Billboard music festival coming to Jones Beach

Musicians from a variety of genres are coming together for a music festival at Jones Beach. What makes this event stand out from others is that performances are being put on by artists on today’s top music charts. This is Billboard’s first Hot 100 Music Festival will feature more than 40 acts the weekend of Aug. 22-23.

“It seemed like a natural progression,” said Billboard Entertainment President John Amato. “With festivals growing in popularity, it felt completely organic for Billboard to launch our own festival featuring today’s chart toppers.”

The next step was finding a venue, and Amato said that choosing Nikon at Jones Beach Theater was an easy decision. He spoke about how people love seeing shows outside over the summer. This gave Billboard the idea to transform Jones Beach into a venue with three stages, a designated beach party area and a layout Amato says will “blow people’s minds.”

“There are going to be so many popular acts at my favorite venue,” said Briana Bonfiglio, 18, of Seaford, as she spoke about how much she enjoys going to shows at Jones Beach.

Acts being featured include Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Skrillex, among many other well-known performers. This includes alternative R&B act The Weekend, whose single “Can’t Feel My Face” has been the most purchased song on iTunes for the past few weeks. The biggest acts at the festival will be featured on the main stage, while the lesser-known or up-and-coming artists will be on the Beach Stage and Trending 140 Stage.

“I love many of the EDM artists that are going to be there,” said Mandela Wells, 20, who attends Hofstra University and is excited to be on Long Island for the festival.

“Wow, Holy Ghost! is playing!?” said Joe Tammembaun, 23, of Seaford, after seeing the lineup for the festival.

Another music fan, Theresa Lambert, 21, of Seaford, spoke about how she would love to see rappers like Fetty Wap at Jones Beach. “I would do anything to see ‘679’ live,” she said of one of the musician’s popular songs.

According to Amato, this is only the first of what will be an annual event for Billboard. He sees the festival as more than just a celebration of music at the end of the summer — as an opportunity to emphasize one of Billboard’s main intentions as a company. “The festival will underscore to the music industry and community Billboard’s continued support of artists, both internationally famous as well as those just starting out.”