After taking a year off, Desert Daze makes a BIG return in 2024 with Jack White, Cigarettes After Sex, Alex G, The Mars Volta & more

Desert Daze - 2024 lineup

Desert Daze //
Moreno Beach – Lake Perris, CA‎
October 10th-13th, 2024 //

In an ever-changing world that feels like it’s always moving at 120 mph, spending time away to reflect and recharge can serve as some much-needed respite.

That’s the course Desert Daze chose when the boutique music festival revealed it would be taking 2023 off after a 10th anniversary that saw King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala and Beach House, the latter of which replaced Iggy Pop only a week prior due to unprecedented visa delays with his band, hold down headlining duties as the calendar turned from September to October.

But organizers also didn’t keep fans wondering when an official return to the 1,800-acre Lake Perris State Recreation Area, which has been home to the three-day event presented by Moon Block and Knitting Factory Entertainment since 2018, would happen. There was never a doubt, based on what Desert Daze told us, that it would be back in 2024 — and it’s back this fall in a very BIG way.

The lineup for the fest’s 11th edition might not skew as heavily in the direction of psych-rock as previous iterations, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t boast some considerable star power with Jack White leading the way. Detroit’s modern-day Renaissance man and rock hero dropped a surprise new album last week on vinyl that quickly found its way onto the interwebs, and his first appearance at Daze while occupying the top spot no less marks an important moment — and potential pivot point to bring more mainstream acts to Moreno Beach — in its history.

Also highlighting this year’s stacked bill are Cigarettes After Sex, Alex G, The Mars Volta, Thundercat, Fleet Foxes, 100 gecs, Sleep, Liz Phair, De La Soul, Marc Rebillet, Molchat Doma, The Kills, Floating Points, Power Trip, Beach Fossils, DIIV, Unwound, Shintaro Sakamoto, Danny Brown, Mount Kimbie, and Say She She, but Desert Daze has also leaned into the notion of having some bands perform their seminal albums in full for a live audience. That will once again be the case with Death from Above 1979 and Temples celebrating major milestones for each of their debut albums — 2004’s critically acclaimed You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine‘s and 2014’s Sun Structures, respectively — when they rock the stage in a few months.

Desert Daze tickets will be available to purchase here during the fest’s presale with three-day GA at a starting price of $299 and VIP going for $699 before the general public on-sale begins this Friday, July 26th at 10 a.m. PT. With an artist roster this strong, we won’t be surprised if passes sell out quickly so don’t snooze on what’s sure to be another memorable weekend in the desert!

Desert Daze 2024 - daily lineups

UPDATE (August 20th): Well, look it at what we have here … daily lineups! That’s right — you can start planning ahead with less than three months to go. This year’s Desert Daze sees Alex G and Thundercat billed as co-headliners Friday before Jack White rocks out on Saturday and Cigarettes After Sex closes things out Sunday. Single-day tickets have also become available now, so grab them for $99-119 (GA), $199-249 (VIP) and $549-699 (VIP Plus) here while you can!

Desert Daze 2024 - canceled statement

UPDATE (August 30th): Oh no!!! It comes with a heavy heart for us to also share that Desert Daze 2024 has unfortunately been canceled due to rising production costs and “the current volatile festival market.” All ticket holders will be refunded and contacted via their point of purchase. It’s a sad day for the festival’s organizers and the entire Daze community, but we hope that one day we will see another iteration of the event. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for future updates from co-founder Phil Pirrone.

“Desert Daze is more than a festival or business venture to us,” he said in a statement. “The community that we’ve cultivated together means so much to us and is the reason we will work to find a way to keep this beautiful thing going for many years to come.

Portola Music Festival 2023: Our awards & highlights from Year 2

Portola Music Festival 2023Photos by Matthew Medina // Written by Molly Kish //

Portola Music Festival //
Pier 80 – San Francisco
September 30th-October 1st, 2023 //

After a weekend of pavement-pounding electronic music that saw the second edition of Portola come in hot and leave the city of SF buzzing, our feet are just finally recovering. Assembling a lineup of up-and-coming talent and several legendary electronic artists, Goldenvoice dialed in a well-rounded roster this year but also improved upon both production and staging issues from its 2022 debut.

Even in the weeks leading up to the festival, the production company provided ample opportunities to hear and interact directly with Portola’s founders via Reddit AMAs, delivering some of the best social media content and marketing strategies by any Bay Area festival to date. It felt like Goldenvoice had something to prove and in turn, wanted to reassure their fans they were being heard.

Portola Music Festival 2023

On site, there were a number of improvements to the footprint at Pier 80 that included better cellphone service and stage designs. The Warehouse, being the main point of contention a year ago, was set up inversely with several entry points and exits. This allowed for much better traffic flow and sound quality, creating an immensely more enjoyable experience. The Crane Stage, meanwhile, was moved outside and had a completely different aesthetic as its big sky backdrop opened up the sound quality and was able to accommodate a larger crowd. And how could we not mention the secret Bowie bar in between the Ship Tent and Warehouse as a highlight of the weekend? Plus, reference points for those trying to meet up with friends once inside were a lot more abundant.

The crowd in 2023 felt very communal, with as many there to catch specific performers as there were to experience certain artists for the first time. During almost every set you could overhear people talk about how they have “always wanted to see this act” or how they were “blown away” by the performances they were witnessing. The stoke was real and palpable throughout the entire weekend, as both days brought relentless beats and epic headliners who left everything they had on the dance floor. Solidifying itself as easily one of the most intense Sundays every year, Portola held nothing back once again. With hopes of continuing the festival in the Bay despite Goldenvoice’s contract expiring next year, we can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2024.

Portola Music Festival 2023 - Labrinth


Labrinth

PORTOLA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023 AWARDS:

Headliner of the Weekend: Skrillex

Favorite Stage: Warehouse

Breakthrough Performance: Avalon Emerson

Best Dance Party: Todd Terje (DJ set)

Largest Crowd: Nelly Furtado

Best Legacy Act: Basement Jaxx (DJ set)

Hardest Set: Carl Cox

Best Performance: Labrinth

Most Cunty: COBRAH

Best Stage Production: Eric Prydz Presents HOLO

Favorite Festival Addition: Bowie bar

Best Activation: Brilliant Sticker Show & Rave Flyers exhibit

Favorite Merch: BYLT Coach Jacket

Best Afterparty: The Blaze with Barry Can’t Swim at Gray Area

Best Mascot: Portola rat

Portola Music Festival returns to SF’s Pier 80 for second edition while tapping Eric Prydz & Skrillex as headliners in 2023

Portola Music Festival - 2023 lineup

Portola Music Festival //
Pier 80 – San Francisco
September 30th-October 1st, 2023 //

Well, look who’s back …

Portola, that’s who! Just when you thought we were done announcing lineups for music festivals this year, one of Goldenvoice’s newest events has returned for another go-around.

This time the two-day fest will have Eric Prydz and Skrillex, both of whom performed at Coachella last month, lead the charge after Flume and The Chemical Brothers were assigned headlining duties for its inaugural edition. But unlike last year, Portola 2023 will also boast a special guest that sees Chris Lake and Armand Van Helden teaming up for a B2B set on Saturday before Prydz presents his world-famous HOLO show.

While the roster again leans primarily in the electronic direction, there are a few diversions — from funk and soul to hip-hop and R&B — sprinkled in that adds some variety to an excellent undercard. Here are just some of the acts you won’t want to miss at SF’s Pier 80 as September turns to October: Polo & Pan, Labrinth, FKJ, Thundercat, Nelly Furtado, Rina Sawayama, Jai Paul, Carl Cox (hybrid set), Underworld, Major Lazer B2B Major League DJz, Charlotte de Witte, Purple Disco Machine, The Blaze, Dom Dolla, Bonobo (DJ set), Hot Chip, Masego, Chromeo, Bassment Jaxx (DJ set), Tokischa, Little Dragon, Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats, Flying Lotus, Little Simz, SBTRKT, Todd Terje (DJ set), DJ Koze, Róisín Murphy, Jon Hopkins, 2manydjs (Live), Overmono, Kavinsky, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (Live), Pabllo Vittar, Young Fathers and Jockstrap.

You can buy tickets to Portola starting this Friday, May 19th at 10 a.m. PT with payment plans available, but make sure to register here for your presale code. Two-day GA passes start at $339.95 and increase to $379.95 (or $229.95-$249.95 for single-day tickets) while two-day VIP can be purchased for $559.95 before jumping to $629.95 (or $324.95 for one day) here if you’re age 21 and up.

Who’s ready to dance the day away down by the bay?!

Portola Music Festival 2023 - Saturday set times

Portola Music Festival 2023 - Sunday set times

UPDATE (August 15th): There’s still six weeks to go before Portola’s second installment, but you don’t have to wait for set times anymore! That’s right, folks … you can find the schedule for both days above, and make sure to download the festival’s mobile app here before getting your groove on at Pier 80.

Goldenvoice

Desert Daze enlists Tame Impala, Iggy Pop and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard as 2022 headliners to celebrate 10th anniversary

Desert Daze - 2022 lineup

Desert Daze //
Moreno Beach – Lake Perris, CA‎
September 30th-October 2nd, 2022 //

Itching to hit up a music festival this year?

Now that the live music industry has returned to its pre-pandemic ways, there have recently been a slew of festival lineup announcements in California and the latest just happens to be Desert Daze.

After all, on the same day that Ohana Encore announced a return to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, the always-psychedelic Desert Daze has also revealed plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary at another beach in Southern California not anywhere near the ocean.

The three-day boutique music festival, which has found a home at Moreno Beach inside the 1,800-acre Lake Perris State Recreation Area since 2018, has put together a roster that falls right in line with past lineups as Tame Impala get set to perform their 2012 semifinal LP Lonerism in its entirety. Joining them as headliners will be Iggy Pop and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, both of which are Daze alumni.

Desert Daze’s undercard in 2022, meanwhile, will be rounded out by Chicano Batman, The Marías, Sky Ferreira, BADBADNOTGOOD, JPEGMAFIA, Mild High Club, Men I Trust, Cortex, Fuzz, Pond, Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding, Sleaford Mods, DakhaBrakha, Boy Pablo, Cymande and more. See the poster above for the rest of the scheduled acts.

Three-day GA and VIP passes to Desert Daze are available to purchase here starting at $299 and $649, respectively, during the fest’s presale before the general public on-sale begins this Thursday, June 16th at 10 a.m. PT. Don’t sleep on picking up tickets for what’s sure to be an exciting weekend in the desert!

Desert Daze 2022 - daily lineups

UPDATE (August 2nd): Desert Daze has unleashed daily lineups for its 10th anniversary with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard rocking Friday, Tame Impala performing Lonerism on Saturday and the legendary Iggy Pop closing things down Sunday to mark his only North American performance of the year. Single-day tickets are also available now, so grab those here for $139-179 (GA), $299-399 (VIP) and $666-777 (VIP Plus) while you can!

Desert Daze - updated 2022 lineup

Desert Daze 2022 - Friday set times

Desert Daze 2022 - Saturday set times

Desert Daze 2022 - Sunday set times

Desert Daze 2022 - map

UPDATE (September 22nd): With Desert Daze’s 10th anniversary only a week away, the festival has dished out this year’s set times and quite a few lineup changes, beginning with Beach House replacing Iggy Pop as Sunday’s headliner. The legendary singer-songwriter unfortunately won’t be able to perform in 2022 due to unprecedented visa delays involving his French band, but he’s not the only who won’t be making it out to Lake Perris as Boy Pablo and Los Retros have also pulled out. In their place, along with Beach House, will be English post-punk band Shame and an undisclosed secret set that organizers say “may cause havoc.” Don’t forget to take a peek at the entire schedule and map above, and if you haven’t already snagged yours, single-day and weekend tickets are still available here!