SAN DIEGO — With dozens of performances by national, regional and local bands and solo artists, the 2025 edition of Gator by the Bay offers a multitude of enticing musical options at Spanish Landing Park. There will also be Louisiana cooking demonstrations — as befits an event with 10,000 pounds of crawfish — and some of them will feature such Gator music artists as Sugaray Rayford and Steve Riley.

Here’s the lineup for the festival, which takes place Thursday through Sunday, plus our critic’s picks for each day.

Thursday, May 8

events.com Festival Stage

Gypsy Swing Cats, 4:20-5:30 p.m.

Dave Stuckey & The Hoot Owls, 5:50-7 p.m.

Carl Sonny Leyland’s Boogie Woogie Boys, with Mercedes Moore, 7:20-8:40 p.m.

James Intveld and The Honky Tonk Palominos, 9-10:30 p.m.

Critic’s pick: Former Blasters’ member James Intveld doesn’t have a time machine. But his unadulterated brand of country and rockabilly evoke an earthy era when — as Chip Taylor once memorably put it in song — Johnny Cash hadn’t seen this side of the Big River yet.

Friday, May 9

Bourbon Street Stage

Whiskey & Burlap, 4:20-5:10 p.m.

Bonneville 7, with Rip Carson, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Quel Bordel, 6:50-7:40 p.m.

Selwyn Birchwood, 8-9:10 p.m.

Whitney Shay, 9:30-10:30 p.m.

events.com Festival Stage

Ruben Moreno & The Zydeco Re-Evolution, 4:20-5:10 p.m.

Wayne Singleton & Same Ol’ 2 Step, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The Revelers, 6:50-7:50 p.m.

Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, 8:10-9:10 p.m.

Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, 9:30-10:30 p.m.

Critic’s pick: There’s are very sound reasons why Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas and Cajun-music champions Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys are perennial Gator favorites. Both are first-rate Louisiana artists and dance-floor kings whose propulsive music is a consistent delight.

Taste of Louisiana Cooking Stage

Melissa Anderson from Bon Filé Creole Café – gumbo, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Derrick Boykins from Beignet Belly – beignets, 7-8 p.m.

Mitch Olivier from Crawfish Corner – crawfish, 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 10

Mardi Gras Stage

Crown Point Jr. Music Academy, 11-11:50 a.m.

Brian Jones, 12:10-1:10 p.m.

Bill Magee, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Chris Cain, 2:50-3:50 p.m.

Sue Palmer, 4:10-5:10 p.m.

Sugaray Rayford, 5:30-6:40 p.m.

The Farmers, 7-8:10 p.m.

Critic’s pick: San Diego boogie-woogie piano queen Sue Palmer has performed at nearly every edition of Gator since its inception in 2001. She’s a prime purveyor of what I like to call rollick and roll.

Bayou Grove Stage

Harmonica John, 11-11:50 a.m.

Billy Watson, 12:10-1:10 p.m.

Herman Fusilier, with Blake Miller, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Herman Fusilier, with Nathan Williams, 2:50-3:50 p.m.

Gregory Page, 4:10-5 p.m.

Louisiana Cultural Presentation “Talk Like a Leauxcal”, 5:10-6 p.m.

Nathan James, 6:10-7 p.m.

Zavala Sol, 7:20-8:10 p.m.

Taste of Louisiana Cooking Stage

Derrick Boykins from Beignet Belly – beignets, 12-1 p.m.

Melissa Anderson from Bon Filé Creole Café, with special guest Sugaray Rayford – gumbo, 2-3 p.m.

Mitch Oliver from Crawfish Corner – crawfish, 4-5 p.m.

Adriana Guevara from The Shellfish Affair – oysters, 6-7 p.m.

Bourbon Street Stage

Johnny Vernazza, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Chris Fast Band, 12:20-1:30 p.m.

Mitch Polzak, 1:50-3 p.m.

Chunky Hustle Brass Band, 3:20-4:20 p.m.

Fuzzy Rankins 4:40-5:40 p.m.

Ass Pocket Whiskey Fellas, 6-7 p.m.

The Sleepwalkers, 7:20-8:20 p.m.

events.com Festival Stage

Farm Truck, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Ruben Moreno & The Zydeco Re-Evolution, 12:20-1:30 p.m.

Wayne Singleton & Same Ol’ 2 Step, 1:50-3:10 p.m.

Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, 3:30-5 p.m.

Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, 5:20-6:40 p.m.

The Revelers, 7-8:20 p.m.

Sunday, May 11

Mardi Gras Stage

Montgomery M.S. Rock Band,11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Manny Cepeda, 12:20-1:30 p.m.

Bayou Brothers 1:50-2:50 p.m.

D.K. Harrell, 3:10-4:20 p.m.

Ozomatli, 4:40-6 p.m.

Michelle Lundeen, 6:20-7:20 p.m.

Critic’s pick: Recently turned 27, Louisiana-bred vocal and guitar sensation D.K. Harrell is a blues fireball who lights up any stage he’s on. Seeing him at Gator will give you bragging rights after he becomes a national headliner, a status he is fast on his way to achieving.

Bayou Grove Stage

Robin Henkel, 11 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

Louisiana Cultural Presentation “Talk Like a Leauxcal”, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Herman Fusilier, with Steve Riley, 1:50-2:50 p.m.

Sara Petite, 3:10-4:20 p.m.

Herman Fusilier, with Wayne Singleton & Same Ol’ 2 Step, 4:40-5:40 p.m.

Vince Lee & Sophie, 6-7:10 p.m.

Taste of Louisiana Cooking Stage

Derrick Boykins from Beignet Belly – beignets, 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.

Mitch Oliver from Crawfish Corner, with special Guest D.K. Harrell – crawfish, 12:50-1:50 p.m.

Melissa Anderson from Bon Filé Creole Café – gumbo, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Adriana Guevara from The Shellfish Affair – oysters, 4-5 p.m.

Bourbon Street Stage

Bobby Sanchez, 11-11:50 a.m.

Billy Lee & The Gulf Coasters, 12:10-1:10 p.m.

Salty Papa, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Mercedes Moore, 2:50-3:40 p.m.

Euphoria Brass Band, 4-5 p.m.

Kimmi Bitter, 5:20-6:20 p.m.

Chicken Bone Slim, with Laura Chavez, 6:40-7:30 p.m.

events.com Festival Stage

The Gordon Kohl Trio, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

The Revelers, 12:20-1:20 p.m.

Wayne Singleton & Same Ol’ 2 Step, 1:40-2:50 p.m.

Ruben Moreno & The Zydeco Re-Evolution, 3:10-4:20 p.m.

Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, 4:40-5:50 p.m.

Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, 6:10-7:30 p.m.

The 22nd annual Gator by the Bay

Featuring: Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, Sugaray Rayford, D.K. Harrell, Ozomatli, Sue Palmer, The Revelers, Ruben Moreno & Zydeco Re-Evolution, and more

When: 4 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8; 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 9; 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10; 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. May 11

Where: Spanish Landing Park, 3900 North Harbor Drive, across from San Diego International Airport

Tickets: Children 17 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Thursday tickets are $57-$164. Single-day tickets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $68-$88. Three-day weekend passes are $200-$232. Four-day weekend passes are $254-$275. VIP Patron passes are $232-$254 for Saturday or Sunday, $466-$487 for both days, and $612-$633 for all four days. Tickets for Gator’s Saturday night dance are $32. Discounted tickets are available for active-duty military members with ID.

Online: gatorbythebay.com

©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.