Pot of Gold Music Festival 2016: A Field Guide to This Weekend's Event in Chandler

As you might expect, Saint Patrick’s Day is traditionally cause for much celebration. Typically, that includes (but is by no means limited to) parties where live music and adult beverages are in abundance, enlivened affair filled with fun, and events where everyone’s wearing something green.

Such will certainly be the case during Saint Pat’s 2016 across the Valley (as evidenced by all the events in our annual party guide) and most definitely down at Rawhide Western Town in Chandler during the Pot of Gold Music Festival.

The two-day outdoor concert event kicks off on Thursday, March 17, during the thick of the Saint Patrick’s hullabaloo. Unlike most of the green-themed fiestas, however, the festival will last into the weekend (long after most cats have tossed their funny hats into the trash) with a second day of performances from attention-grabbing and chart-topping artists and bands on Saturday, March 19.

Both days will feature a slew of hip-hop, reggae, and rock artists, including such heavy hitters as Future, Big Sean, Ty Dolla Sign, 311, Rebelution, Rae Sremmurd, Earl Sweatshirt, Slightly Stoopid, and Atmosphere.

For those planning to follow the rainbow all the way to Rawhide in Chandler for Pot of Gold 2016, we’ve assembled a guide containing anything and everything you might want to know about the festival, including who’s performing, when you can go to see ‘em, and what you’ll need to do to prepare for the event.

Where and When: The Pot of Gold Music Festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, and from noon until 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, at Rawhide Western Town, 5700 West North Loop Road in Chandler.

Lineup: Artists and acts scheduled to perform at this year’s festival include Future, Slightly Stoopid, Atmosphere, Dirty Heads, Ty Dolla Sign, Fishbone, Fayuca, Clairevoyant Sound, Figureitout, 21st Century, Jake Eff, Tabfn, on Rockwell Z on Thursday, March 17; while the second day on Saturday, March 19, will feature Big Sean, 311, Rebelution, Rae Sremmurd, Earl Sweatshirt, Protoje, Cozz, Katastro, Mouse Powell, Black Bottom Lighters, Sunset Voodoo, Barefoot, Intrinzik, Haze, Delly Everyday, and Nile Ross.

Prices: General admission tickets are $65 for Thursday and Saturday and a festival pass covering both days is $110. If you’d like to attend in style, however, VIP packages are available for $175 per day or $300 for the entire festival and include such perks as separate check-in and viewing areas, private restrooms, bottle service, and a slew of branded shwag (read: a t-shirt, sunglasses, beer koozie, and tote).

Age Limits: Pot of Gold is open to concertgoers of all ages. Keep in mind, however, that some of the lyrical content of certain bands and musicians is possibly geared for more mature listeners. 

Getting There: Rawhide is located in the southeast Valley next to the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler. If you're driving, take Interstate 10 to Exit 162 for Wild Horse Pass/Sundust Road. Head west from there and follow the signs for Rawhide or the event itself. You can park your ride for $10 each day. 

Weather: You’ll be spending a day in the sun, since it going to be quite warm. Temps will top out around 88 degrees during the afternoon and get as low as the 50s at night. Dress accordingly and have plenty of water within easy reach.

Water: No, seriously. We can't emphasize this enough. You'll be losing fluids due to the heat and will absolutely need to be replacing it throughout the daytime and even after dark. As such, hit up the free water station that will be available outside of Independence Hall, purchase bottles from vendors, or work in the occasional glass between rounds of beer or cocktails.  


Food and Drink: There will be no shortage of either at Pot of Gold. Food trucks and vendors will be hanging out along the southern edge of the festival and serving up both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options both days. The lineup includes such companies as Desert Sno Shaved Ice, Island Noodles, The Juicery, Meltdown Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Pork on a Fork, San Francisco Chocolate Factory, Indonesian Satay, and State Fair Old Fashioned Lemonade. A pair of bars stocked with beers, wines, and spirits will also be set up in the general admission sections with one available in the VIP area.

Set Times and Schedules: Pot of Gold patrons won’t miss a minute of music served up by either the headliners or local acts, thanks to the staggered setup of the festival. To wit: Performances on the main stage will alternate with those on the local stage and vice-versa, allowing time to take in every single artist scheduled to appear. Here’s the rundown of each day’s lineup.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17:
Gates at 1 p.m.

MAIN STAGE:
2:00 p.m.: Fishbone
3:45 p.m.: Ty Dolla $ign
5:15 p.m.: Dirty Heads
7:00 p.m.: Atmosphere
8:30 p.m.: Slightly Stoopid
10:15 p.m.: Future

LOCAL STAGE:
3:15 p.m.: Roxwell Z
3:30 p.m.: Tabfn
4:45 p.m.: Jake Eff
5:00 p.m.: 21st Century
6:30 p.m.: Figureitout
8:00 p.m.: Clairevoyany Sound
9:35 p.m.: Fayuca

SATURDAY, MARCH 19:
Gates at noon

MAIN STAGE:
1:00 p.m.: Mouse Powell
1:45 p.m.: Katastro
3:05 p.m.: Protoje
4:15 p.m.: Earl Sweatshirt
5:45 p.m.: Rae Sremmurd
7:15 p.m.: Rebelution
9:00 p.m.: 311
11:15 p.m.: Big Sean

LOCAL STAGE:

1:30 p.m.: Nile Ross
2:45 p.m.: Delly Everyday
3:50 p.m.: Haze
5:15 p.m.: Intrinzik
6:45 p.m.: Barefoot
8:30 p.m.: Sunset Voodoo
10:30 p.m.: Black Bottom Lighters
8:00 p.m.: Clairevoyany Sound
9:35 p.m.: Fayuca