This festival is meant to be exactly how it sounds: Just Like Heaven. Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4, the biggest and hottest names in alternative and indie rock conjoin to take the stage at the Queen Mary Events Park in Long Beach – including Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Beach House, Miike Snow, Passion Pit and more.

In fact, the original date sold out so quickly, a second date was added.

On the first line of the flier lies Ra Ra Riot, hailing from the opposite coast in Syracuse, New York. The indie rock band is comprised of five members: vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard. In 2016, they unleashed their fourth studio album titled “Need Your Life,” fitting for the vibe of this fest. The project’s standout record “Water” will definitely be one that fans can look forward to.

Speaking on the all-star lineup, Ra Ra Riot collectively states, “I gotta say, it’s pretty funny to be playing a nostalgia fest for a time that’s hardly a decade old. At the same time, it feels like almost twice that long ago that we started and clearly people still are excited about a lineup like this, which is pretty incredible. We’ve had a lot of friends who aren’t festival fans on the average telling us how psyched they are about this one in particular. They really nailed the lineup, too. Not only are many of these artists former tour mates and friends of ours but collaborators in some cases.”

Peter Bjorn and John – Photo courtesy of Just Like Heaven

Aside from their own set, they are “definitely very psyched to see old buds, and catch up. But I was a fan of Yeah Yeah Yeahs well before our band started and will be looking forward to seeing them as always. That and playing a couple new songs of our own ;P”

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be one of the headlining acts alongside Phoenix and MGMT. Also formed in NYC, the garage punk/indie band BLEW UP after the release of “Maps” 16 years ago, from their 2003 album “Fever To Tell.” Since then, vocalist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase have been consistently feeding rock-lovers with new music all across the world.

Adding some international flavor, Peter Bjorn and John formed in Stockholm Sweden in 1999. It was their 2006 single “Young Folks” that paved the way for Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson – which landed in the Top 20 U.K. Singles chart.

Peter Bjorn and John “feel grateful for getting to play our songs and see a lot of lovely bands we actually have heard. It’s gonna be great to come back to L.A. again! We’re on a U.S. tour before that so we’ll def be in great shape. Also seeing our good Ingrid-friends in Miike Snow.”

Miike Snow is a fellow Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. With incredibly strong branding represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope, singer Andrew Wyatt and producing team Bloodshy & Avant have released three albums in their career: “Miike Snow,” “Happy to You” and “iii.”

Ra Ra Riot – Photo courtesy of Just Like Heaven

While Just Like Heaven will be a one-stop shop of discovering new acts, it will also be home for rock-lovers to enjoy live performances from some of the greats. Insert Phoenix, the indie pop band hailing from France. Comprised of Thomas Mars on the lead vocals, Deck d’Arcy on the bass and key, Christian Mazzalai on the guitar and Laurent Brancowitz on the guitar and keys, the group will be performing some of their biggest hits including “If I Ever Feel Better,” “Lisztomania,” “1901” and “Too Young.”

In addition to the live tunes, festival-goers will be welcomed with a slew of food and beverage options all day long. The foodies will recognize Sage Plant Bistro, BreWings, Love Hour, AMZEBOWLS, Fat Dragon, Burger Monster and many more.

Need a pick-me up? There will also be craft coffee available for the first time from Wolf’s Brew Coffee in Long Beach. Need a cold beer to feel a slight buzz before the next act? The craft beer selection will be curated by Beer Belly, with top picks stemming from the local Los Angeles area. Other Long Beach favorites include Beachwood, Liberation and Ambitious Ales, with custom Tiki cocktails blended specifically with the festival in mind.

This will be the first festival of its kind for this particular genre of alternative and rock and roll. 

Tickets start at $99.00 and can be purchased at JustLikeHeavenFest.com.

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