Punk Rock Festivals 2015

The combination of punk rock and bowling has been a successful pairing for nearly two decades for the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival in Las Vegas. The event has officially announced Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, and Refused as its headliners for its 17th annual event in May 2015.

Festival founder Mark Stern said in a press release, “We are excited to bring Punk Rock Bowling back to downtown Las Vegas, which has been our new home for the past five years. What better place is there than Vegas for 20, 000 punk rockers to travel from all over the world for a weekend of mayhem, bowling, poker, pool parties, late night club shows, and of course the best punk rock outdoor festival in North America.”

Stern added, “Punk rock music is a way of life, it’s the unwanted step child, it’s a community unlike any other and this event is a celebration of its existence as one of the most influential forms of music in the past 30 years.” In addition to the headliners, confirmed acts so far include Murder City Devils, Discharge, the Business, the Muffs, Bad Manners, and the Swingin’ Utters. Tickets go on sale in January at punkrockbowling.com.

Fronted by Tim Armstrong, Rancid has been among punk’s most popular bands for the past 20 years, with albums like Let's Go and , its first album in five years, which in true punk rock style packs in 14 songs in less than 33 minutes.

Since the ‘90s, the Boston-area Dropkick Murphys have been one of punk rock’s most identifiable bands thanks to their infusion of Celtic sounds with traditional punk rock. The bagpipes, accordion and other unusual instruments that add an Irish element to their music have helped the band achieve a string of Top 10 albums. The third headliners, Swedish punk rockers Refused, will be a highly anticipated act since they have not performed in America since Coachella 2012.

The Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival kicks off on May 22 with late-night club shows, with the full three-day festival beginning on May 23. The event takes place on E. Stewart Ave. in downtown Vegas and will feature plenty of additional bands to be announced, as well as a bowling tournament consisting of 250 four-person teams competing for $15, 000 in total prize money.