Highs and lows at Holo Holo San Diego

Situated along the Southern California coast in San Diego is Petco Park, home to MLB’s San Diego Padres. But on this weekend, Petco Park was more than a professional baseball stadium–it was host to the two-day Holo Holo Music Festival. Founded in 2022, Holo Holo is a travelling music festival that celebrates island culture, people and music. And although the festival is a fairly young festival,  it has experienced significant growth, with nine festival dates in 2025 and some spanning two days. 

This was the festival’s second trip to San Diego in 2025, and this iteration of the festival saw frequent festival headliners, Common Kings and J-Boog, along with The Green, Wyclef Jean, and Josh Tatofi, to name a few. Here were the highlights and lowlights of Holo Holo San Diego: 

High: Big Body Cisco: Once again hosted by Big Body Cisco, the San Francisco native and his DJ kept the energy high and attendees engaged between sets. 

High: A celebration of life: Holo Holo San Diego also served as a tribute to beloved Fijian singer-songwriter and producer, the late George “Fiji” Veikoso, who passed away in July.  Every performer who took to the stage either covered a Fiji song or dedicated a song to him. 

High: Holo Holo is for everybody: Holo Holo touts itself as a family-friendly festival, and entering the festival grounds, it is clear that this event is for all ages and all backgrounds: infants, toddlers, parents, and grandparents, Polynesian, Micronesian, Latino, Black, Asian, etc. For many, the festival probably felt like a family reunion: attendees laid out on picnic blankets or relaxing in lounge chairs, soaking up the late summer weather and accompanying island reggae music. 

High: The great island cookout: Holo Holo not only celebrates the music of the islands, but also the food. The Great Island Cookout was a new component to the festival that featured over 20 food vendors serving Pacific Island-inspired cuisine. The Great Island Cookout was a welcomed alternative to the standard stadium food options and also created an opportunity for festival attendees to support small and some local businesses. 

High: Josh Tatofi: As the sun began to set over the Pacific Ocean, Hawaiian singer and bass player Josh Tatofi delivered an indelible set with his band that was both soulful, bluesy and captivating. 

High: The Green: Although they were not the headliners for Holo Holo San Diego, The Green easily could have been. Fans of roots reggae would deeply appreciate The Green for their sound, heavily inspired by the likes of Bob Marley and Third World. The five-piece band with four lead singers were the penultimate day one performers. Playing some of their most popular songs, their 60-minute set grooved from the first note plucked on their instruments to the last.

High: J Boog: Saturday night’s headliner was American-Samoan reggae singer, J Boog, who, flanked by a full band, delivered an electrifying closing set. Performing hits like “Hear Me Roar,” “Sunshine Girl,” and “Every Little Thing,” J Boog had the crowd moving more than they had all day. In support of fellow Holo Holo artists, J Boog created space for singers from earlier in the day to share the stage and perform with him, including The Green.  J Boog took time to honour the late Fiji with a moving saxophone tribute as well as covers of several of his songs, including “Darkness to Light.” Closing out night one with the sultry “Let’s Do It Again,” J Boog would be a tough act to follow for day two. 

Started as a High: Wyclef Jean: What started out as a very promising performance turned into a head-scratching attempt at social media virality at the end. Award-winning MC, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Wyclef Jean opened his Holo Holo set with The Fugees’ “Ready or Not.” Accompanied by The Refugee Band–which included a drummer, bass player and DJ, ‘Clef–as he is often called–took Holo Holo on a trip down memory lane, performing timeless hits like “We Trying to Stay Alive,” “Maria, Maria,” and an acoustic version of “Gone ‘Til November.” 

During the midway point of his set, in celebration of his Haitian heritage, ‘Clef brought a taste of Carnival to the stage–with Carnival dancers dressed in full costume performing to “Sweetest Girl” and “Party to Damascus”. The most memorable moments of the set were the freestyle over “Ready or Not” and the extended version of “Killing Me Softly”.

Before closing out the set with “Hips Don’t Lie,” Wyclef spent a significant amount of time standing among the crowd and demanding that festival attendees pull out their phones and record the premiere of his new song “to put it on Instagram”. There was a pre-recorded video of comedian Dave Chappelle allegedly introducing the song, but nobody was clear as to what was happening before Wyclef’s DJ played the track. Wyclef wanted attendees to “just listen,” but the attendees were not interested. 

Wyclef’s energy was infectious and it was impressive to see him play several instruments for the duration of his Holo Holo debut set. 

High: Common Kings: While Sunday’s attendance was much lighter than Saturday’s, that was a non-issue for six-piece band Common Kings–somewhat of a staple of Holo Holo. A live performance by Common Kings never disappoints: the live instruments, the visuals, the vocals, the energy from the stage and from the crowd–are what make their shows incredibly impressive. 

Common Kings began their headlining set with a sweet, yet somber, dedication to the life of Fiji. After which, they transitioned into their original songs and had the crowd singing word-for-word. Common Kings’ music is catchy, alluring, emotional and just plain fun. With impeccable vocals and skilful instrumentation, their set included “Raggamuffin,” “Wade in Your Water,” “24/7,” “Alcoholic,” and “Queen Majesty” among others. Common Kings closing out of the festival was the perfect ending to an unforgettable two-day celebration that was Holo Holo. Their vibrant performance and contagious passion left attendees feeling content and fulfilled.

Low: VIP: Unfortunately for those who shelled out hundreds of dollars for VIP tickets, Holo Holo’s VIP areas and amenities left much to be desired. View of the stage? No. Screens to see the stage? Food? No. Seating? Very limited. Brand activations? Non-existent. The one positive was that there was a second VIP section with a full view of the stage, but other than a few tables and a “VIP restroom,” the amenities were nonexistent in that section as well. 

Low: Absence of Female Artists: Another drawback of the festival was the lack of female artists. For a two-day music festival that intends to celebrate reggae music, island people and culture, having Paula Fuga–who is very talented–as the sole female performer is shameful. With the festival happening more frequently, perhaps organisers will do their due diligence to be more inclusive of the numerous, talented female artists who are making significant contributions to reggae and its subgenres.