Rockstar isn’t just dropping a game in November. It’s throwing a party in the real life version of Vice City, with Grand Theft Auto VI: The Festival landing at Mana Wynwood in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District on November 21, two nights after the game finally arrives.
The one night, two stage event is produced by Rockstar and PlayStation, and the lineup reads like the in-game radio come to life. Travis Scott leads the hip-hop side, bringing Cactus Jack signees Don Toliver and Sofaygo along with him.
Cardi B, Kodak Black and Metro Boomin round out the rap contingent. On the Latin side, Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso, Tainy and Rauw and Friends are set to perform, a nod to both the Miami crowd and the game’s Florida setting.
Then there’s the dance programming. Justice are on the bill alongside Prospa going back to back with Skream, Nick León with DJ Python, and The Dare paired with Fcukers.
Justice might be the most interesting name on the poster. The French electronic duo composed Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score, due December 11, which promises 30 compositions tuned to the different ways players move through Vice City and the state of Leonida.
Two of those tracks have already been announced. “Flower in a Hurricane” pulls in Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, while “Pusher” features fellow French producer Gesaffelstein.
Several festival acts already have music confirmed in the game itself. Travis Scott has “RHYNO,” Cardi B has “Don’t Chart,” Kodak Black has “Skrilla,” and Rauw Alejandro has “Macacoa 2000,” according to a running list compiled by NME.
Metro Boomin appears on Yung Lean’s “That’s It” alongside Future, and Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso land on “Sexy Magic” with PinkPantheress, Fred again.. and Etienne de Crécy.
The wider tracklist swings wildly, from Bad Bunny and Sexyy Red to Slayer, Loretta Lynn and Phil Collins, and the full picture probably won’t be clear until launch.
Getting in won’t be simple. Tickets are only available through a lottery for fans with an active DICE account, and entries close on November 10 at 4 p.m. ET.
If demand for the game is any guide, plenty of people are going to walk away empty handed. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, whose company owns Rockstar, told Variety that presales are “running far in excess of our expectations.”
He was careful not to celebrate early, though. “That’s a good thing. That said, we never claim success before it occurs. So we’re just days away from beginning to see the fruits of our labor,” he said.
That measured tone tracks with how much is riding on this release. Grand Theft Auto VI hits PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on November 19, priced at $79.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.
For Miami players, that leaves a tight window. Two days of chaos in Leonida, then a night out in Wynwood with the same artists piping through their car stereos, provided the lottery goes their way.
