Hopscotch plans to keep the post-pandemic party going in downtown Raleigh

Driving the news: The festival will take over downtown's City Plaza, Moore Square and several clubs, like Kings and the Lincoln Theatre, from Sept. 5-7.

• This year's lineup includes bands and artists like Waxahatchee, Faye Webster, St. Vincent, Snail Mail and JPEGMafia as well as several comedy acts.
• North Carolina bands playing include MJ Lenderman, Indigo de Souza, Wednesday, the dB's, Fust and the Magic Tuber String Band.

Zoom in: Nathan Price, director of the Hopscotch Music Festival, said he hopes this year's festival matches the success of last year's post-pandemic return, when the festival attracted a strong crowd and the "vibes were high."

• Part of the success, he said, was the festival's decision to get rid of single-day festival passes, in exchange for cheaper three-day passes. He says that has helped sell more tickets and keep crowds coming back each day.
• A three-day, general-admission pass will cost you $159 — though the price was lower when tickets first went for sale.

• If you don't have a ticket, you can attend several day parties across the city, including events at places like Longleaf Swine, Artspace, Gateway Plaza, The Rialto and Ajja.

What they're saying: "Because we are in a city rather than a big field, and we are using existing space and working with local businesses, we don't have the same overhead" as some of the bigger festivals, Price said. "That means we can have cheaper tickets."