The HFStival Is Back! [UPDATED]

Jason Herman
June 18, 2024

The HFStival Is Back! [UPDATED]

Jason Herman
June 18, 2024

Updated June 18th, 2024 at 11:00 AM] 

Last week, I.M.P. and the Washington Nationals announced that HFStival is returning to Washington, D.C. after more than a decade, and a ticket lottery was immediately launched.

Fans lucky enough to score tickets through the lottery will be notified no later than Friday afternoon. But for those who didn’t register (or didn’t get selected), I.M.P. announced there are two new ways to get in.

In response to the demand, and the nostalgia for buying HFStival tickets in person, I.M.P. will be releasing a limited number of upper deck tickets priced at $99.10, as a nod to the place on the dial of the radio station that started it all. These tickets will ONLY be available in person at the 9:30 Club box office on Saturday, one day only, June 22, starting at 9 a.m. Everyone who buys tickets this Saturday at the 9:30 Club box office will also get a commemorative HFStival 2024 poster, and Capitol Snow will be providing free snowballs onsite to keep fans cool. As always, there are no additional service fees at I.M.P. box offices and only credit cards are accepted. 

Additionally, the remaining tickets in the lower levels will go on sale at Ticketmaster.com this Saturday, June 22 at 9 a.m. 

After nearly twenly long years DC's most beloved and storied one day festival triumphantly returns - HFStival!  Whether you’re a veteran HFStival-goer or you’ve only heard the epic tales of the fabled fest, this is your chance to be a part of the concert event of the year at Nationals Park on September 21.  This will be a show for everyone who went to HFStival in decades past and those who weren’t around to be a part of the scene."

In 2005, D.C.’s first and longest-running progressive rock station moved from its place on the dial. While it was missed after its fade-out from terrestrial radio relevance, what left the greatest void was its most famous creation…the HFStival.

Starting in 1990, the HFStival was a yearly monster of an event that sold out quickly and featured the absolute best artists of that era each year.  The monsters of the era were everpresent at RFK Stadium from 1993 to 2004 as 55,000 to 90,000 people filled the stadium to capacity.  In later years the festival made its home at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, and then Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.  During its heyday acts like Garbage, The Ramones, Rage Against The Machine, Green Day, Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, No Doubt, Beck, Oasis, blink-182, and The Offspring (to name a few) filled the stadium while up and comers performed on smaller stages in the parking lots.

The Washington Nationals and I.M.P. are reviving HFStival to cater to the recent explosion of acts from that era.

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business, selling more tickets than they ever came close to back in the day, so it all made sense to bring back the HFStival,” said Seth Hurwitz, owner of I.M.P. - the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and The Atlantis and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre.

HFStival is returning Saturday, September 21 at Nationals Park, billed as “One Day, One Stage” featuring The Postal Service , Death Cab For Cutie, Incubus, Bush, Garbage, Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit.

HFStival 2024 Poster

HFStival 2024 Poster (Click to Enlarge)

To give fans an equal shot at securing tickets, HFStival will use a lottery system, which is open now through midnight, Sunday, June 16. This is the same lottery system that was used for the The Atlantis's  "First of 44."  Everyone has the same chance of scoring tickets and no one has to camp out overnight next to a Ticketmaster equiped store like everyone had to do back in the 1990s - everyone has the same chances to enter from the comfort of their own home or mobile device.

Those entering the lottery will be made aware if their ticket order will be fulfilled by June 21. To register for the lottery, click here.



Ticket Options

HFStival 2024 Seating Map

Orange: Pit Standing Room Only - $250 each + fees.

Purple: Reserved P1 - Seated - $250 each + fees.

Reserved: P2 - Seating - $150 each + fees

Select all options below for Best Available. Selecting multiple seat preferences will increase your chance of getting tickets.

You may select up to 8 tickets. If you select 8 tickets and your request is confirmed, all 8 tickets will be assigned in the same seating section. Tickets will NOT be split across seating areas.


Blue: VIP  - $475 each + fees

VIP tickets must be requested in pairs. Each ticket includes: 1 great field seat, VIP Parking (1 spot for every 2 tickets in Garage C), exclusive PNC Diamond Club Access from doors to 6PM with complimentary select draft beer, ballpark fare, & soft drinks; cash bar, samples, and coupons for concessions, exclusive restroom, and A/C; access to the Dugout Lounge on the field - in the actual dugout, featuring cash bar, drink specials, and sampling; swag including exclusive HFStival VIP T-shirt, festival poster, 9:30 Festival Pack, and Nats Baseball Cap.

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About the author

Jason Herman

A 24x7 member and Photo Editor of DC Music Review. Jason has been passionate about music since his earliest days and is especially excited about the music scene around his adopted hometown, Washington DC.

Capturing the magic of hundreds of concerts and countless music festivals under his belt, you can find him at concerts around the country but especially in his adopted hometown of Washington, D.C. Before turning his lens to music, Jason followed professional cyclists around the U.S. Domestic Circuit and tallest mountains of Europe.


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