street Party Stage
Main Stage
Club shows
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • Starcrawler
  • Niis
  • Slaughterhouse
  • Soldiers of Destruction
Location: The Notoriety Chandelier Room
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: The Notoriety Padded Room
Location: The Usual Place, 100 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas
Location: The Sand Dollar downtown, 1 S Main St, Las Vegas
Location': The Notoriety Lounge
  • The Zeros
  • The Hangmen
  • Egg Drop Soup
  • Madam bombs

Sunday 26 May

Matinee Pool Parties
  • Zeke
  • Doll Riot
  • The Inciters
  • Madam Bombs
Other matinee activitiesScreening of feature documentary 'The Art of Protest ' and 'Nightclubbing - The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC ' at The Notoriety Bowling tournament finals at Sam's Town - winning team 'Dad Religion
 Festival
Street Party Stage
Main Stage
 Club shows
Location: Citrus Grand Pool Deck
  • Billy Bragg
  • John Doe
  • Chad Hates George
  • Ceshi vs Jen Pop
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: The Notoriety Chandelier Room
  • Sonido Gallo Negro
  • Sgt. Papers
  • Viaje Nahual
Location: Sonic Rodeo Stage
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
  • Judge
  • Madball
  • Section H8
  • Horripilation
Location: The Notoriety Padded Room
Location: The Usual Place, 100 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas
  • Plague Vendor
  • Strawberry Fuzz
  • The Pinky Rings
  • Kilfeather
Location: The Sand Dollar downtown, 1 S Main St, Las Vegas
Location': The Notoriety Lounge
  • Saccharine Trust
  • Dead Bob
  • Covid Cola
  • Detective Frog

Monday 27 May

Matinee Pool Parties
Festival
Street Party Stage
Main Stage
Club shows
Location: Fremont Country Club, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas
Location: Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 E Fremont St, Las Vegas