Nostalgic ‘90s babies and fans of the era, it’s finally time to break out your Walkmans and glitter lip gloss for the revival of one of the area’s largest alternative music festivals.

HFStival, the colossal yearly event that ran from 1990 to 2006, will be making its return this September at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The festival regularly featured some of the best artists of the time, from Oasis and No Doubt to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. This year’s lineup will feature performances from The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Incubus, Girl Talk, Bush, Garbage, Jimmy Eat World, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter and Lit.

WHFS, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.’s longest-running and first free-form alternative rock radio station behind the festival, shut down in 2005. The HFStival was held again in 2010 and 2011 — both at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia — but hadn’t surfaced since.

Broadcasting company Audacy, who owns the name of the event, struck an agreement with I.M.P., D.C.’s independent concert promotion company and venue conglomerate, to renew the event despite the discontinuation of the WHFS station.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Seth Hurwitz, 65, owner of I.M.P, grew up in Potomac and landed a DJ job at WHFS when he was 17. His new wave taste at the time, which the station later adopted, led to Hurwitz being fired from the station. He’s now part of the group ushering in the rebirth of its most famous event

With a recent spike in the interest for older kinds of acts and bands, the return of HFStival seemed inevitable, Hurwitz said.

Read More

Kevin Spacey says he’s millions of dollars in debt ahead of Baltimore home auction

Baltimore’s Clavel misses out, but Easton chef Harley Peet wins James Beard Award

Five things to do during Baltimore Pride week

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business, selling more tickets than they ever came close to back in the day, so it all made sense to bring back the HFStival,” Hurwitz said in a statement.

A ticket lottery has been implemented for the Sept. 21 event, which, which Hurwitz considers a “fan-friendly system” to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of attending the sought-out event. The lottery is open now through June 16 at 11:59 p.m., with prices ranging from $150 to $250, depending on where you are seated.

The nostalgia may be for 30 years ago, but the prices are decidedly 2024.