With just under five weeks until next month’s festivals kick off in Tokyo and Osaka, the Summer Sonic 2025 timetables are here.
As we’ve come to expect from the organisers at Creativeman, this year’s line-up is a mixed bag of pop, rock, electronic and hip hop, with a healthy dose of nostalgia thrown in for good measure.
Despite a shaky start to international performer bookings, over 150 artists are now confirmed for both cities (if you count those appearing at Tokyo’s Sonicmania), and we’ve been given plenty of time to organise ourselves.
So, let’s take a look at this year’s Tokyo timetable – and pack a couple of bottles of Aquarius – as we plan for a sweaty weekend in Chiba next month.
Day 1 – Saturday
Saturday kicks off with South Korean boy band Kickflip on the Pacific Stage at 10.30am and J-Pop group Sixtones opening the Marine Stage at 11am. Around the same time, this year’s showcase performance winners, Docka and Suiheisen, will open the Sonic and Spotify stages, respectively.
Over at the Mountain Stage, Nagoya rock duo Kuroyume will get things going at 11.30am, shortly before LiSA – who anime fans know from Demon Slayer and Sword Art Online – heads to Marine Stage around midday.
Pop artist Juju is programming Saturday’s Beach Stage this year, which opens with Osaka’s Pushim at 1.55pm. The same stage also features performances from New York alternative hip hop pioneers Digable Planets and multi-hyphenate artist Common later in the day.
As the temperature cools, the Marine Stage will begin to fill up in time for Yungblud’s set just after 4pm, and anyone who saw footage of his performance at Back to the Beginning festival will be looking to grab a good spot. Bloc Party will start the evening’s programming at Sonic Stage from 5.25pm, which will likely remain full for prodigious neo-soul duo Domi and JD Beck, who have a history of packing out shows in Japan.
Around the same time, metalheads and fans of over-the-top spectacle will likely be heading to the Mountain Stage for Babymetal. This year will mark their eighth Tokyo Summer Sonic performance, which, with a new album on the way, will likely feature some surprises. Saturday night will wrap up with sets from The Prodigy and Fall Out Boy on the Mountain Stage and Marine Stage, and Ai and Juju performing together at the Beach Stage.
Day 2 – Sunday
The second day’s line-up is decidedly more pop-oriented and, as the sun resumes its unforgiving ascent, the recently announced Mrs. Green Apple and J-pop group Ini will open their respective Marine and Mountain stages at 11am.
Sunday’s Beach Stage programming is organised by Lollapalooza headliner Feid. Taking responsibility for curation (and apparently expenses), the Colombian singer, songwriter and producer has put together an exciting international line-up of reggaeton, hip hop, R&B and electronic artists including Def Tech, Iri, Rip Slyme, Perro Negro, Bomba Estéro and Tainy.
Over at the Mountain Stage at 2.25 pm, LA-based Tinashe is back in Japan for the second time this year, capitalising on the success of her 2024 album Quantum Baby. Ai and Jorja Smith hit the same stage at 3.40pm and 5pm.
Also at 3.40pm, Korean hip hop artist Lee Young Ji hits the Pacific Stage with Tokyo’s BMSG Posse and Thailand's Jeff Satur also on shortly after. Pop artist Lana would be remiss not to perform her single ‘Makuhari’ over at the Sonic Stage from 5.40pm.
Meanwhile, the Marine Stage will likely start filling up from around 4pm for Camila Cabello, followed by Korean hyperpop outfit Aespa. Alicia Keys will be rounding out the Marine Stage’s programming with Feid, Yuri and JVKE wrapping things up at the Beach, Mountain and Sonic stages.
Also on the program in Tokyo this year is the Thursday night pre-party Sonicmania and Saturday’s late-night event Midnight Sonic, both taking place at Makuhari Messe. Sonicmania will see performances from The Prodigy, French producer Gesaffelstein, England’s Floating Points and Common.
This year’s Midnight Sonic is programmed by ’90s hip hop group M-flo and will feature performances from themselves plus Teriyaki Boyz, Dongrosso, Tofubeats and heaps more. Anyone with a Summer Sonic ticket can also head to Midnight Sonic; otherwise, separate tickets are available for ¥8,000.
For this year’s full Summer Sonic Tokyo and Osaka timetables as well as more info on Sonicmania and Midnight Sonic, head to the official website.
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