Third Eye Blind will close out the three-day Rock the Locks Music Festival on Sept. 28, 2025, at Big River Golf Course in Umatilla. (Kylie Spinelli/Contributed Photo )

Music festival is Sept. 26-28 in Umatilla

UMATILLA — Rock the Locks Music Festival is tuning up for its third year Sept. 26-28 at Big River Golf Course.

“One thing we’re really excited about is how well-rounded the lineup is,” said Luke Romero, Umatilla Parks and Recreation manager. “We’ve got some heavy-hitters in the rock scene … as we continue to blend national acts with standout regional bands.”

Nightly headliners

A post-grunge/alt-metal group, Seether (Friday, Sept. 28), formed in South Africa in 1999 as Saron Gas. They changed their name in 2002 when moving to the United States to avoid confusion with the deadly chemical, sarin gas. Their 2007 album, “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces,” garnered the band’s first South African Music Award in the Best Rock: English category and received an MTV Africa Music Award for Best Alternative Artist.

Featuring pop-punk-rock sounds, The All-American Rejects (Saturday, Sept. 27) formed in 1999 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They received accolades in their home state, winning the 2008 Rising Star award from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. The band also won best group video for “Move Along” during the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Another fan-favorite, “Swing, Swing,” gained traction on the soundtrack for the series premiere of Fox’s “The O.C.”

Closing out the festival is Third Eye Blind (Sunday, Sept. 28), an American rock band formed in San Francisco and known for its alt-rock, pop and post-grunge edginess. Their 1997 self-titled debut album spawned five hit singles, including “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Jumper,” which also charted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. Sparrow Sleeps collaborated with the band for the March 2025 release, “Slumber Gods,” an album of lullaby renditions of Third Eye Blind songs.

Featuring more than two dozen musical acts, other lead performers are Skillet, Black Veil Brides, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Steven Adler (of Guns n’ Roses fame), Black Stone Cherry, Dorothy, Blacktop Mojo, Enuff Z-Nuff, Dirty Honey, Crazy Lixx and Paralandra. Also, several acts with regional ties will play, including Blue Tattoo, RAIL, Fastlane and Hillstomp.

Romero said attendance during the inaugural event was about 8,000 people over the weekend, with the second year experiencing an increase. Early ticket sales for the 2025 event are trending up.

“We’ve had more people buying earlier this year than ever before, which shows growing excitement and word-of-mouth,” he said. “That’s a good sign not just for the festival itself, but for the impact it has on the city and local businesses.”

Be a part of the festival

Romero said there are volunteer opportunities to help with the festival, including parking, ticketing, hospitality, merchandise sales and more. In addition to receiving free festival passes, he said volunteers get to be a part of something special that brings energy to the city of Umatilla.

“Rock the Locks is more than a music festival, it’s a community event,” he said. “Every year, we see local businesses benefit, families come out and enjoy the weekend, and visitors fall in love with our town.”

For more information, for tickets or to submit a volunteer application, visit www.rockthelocks.org. For questions, call 541-800-8864.

Ticket information

• Three-day general admission: $209
• Daily general admission: $89-$99
• Three-day VIP passes: $499
• Single-day VIP: $169-$179
• Parking: $20-$80
• Tent camping: $90-$99
• RV camping: $289