Punk Rock Bowling Weekend: More Than Just A Festival.
I can’t really consider myself a veteran, since this will be just my third year, but I have learned a few things. One of the most important is how to plan. My first year, I missed the Thursday night club show (flying in on Friday morning) and was late to the Friday night club show after cashing in the Punk Rock Bowling Poker Tournament. I also underestimated the effects of the time change and the lines at the club shows and wasn’t aware of the crowds that would take over Fremont when they had unrelated concerts in the streets. I didn’t have time to enjoy the pool at The Golden Nugget (with a slide that goes through a shark tank!), and at one point went almost 24 hours without eating. The next year I did better, and this year the whole thing is going to run like a well-oiled machine.
Because Punk Rock Bowling is far more than just the festival, it takes planning to get everything in and still see all of the bands. You can expect a bowling tournament, a poker tournament, book signings, impromptu shows at The Punk Rock Museum, pool parties at The Downtown Grand Citrus Pool Deck, club shows in the evening, and events put on by Punk Rock Saves Lives and several local venues. And you won’t want to miss pizza at Evel Pie.
The Poker Tournament
The annual poker tournament is at the Golden Nugget on Friday, and they release a link to sign up for it just before the festival weekend. Based on the last two years, I’d expect it to be a $130 buy-in, with $100 going towards the prize pool. I cashed in 2023, and the prize pool was over $5,000, with first place cashing $1,848. You have to be 21 or older, but more importantly, you need to have a “Golden Nugget 24k Select” card. If you show up at 5:30 for the tournament without having the card, you will likely miss it. Get over to The Golden Nugget an hour early and head to customer service to apply for the card (which can also be used to track your play time in the casino to earn rewards). You should also be aware of the starting time of the first band you need to see at the Friday night club show, and how long it will take you to get there from The Golden Nugget. If you do well in the poker tournament, it can be a tight timeframe to catch that first band.
The Pool parties
The pool parties are Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning on the roof of the Downtown Grand Hotel (Citrus Pool Deck). Pool parties are free, and you get an early access wristband if you are staying at the hotel. Starting in 2024, you were able to get in without going into the hotel, using a stairway from the side of the building. While I have not seen one sell out, plan to get there early as these parties are literally the highlight of the weekend. You won’t want to miss the late night club shows, but no matter what might be happening between the prior night’s club show and the morning pool party, skip it and get some sleep. Have a quick breakfast and coffee (if you are at the Golden Nugget, there is a Starbucks in the lobby) and then get to the pool party, you won’t regret it. Besides being outside, where there is a mosh pit in the pool and a full bar, you are up close and personal with the bands, and the sound is incredible. They make sure that there is plenty of water and even some food available, but bring sunscreen as you will need it.
Evel Pie. All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein.
Evel Pie (with Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
I’m not going to go too deep into food, as that will be a whole other story in itself. But I will recommend my favorite, Evel Pie (an Evel Knievel-themed pizza restaurant right off of Fremont Street). If you are vegan or vegetarian, this is the spot for you (the Barry White, Fake The Snake, or 420 pizzas are all excellent by the slice). There won’t be a lot of time to eat once you get into the festival and then head directly after to the late-night club shows. Take a few minutes after the pool party to hit a restaurant and get your fill or be prepared to compromise later.
Friday Night Club Shows
It’s too late for 2025, but in future years, make sure to be ready as soon as the late-night club show tickets go on sale to get yours. These do sell out, and it can be difficult to get them later (especially with all of the online ticket scams). There is usually a Thursday club show as well, but this year the word is that they are still working on it and it will be announced later. This year, Friday gives us 6 options at Backstage Bar & Billiards, The Citrus Grand Pool Deck, The Fremont Country Club, The Sand Dollar, Substance, and The Usual Place. These are all walking distance from the two festival-sponsored hotels (The Golden Nugget and The Downtown Grand) as well as the festival. This year I’ll be covering the Incendiary Device/Stalag 13/The Effigies/Negative Approach/7 Seconds show from start to finish at The Fremont Country Club. You can find the exact set times on the Punk Rock Bowling web site, but expect it to start right after the festival ends (with little or no time for dinner) and to go well past midnight.
Saturday Night Club Shows
If you are going to bounce between club shows on the same night, the best bet is between Backstage Bar & Billiards and Fremont Country Club. They are literally right next to each other, with Fremont Country Club being the larger of the two. For anyone not from Las Vegas or who hasn’t seen The Koffin Kats (from Detroit), I’d highly recommend that show. Since I’m from Detroit and have seen them quite a few times, you will find me at The Mainliners/The Drowns/The Stitches/Adolescents show, but I also bought a ticket to the show next door with hopes of getting over to catch Good Riddance. That show is also stacked, but I have seen The Last Gang and Strung Out a few times each, and I’m trying to focus on bands I haven’t seen live before. In a perfect world I would also find a way to catch The Briggs, but the best I can hope for now is that they are part of one of the pool parties.
If I hadn’t seen The Briefs at a prior PRB pool party, I would most likely be at the Mystery Actions/Beton Arme/The Briefs/Street Dogs show. Instead, you will find me over at The Usual Place (the smallest of all of the venues) for Civic/The Baboon Show/New Bomb Turks. This is where it usually feels like the weekend is halfway over, and hopefully I will have been pacing myself. Although I hate to miss any of the bands, I may end up going to the club show an hour late so that I can fit in sushi at The Golden Nugget. Red Asian Cuisine is right on the casino floor, and although it’s more pricey than other options, it’s worth it.
Sunday Night Club Shows
Monday Night Club Shows
The surprise guest show is one of the hottest tickets at PRB and usually one of the first to sell out. This year was no different, other than the secret got out early that it will be Cocksparrer. Compromises have to be made somewhere, and this is the day where I may try to fit in an hour in the pool (after the festival) and dinner at a nicer place (there are some great seafood restaurants close by, or more sushi is always an option). I most definitely won’t be missing Cocksparrer. If you missed out on the tickets or love to sing along, the other club show option is Punk Rock Karaoke. If you aren’t familiar with them, they take a cue from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes in that they are a cover band, but this band does punk rock songs (also with an all-star cast) and lets audience members take the mic. If you want to sing, you have to get there as early as possible to sign up.
The Punk rock museum
You most definitely don’t want to miss The Punk Rock Museum while you are at PRB. It’s an Uber away (not in walking distance), but it was only around $20 for the ride, and $20 well spent. Last year we did a guided tour with Jake Kolatis from The Casualties, and it was incredible. We ran into Dez Cadena (Black Flag/The Misfits), Jason Navarro (The Suicide Machines), Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Dave Dictor (MDC), and Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) while we were there and caught impromptu sets from Chaser, The Dwarves, and Conservative Military Image. We missed sets by The Suicide Machines, Guitar Wolf, and The Rumkicks because we didn’t know about them. This year, we are going to get the schedule in advance and plan to catch a few more. The bands play in the Pennywise garage inside of the museum, which is about the size of a small one-car garage (because it is one that Pennywise used to practice in).
Have fun, plan well, and stay hydrated. If you see me out there with my camera, come on over and say hi. 2025 is the 25th anniversary of Punk Rock Bowling, and it’s going to be the one festival to rule them all.
