The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up contains Japanese rock musicians from major and independent record companies, plus international acts. In 2017, the festival was expanded to include Shanghai, China. History Summer Sonic Festival was founded in 2000 in Japan, by Naoki Shimizu, CEO of Tokyp promotions company Creativeman Productions Ltd. Addressing the ever-growing demand for western music, the festival drew established and emerging musical acts of most genres to become, by 2010, Japan's biggest music event. The Chiba event takes place every August at the massive Makuhari Messe convention center, which overlooks Tokyo Bay, and at the Zozo Marine Stadium. In Osaka, the venue is Maishima Sonic Park. At all venues, there is always a large arena main stage and several other smaller stages. In 2011, the festival established Sonicmania, whose focus is on Electronic dance music (EDM). It is held at Makuhari Messe the day before the festival. In 2012, Creativeman formed a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment. In 2014, Live Nation bought full control of the festival. The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a truncated version, branded as 'Supersonic', took place in September 2021 with restrictions in place and a typhoon affecting day one. Possibly because of the logistics of moving people around during a pandemic, the 2021 line-up was mainly electronic. Controversy arose when some international DJs were allowed into Japan without having to quarantine. Performances Line-ups for the festival in past years are as follows, the artists that in bold are the headlining acts for that year. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Canceled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. 2021 2022 See also List of historic rock festivals List of music festivals Notes References External links Official site (in Japanese) Official site 2009 (in English) Official site 2008 (in English) Official site 2007 (in English) Music festivals in Japan Summer festivals Rock festivals in Japan Tourist attractions in Chiba Prefecture Chiba (city) Konohana-ku, Osaka Tourist attractions in Osaka Festivals in Osaka Prefecture Electronic music festivals in Japan Music festivals established in 2000 Music festivals