Same Same But Different Festival is making its return to the shores of Moreno Beach inside Lake Perris State Park for four days on Sept. 28-Oct. 1 packed with music, camping, wellness workshops and a renewed focus on the festival’s beginnings.

“This year, more than ever, I can honestly say we’re getting back to our roots,” Brad Sweet, the event’s co-producer, said during a recent phone interview. “We’re trying to make it a more intimate feeling festival and we’ve accomplished that in little ways, but we know it’s going to make a big impact.”

Founded by Peter Eichar and Sweet in 2018, the festival organizers share a background in music, having spent most of their teenage years and adult lives as touring musicians. Their dream was to bring friends together to create a musical and communal gathering, preferably seaside. The duo felt that Southern California lacked the camaraderie they sought among other festivals in their hometown of Chicago, which ultimately motivated them to build it from the ground up in Lake Perris.

The first event drew around 500 attendees, mainly friends, artists and music enthusiasts for a two-day event. Now, the team has expanded, the artists have grown, the grounds are bigger, and the days are longer, but Sweet said the sense of community remains unchanged.

The event now includes four stages and activities including yoga, hoola hooping, paddle boarding, crafting, painting and workshops that focus on breathwork, meditation reiki and more. These experiences are crucial to the festival’s identity, Sweet said. This year, promoters have opted to forgo selling single-day tickets, focusing on ensuring that fans fully immerse themselves in the experience of camping, dancing and mingling with others.

“So many people leave the festival with friends they were able to meet throughout the weekend, it’s a special thing,” Sweet said. “The purpose of us not wanting to sell single-day tickets is the same reason we do these types of workshops, we want to bring people together. A lot of these workshops that we offer are just different than if you just go to a yoga class, for example, down the street or at a studio. With what we do, it’s guided around meeting each other and interacting with others and introducing yourself to someone new. I just think it overall expands the community feel. You’re not only able to meet new people in new environments, but you’re also able to go a little deeper and think a little deeper. It’s not just a music festival, there’s a sense of mindfulness to it all.”

Sweet also made sure fans were getting a good serving of funk, disco, house, EDM, bluegrass and jam bands in the mix to enjoy. This year’s headliners include Polo & Pan, Griz, Louis The Child and Big Wild, along with sets by What So Not, Hippie Sabotage, Phantoms, Blu DeTiger, Boombox, The Motet, SunSquab, Moontricks, Maddy O’Neal, Flamingosis, Mija, Partiboi69, Cam Steen, Bix King, SoDown, Combover, Mat.Joe, DJ M3 and more.

During the 2022 event, the fest faced the challenge of a severe rainstorm and due to wind concerns, they were advised to take down LED screens during the electronic DJ Griz set, who is now back for his second year, performing his last West Coast gig before going on an indefinite hiatus.

“He’s a big one we are just excited to have, and were honored to have him before his career comes to an end,” Sweet said.

Fans can anticipate newly implemented shuttles services from Los Angeles and San Diego, offering a convenient alternative to driving to the festival grounds. SSBD is now including  80′ x 80′ Group Campsites, enabling crews to camp together and arrive at their convenience. Additionally, they’ve introduced a new Flex Refund Ticket Guarantee, providing attendees the assurance that if they can’t attend, SSBD will refund the ticket in the form of credit towards SSBD 2024 or 2025.

Furthermore, promoters are also offering various ways for attendees to save, with group discounts when folks buy a pack of six tickets or more, military discounts, group camp scholarships, volunteer options and the freedom for fans to bring their own food and alcohol to enjoy at the campgrounds.

Overall, Sweet’s goal is to create and inclusive and affordable atmosphere, and this year, he believes they’ve succeeded.

“We realized without much effort, we can make it more intimate, affordable and fun, just like we always hoped it would be when we created Same Same But Different Fest and that’s what we did this year,” he said.

Same Same But Different Festival

When: 10 a.m.-midnight Sep. 28-Oct.1

Where: Lake Perris State Park, 18095 Lake Perris Drive, Perris

Tickets: Four-day passes start at $355; VIP four-day passes start at $495; Wednesday early arrival passes are $75; Fast entry passes are $75; Up-front parking lot passes are $155; car-camping campground passes are $155; Vehicle parking passes are $40; group campsites are $1,750; furnished tents start at $1,650; RV camping starts at $265-565. Tickets are available at ssbdfest.com.

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