Positioned in the prime time of festival season, the Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival is coming back to the Northwell Health Jones Beach Theater on Aug. 19-20 for the third year in a row.
The pop festival will feature headliners Demi Lovato, Big Sean, DJ Khaled, Major Lazer and Zedd and also give a platform for popular new artists such as Ugly God, Lil Yachty, LAUV and Whethan.
“The Island deserved its own two-day festival, a standalone two-day festival,” said John Amato, President of Billboard and Long Island resident. “I think it’s very important and getting it here for three years is something I’m very proud of because I’m a resident.”
The festival, which is expected to draw 15,000 fans each day, is spread out over two days throughout the Jones Beach theater complex. The Hot 100 Fest showcases 40 artists that are topping the Billboard Hot 100 Chart or are on their way to do the same.
Unlike many other major music festivals in the area like Panorama and Governor’s Ball Music Festival, the festival features popular artists rather than alternative acts. Billboard uses the insight of their hot 100 chart and editorial staff within their company to specially curate the fest, Amato said.
Fans looking for the next big music act can go to the Heatseekers stage and see artists such as Surf Rock is Dead, Fletcher and French Horn Rebellion. If festivalgoers want to hear hit after hit all day long, they can lounge at the Hot 100 stage inside Jones Beach theater.
Saturday features rising EDM producer and artist 3LAU, who has worked with artists such as Rihanna and Arianna Grande, an artist who headlined the festival last year. Big Sean, coming off success of his 2017 album, I Decided, is set to close down Saturday night at the Hot 100 Stage.
On Sunday, Lil’ Yachty is set to take the Sun Stage at 7 pm, right after former member of Fifth Harmony Camila Cabelo at the Hot 100 stage and right before Marshmello, Young Thug and Major Lazer close down the festival on Sunday night.
In the first year of the festival, the capacity of the venue maxed out at 40,000 people, breaking the record of attendance at Jones Beach. Adding the new feature this year, festivalgoers reserve seats inside the theater at the Hot 100 stage.
After learning what it takes to create a major music festival on the beach on Long Island, Amato said that the focus now is on the excitement around the experience of going to the Billboard Hot 100 Festival and artists in the lineup.
“I feel that we understand what we’re doing and now it’s just excitement about the artist, the experience and getting the whole experience absolutely right for the fans,” Amato said.
Parking is available at the parking lots at the theater. Two free shuttle buses will continuously transport festivalgoers from the Wantagh and Freeport LIRR stations from 11 a.m. to midnight.
