Three days. An oceanfront setting. A lineup built entirely around the music of the Grateful Dead and Bob Weir. The Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival arrives in Ventura, California, May 29 through 31, and it’s shaping up to be exactly the kind of gathering the Dead community does better than anyone.
Presented by Golden Road Festival, the event takes over the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach at 450 E Harbor Blvd, putting the Pacific Ocean directly behind the stage. Few backdrops suit this music better. The setting alone makes this weekend worth the trip.
The 2026 lineup covers serious ground. Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Stu Allen and The Mars Hotel, Lebo and Friends, Spaga Plays Dead, Jerry’s Dead, Bone Diggers, No Simple Highway, Jax Plays Dead, The McCrees, and the Ventura All Stars are all on the bill. Special guest Don Was also appears as part of the weekend.
After the sun goes down, the festival keeps moving. Late-night programming includes DJ Logic, a Drums and Space Night, and DeadTronica. For anyone who knows how these gatherings work, the after-parties are as essential as the main sets.
This is a festival designed around community as much as music. Deadheads, Bob Weir fans, families, dancers, and first-timers are all welcome. The shared language here is the songs, and those songs have a way of making introductions unnecessary.
Golden Road Festival has built Maybe It Was The Roses around a straightforward idea: bring people together through live music, create space for connection, and let the spirit of the Dead do the rest. It’s a simple formula that the Grateful Dead universe has been proving for decades.
Tickets and package options are available now through Golden Road Ticketing at goldenroadticketing.com. Full festival information is at goldenroadfestival.com.
Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival 2026:
Friday, May 29, 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, 450 E Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001