Back Cove Music & Arts Festival, a new event in Portland, ME presented by GoodWorks and Shore Sound Entertainment, has announced its inaugural artist lineup. Due to take place on the waterfront at Payson Park on August 2nd and 3rd, 2025, the first-ever Back Cove Music & Arts Festival will feature headlining performances by Jack White, Lord Huron, André 3000, Lucy Dacus, Turnpike Troubadours, and more [get tickets].
In addition to the top-billed acts, the 2025 Back Cove Music Festival lineup will feature performances by Thee Sacred Souls, Margo Price, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Ripe, Griffin William Sherry, Chance Peña, Madi Diaz, Cimafunk, Sarah Kinsley, Crowe Boys, The Greeting Committee, Eliza McLamb, The Weakened Friends, Oshima Brothers, Pihcintu Multinational Chorus, and the Maine Academy of Modern Music.
Local pre-sale tickets for Portland, ME’s inaugural Back Cove Music & Arts Festival are now available here through Wednesday, March 5th at 11:59 p.m. ET. Locals can access the pre-sale by entering their zip code during the purchase process. Remaining tickets—including single-day and two-day GA and VIP passes—go on sale to the general public beginning on Thursday, March 6th at noon ET here.
Back Cove Music & Arts Festival attendees will find themselves immersed within the sights and culture of Portland, one of the U.S.’s most charming and historic cities, where a thriving arts scene comes hand in hand with port town’s bustling fish markets. Walkable seaside neighborhoods, centuries-old colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and blissfully temperate weather await, making for the perfect New England escape from the oppressive late-summer heat found at destinations further south along the East Coast.
Back Cove Music & Arts Festival will also showcase the best of Portland’s incredible culinary and brewery scene. The city has previously taken home honors as Bon Appetit’s “Restaurant City Of The Year” honors, winning accolades for a variety of styles, flavors, and ethnic cuisines that run miles deeper than the best lobster roll you’ll ever eat. Portland also counts itself as an original epicenter of the modern US craft brewery movement. Today Portland, ME boasts the most breweries per capita of any city in the U.S. Festival attendees will get the chance to sample the cities culinary wonders via various local vendors.
“The people of Portland, Maine are known nationwide as champions of art, music, food, and culture,” said Portland District 4 City Councilor Anna Y. Bullett of the new event. “I am excited to collaborate with GoodWorks & Shore Sound Entertainment to bring a world class line-up of musicians to Payson Park on the beautiful Back Cove this coming August. I thank the community for their continued commitment to celebrating the arts and thank city staff for their hard work with festival organizers to maintain park access, safety, and sustainability.”
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“Producing a music and arts festival with the city of Portland is a great privilege for us,” added Jordan Wolowitz (Shore Sound) and Tyler Grill (GoodWorks) in a joint statement. “Portland is made up of an incredible community of creatives, home to a world class food and beverage scene, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s in one of the most beautiful areas in the country. We are thrilled to introduce the Back Cove Music & Arts Festival to the city, and through it, put a focus on the musicians, restaurants, food-trucks, breweries, and artists that make Portland and the great state of Maine such a special place.”
Check out the full lineup for Portland, ME’s inaugural Back Cove Music & Arts Festival on August 2nd and 3rd, 2025 below. For more details and ticketing information, head here.
