Last weekend I had the pleasure of being able to attend Welcome To Rockville for the first time. For those who don’t know, Welcome To Rockville is on of the largest rock festivals in the US, spanning four days with five different stages with acts ranging on the alternative music scale from 3OH!3 to Guns N Roses.
The main question I got asked upon my return by Rockvillian vets and those who had never been was: is it worth it to attend? So lets break down my recap of Rockville from the positives, cons and quirks of the festival.
Background
A little background about me and my experience with festivals as I think it’s important to give context before we dive into my personal preferences. I only started my festival journey in my late 20’s, with my first-ever being When We Were Young in 2024 and my second being Vans Warped Tour in Orlando the following year. As far as festivals are concerned, I am for sure a newbie to the scene, especially a four-day festival of this caliber. I am also a Florida native, born and raised in South Florida having recently retreated a bit more north to escape the hellscape that is the heat (we can acknowledge Florida is hot Floridians, there’s no sticker for pretending it isn’t).
Day One
Day one of Rockville was really about getting the lay of the land. We stayed at a hotel on the beach and parked daily, costing us $60 a day. I will say entering and exiting the festival everyday was extremely easy and very streamlined. I had zero issues other than the six blisters that were screaming at me on the walk back to the car at the end of day one. I got to see sets from favorite artists of mine like State Champs, The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade. I also got to see artists I don’t think I would ever see if not for this festival like Staind, Alice Cooper and Guns N Roses. It is actually still very baffling to me that I can say I have seen Guns N Roses perform live.
I noticed is expertly laid out in the actual Daytona International Speedway, which in of itself is extremely cool. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the drone footage of crowds at closers, but as someone who was in that crowd it did not feel like there were that many people there at all. Unless you were pretty deep in the pit, you had plenty of space to dance, or even sit on a blanket as many did after a long day of dancing and walking around.
Day Two
Day two with more of my bearings intact, I was able to see sets from artists like Hollywood Undead, and as we headed to Poppy we got evacuated due to severe weather for a couple hours. Literally, Poppy played for a minute and 28 seconds (I have the video of the entire set if you can call it that) up until the moment she was cut off so we could evacuate. Once we were back in, unfortunately, Poppy’s set had been cut among other artists such as Black Veil Brides. We were unsure how the rest of the day would play out, and decided to leave at that point and come back the next day.
Day Three
We started day three getting notified that A Day To Remember was going to be doing a pop-up set containing songs off their record For Those Who Have Heart. Naturally, we booked it to the Speedway as soon as possible, and we were not disappointed. They played this set in front of the Kona skate ramp, and had skateboarders as they played a set that felt very reminiscent of the early 2000’s in the best way. It was the highlight of my trip, as growing up I wasn’t allowed to attend shows, and this for me felt incredibly healing as this is one of my favorite records. Following that set, I had to visit the med tent as I noticed I was dizzy, and pressure was building in my right temple.
I have to take a moment to acknowledge the staff of Rockville, from security dancing during sets to the med tent attendants being so incredibly helpful and kind. I was given a cold towel and escorted to a very cold coach bus to wait as my body temperature regulated. I hung out for about 30 minutes, felt so much better and left to resume my time at the festival. Catching sets from artists like Holding Absence, 3OH!3, and Waka Flaka Flame before once again being evacuated due to extreme weather. I was sick, and took the opportunity to leave. However, my friend assisting TPM caught the sets of Flyleaf, Lamb Of God, and of course, Bring Me The Horizon, all of which she said were incredible.
Day Four
Starting day four pretty late actually, as the festival experienced another evacuation in the early part of the day, so we chose to wait until the all clear was given to make our way over. Starting the day with All Time Low, and following to see sets from Bodysnatcher, Sleeping With Sirens, Coheed and Cambria, Yellowcard, Rise Against, A Day To Remember, and, of course, My Chemical Romance. I was finally feeling better this day, so for me this was my most successful and fun day. Every band for the most part sounded so incredible, aside from MCR at the end, as they sounded a little muffled for some reason.
Thats the recap, lets dive into the pros/cons so you can decide for yourself if Rockville is worth a visit:
Pros
- Super attentive staff, who are very kind and helpful with whatever you may need to make the most of your Rockville experience.
- The layout itself manages crowd control in a way that is truly masterful, you almost never feel too crowded or have a fear of being crowd crushed.
- The Garage Stage was tented and fanned for the first time this year, which was incredibly helpful in managing in the heat.
- More refill stations gave Rockvillians more opportunities to hydrate.
- Massive misting fans all over the festival as well as shaded tents gave much needed reprieve and rest from the Florida sun.
- So many artists you likely know, and some you didn’t. Rockville gives you the chance to see and experience so much alternative music.
- A really cool place where you can meet a bunch of people who love the same thing you do.
- Camping specifically offers re-entry, and shuttles to the beach during festival hours.
Cons
- Let’s get it out of the way, it is hot. It’s Florida in May, and the first day of the festival we saw a temperature of 107 degrees. If you are a person who doesn’t handle the heat well due to medical conditions, or simply it is difficult for you, I would plan accordingly or attend another festival. I cannot stress how hot it is, don’t let anyone downplay it.
- Speaking of Florida, in May we start to see an increase of larger storms as we head into hurricane season. Rockville is a rain or shine event, meaning if they evacuate due to severe weather, there is a very real possibility your favorite artist’s set will get cut or pushed back. Not to say it will, it’s just a reality I would make peace with if you plan to attend. Danny Wimmer Presents has spoken about always looking to improve Rockville as they’ve heard the complaints about the weather, but whether or not they move the location or date of the festival is yet to be seen.
- Food is expensive (not a Rockville thing, more a festival thing in general) with food averaging $20 per meal. If you’re there all day you can easily spend $60-$80 per person and over four days that does add up.
- Parking is also $60 a day, but then again the ride shares to get there or back are usually $60 each way – so parking does actually save you money.
Overall, I do think Rockville is worth it, but I will acknowledge that due to the weather it may just take more planning to enjoy yourself. Bringing cold towels, a frozen water bottle, eating before/after, finding and knowing where the med tents are, etc.
Let us know if you’ve been to Rockville, and whether or not you think it is worth it! Big thank you to DWP and Rockville for inviting TPM to Daytona, I am proud to officially be part of the Rockvillian club.
