WonderBus Festival Topped By Pitbull, Demi Lovato, Caamp Aug. 25-27 In Columbus

wonderbus2023

Columbus, Ohio’s WonderBus Music & Arts Festival’s fourth edition will return to The Lawn at CAS Aug. 25-27, topped by Pitbull, Demi Lovato and Caamp.

Taking place on three stages and produced by Cleveland-based Elevation Festivals, WonderBus 2023 will also feature Sean Kingston, Big Freddia, Oliver Tree, Surfaces, Chelsea Cutler, Portugal. The Man, Brittany Howard, and still more.

Day three, headlined by hometown heroes Caamp, will feature a RADD Stage (Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving), curated by Caamp and featuring four Central Ohio artists — Parker Louis, Speaking Suns, Joey Aich and A-Go-Go.

Tickets go on sale Monday, March 13.

The event includes a focus on mental health education, treatment and research, with $5 from most ticket purchases benefiting The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health and On Our Sleeves®, the Movement for Children’s Mental Health.

The WonderBus announcement comes as the latest rollout from Elevation Festivals, which in 2023 is also staging WonderStruck in Cleveland July 8-9, topped by Khalid, Walker, Nelly, and Flo Rida. Returning for after it’s inaugural 2022 is WonderRoad in Indianapolis, June 17-18 at Garfield Park, topped by Weezer and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit.

Also on tap is WonderWorks Pittsburgh, May 27-28, topped by Hozier and Jason Mraz and his Superband at Heartwood Acres Park. Although this year sees the first WonderWorks event, last year Elevation partnered with record label Maple House for the Maple House Music & Arts Festival in 2022, topped by Jason Isbell and Black Pumas.

Elevation Group President Denny Young previously told Pollstar of the strong response to WonderRoad particularly, which was a promising sign heading into 2023 after a challenging 2022 following macroeconomic issues affecting consumer spending habits.

However, he remains focused on adding new events to the portfolio in underserved markets and continuing successful festivals

“You work your way through difficult times and keep going,” Young said at the end of 2022. “If I let one or two awkward and difficult years derail the whole operation, I would have demonstrated I wasn’t that serious about this.”