Plans for the not-inexpensive festival of music, comedy, art and food known as KAABOO San Diego were cancelled for 2021 and optimistically rescheduled to return in 2022 due to complications from the then-spiking COVID pandemic. This did not happen. Meanwhile, 2023 has pretty much come and gone. Then news surfaced that KAABOO may be KAA-BACK. (Sorry.)

The Latest

Despite previous announcements that KAABOO would return to the Del Mar Fairgrounds in September 2024, a recent press release revealed that the festival will not be held in 2024. The focus is now on making a comeback in September 2025.

Read more
“San Diego’s KAABOO Music & Cultural Festival No Longer Returning In 2024”
- SanDiegoVille, August 2024

---

---

Kaaboo Lineup

The 2024 lineup was expected to be announced January. That has come and gone. Optimists now anticipate an announcement in February 2024. Rumors persist and rumored artists on the bill are being tossed around to appear at the oft-cancelled festival. But until an act is confirmed, none will be posted here.

A post on social media to simply “Stay Tuned” and follow KAABOO on social media for updates, is the first correspondence since the KAABOO Instagram in May 2021: “We are pleased to announce that as our world is beginning to return to regular programming, we have been hard at work tuning our strings for the highly anticipated return of KAABOO. Stay tuned for exciting news and announcements coming soon via social and email. We appreciate your patience and continued support of the brand. More soon…”

KAABOO and Petco Park

In 2019, there were plans to move the KAABOO from the Del Mar Fairgrounds to Petco Park, accompanied by a name change to “KAABOO San Diego.” However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding airborne pathogens took all the fun out of traditional large live festival entertainment. Additionally, a breach of contract legal dispute arose between KAABOO and the San Diego Padres, which KAABOO organizers denied. Both parties filed lawsuits against each other.

About KAABOO

Formerly known as “KAABOO Del Mar,” and just as frequently mis-known as Kaboo, Kabboo, Kabbo, and Kabooo, the three-day Southern California festival had a five-year run in North County and featured bands such as: Kings of Leon, Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, the Cult, Boyz II Men, Dave Matthews Band, Black Eyed Peas, One Republic, Switchfoot, Mumford & Sons, Duran Duran, Sheryl Crow, The Bangles, Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Robert Plant, Post Malone, Wiz Khalifa, Big Boi, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, P!nk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Aerosmith and the Killers.

The move to host KAABOO at Petco Park was intended to give the festival the infrastructure for more space, safety, parking and amenities to take KAABOO to the next level. But. Yeah.