Portola Music Festival 2025: Our awards & highlights for Year 4

September 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Portola Music Festival 2025 - LCD Soundsystem


LCD Soundsystem

Photos by Christine Kemp // Written by Molly Kish //

Portola Music Festival //
Pier 80 – San Francisco
September 20th-21st, 2025 //

The Bay Area celebrated Portola’s fourth edition this September by packing SF’s Pier 80 with its most diverse lineup so far. Attendees got the opportunity to catch legendary electronic artists, festival debuts, the iconic return of several dance-punk outfits and a show-stopping performance by one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

The weather was impeccable, but that wasn’t enough to keep crowds from forming lines all weekend long to gain entry to the Bay Area debut of Despacio. James Murphy shared unofficial joint headliner duty with his high-fidelity audio immersion system that served as an honorary fifth stage. Folks waited sometimes hours to enter the dimly lit sound enclosure, lined with seven stacks of McIntosh-powered speakers, synchronized yet very sparse lighting, 50,000 watts of amplifiers and a giant disco ball. Lead audio engineer John Klett calls it an “emotional transmission machine,” and over the course of the two-day fest, many made a point to go find themselves in there.

Portola 2025 marked some monumental comebacks, including the first Bay Area show for The Rapture in more than 10 years, The Prodigy’s highly anticipated appearance after having to reschedule one of their two Coachella sideshows at The Warfield in April (read our show review here) and Moby’s return for the first time since the Ghostship Fire Benefit in 2020 to perform his seminal album Play with a live band and vocalist. Last but certainly not least was pop icon Christina Aguilera, who turned the festival into a girly-pop fever dream for 45 minutes and blazed through one of the weekend’s most epic sets.

Portola Music Festival 2025 - Despacio


Despacio

There were clear improvements to the layout for both the Warehouse and Pier Stage with larger and more accurately located VIP sections, and though the grounds felt less activated, they seemed to be more manageable. The selection of food vendors was also greatly improved, with less waiting time at the bars and larger selections of cocktails as well as specialty drinks than ever before.

For this latest installment, Portola went all in on tried-and-true favorites that included bringing back Dom Dolla, Caribou, Chemical Brothers and 2manydjs after their previous appearances. Goldenvoice paired down the over-the-top production from prior years and brought the focus back onto the music, too.

With noticeably smaller crowds and lighter fairground fluff, attending Portola this year felt different. But for a festival that draws fans who are more concerned about seeing quality performances than posting influencer-friendly content, it remained true to form in 2025 and was a much-needed party for the Bay Area’s club core.

Portola Music Festival 2025 - Christina Aguilera


Christina Aguilera

PORTOLA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2025 AWARDS:

Headliner of the Weekend: The Prodigy

Favorite Stage: Warehouse

Breakthrough Performance: Anti Up (Chris Lake & Chris Lorenzo)

Best Dance Party: Moby

Largest Crowd: Dom Dolla

Festival Daddy: Mau P

Portola Queen: Christina Aguilera

Best Legacy Act: Underworld

Hardest Set: Brutalismus 3000

Best Live Performance: LCD Soundsystem

Biggest Comeback: The Rapture

Most Cunty: Rico Nasty

Best Stage Production: Chemical Brothers (DJ set)

Favorite Festival Addition: Despacio

Best Afterparty: Peggy Gou B2B Mau P at 888 Garage

Biggest Improvement: Relocation of VIP section

Most Swoonworthy: Maribou State

Favorite Merch: Raccoon backpack

Silliest Trend: Food label stickers

Largest Obstacle: Lack of cellular service

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LCD Soundsystem, Christina Aguilera, Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou, The Chemical Brothers & Moby will lead fourth Portola Music Festival

May 12, 2025 by 2 Comments

Portola Music Festival - 2025 lineup

Portola Music Festival //
Pier 80 – San Francisco
September 20th-21st, 2025 //

Portola peeps, where you at?!?

The time for Round 4 of your favorite two-day Bay Area music festival has come, and we are pretty sure you won’t be disappointed with what Goldenvoice has in store this September at SF’s Pier 80.

The renowned California concert promoter hasn’t taken its foot off the gas pedal after its third edition featured RÜFÜS DU SOL, Justice, Disclosure, FISHER, Gesaffelstein, Jamie xx, Four Tet and M.I.A. among others a year ago.

2025’s roster is simply loaded once again with LCD Soundsystem, Christina Aguilera, Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou, The Chemical Brothers (DJ set) and Moby (Live) delivering the biggest impact while others listed in bold-faced type like Anti Up (Chris Lake x Chris Lorenzo), The Prodigy, MAU P and Underworld are also grabbing our attention upon first glance.

As you look closer at all of the artists sprinkled throughout the poster, there are plenty of more names to highlight as Caribou, Blood Orange, Duke Dumont, Rico Nasty, The Dare, Arca, Magdalena Bay, Hamdi, NEIL FRANCES (Presents Club NF), Chris Stussy, Bob Moses, The Rapture, Yousuke Yukimatsu, Noga Erez, The Hellp, Boy Harsher, Prospa B2B Kettama, Maribou State, 2ManyDJs B2B Erol Alkan, Dabeull (Live), The Blessed Madonna B2B Tiga, KI/KI, Horse Meat Disco, Zack Fox and Kreayshawn. Plus, two days of Despacio! See more details above to find out who else is performing.

While the Portola lineup has leaned electronic since the fest’s debut in 2022, Goldenvoice has done a good job of mixing in artists from other genres that fit the overall aesthetic and vibe. From rock and hip-hop to R&B, funk and soul, you can find a little bit of everything at one of the final music festivals of the season. Let’s just hope the weather holds up (fingers crossed).

Portola 2025 passes can be purchased starting this Thursday, May 15th at 12 p.m. PT with payment plans available if you put down at least 25% right now, so make sure to register here to receive your presale code. Two-day GA passes begin at $399.95 (or $279.95 for single-day tickets) while two-day VIP have increased to $649.95 (or $399.95 for one day) here for those ages 21 and up.

This will be a hot ticket so don’t miss your chance to dance down at the docks!

Portola Music Festival 2025 - Saturday set times

Portola Music Festival 2025 - Sunday set times

UPDATE (July 25th): Almost two months before Portola’s fourth installment, Goldenvoice has unveiled set times for both days. Take a peek at the schedule above and download the festival’s mobile app here before cruising to Pier 80. Tickets are still available here whether you are interested in going one or two days, so don’t miss out on what’s sure to be one of the year’s best weekends!

Goldenvoice

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Party on! Outside Lands lassoes Sturgill Simpson, FLETCHER, STRFKR, Roosevelt, Amen Dunes, Romy (DJ set) & more for 2024 night shows

June 25, 2024 by 2 Comments

Outside Lands 2024 - night shows

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 9th-11th, 2024 //

With the summer solstice marking the official start to the season a few days ago, it’s worth mentioning that Outside Lands is only six weeks away.

One of the biggest music festivals in the U.S. is gearing up for its 16th installment this August, and last week the three-day event made news when it caught us off guard by announcing that Tyler, the Creator had canceled his headlining set on Saturday and 25-year-old singer Sabrina Carpenter will replace him.

Now the lineup for OSL’s night shows has dropped, with separate concerts boasting some of the fest’s best talent spread across the City from Wednesday, August 7th through Sunday, August 11th — even after the lights at Golden Gate Park go out for the final time. This year’s late-night schedule has also expanded from 12 to 16 performances and into nine SF venues (up from eight in 2023).

Some of the highlights beginning as early as Wednesday, August 7th and Thursday, August 8th before the fest kicks off include Sturgill Simpson, FLETCHER, STRFKR, Roosevelt, Amen Dunes, Romy (DJ set), Corinne Bailey Rae, Snakehips and Uncle Waffles.

Ready to purchase tickets for OSL’s 2024 night shows?

If you want to see Amen Dunes, wait no more! Otherwise, there will be a presale this Thursday, June 27th before tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, June 28th at 10 a.m. PT with priority access for those who have purchased festival passes. Make sure to check your inbox for an email and set those alarms — especially if you are hoping to catch what will be a very intimate gig at The Independent for Sunday’s headliner Sturgill Simpson, who we would imagine will fittingly follow Post Malone’s country set (stay tuned here for the full schedule in the coming weeks).

Here is the schedule for the upcoming night shows with links to purchase tickets:

August 7th (WED): Confidence Man at The Independent, 8 p.m., $37.05, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 8th (THU): Amen Dunes with Hyperdawn at The Independent, 8 p.m., $29.50, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): FLETCHER at The Independent, 10 p.m., $69.50, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): SIDEPIECE with n808 B2B Mike Kerrigan, JLittle, DN, DJ Kilo, DJ Penny, LBXX, CHUNGY, RODEL (Shaquille O’Neal) at Public Works, 10 p.m., $30, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): Romy (DJ set) at 1015 Folsom, 10 p.m., $10, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): Mindchatter (DJ set) at Monarch, 10 p.m., $35, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): Shiba San x CID present: ALL U NEED at The Great Northern, 10 p.m., $10, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): Marsh with Phonic Youth at Audio SF, 10 p.m., $20, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 9th (FRI): BALTHVS with DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 10 p.m., $29.50, 18+ // BUY TICKETS

August 10th (SAT): Sturgill Simpson with Katie Pruitt at The Independent, 10 p.m., $89.58, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 10th (SAT): Snakehips with Truthlive, DJmaDRE, Discotoshi B2B Marlowe B2B Frey at Public Works, 10 p.m., $25, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 10th (SAT): Roosevelt at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10 p.m., $44.25, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 10th (SAT): Sofia Kourtesis at Space 550, 10 p.m., $20, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 11th (SUN): STRFKR with Ruth Radelet at The Independent, 10 p.m., $49.93, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 11th (SUN): Uncle Waffles with Afrobeats Oakland at 1015 Folsom, 9 p.m., $20, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

August 11th (SUN): Corinne Bailey Rae at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 10 p.m., $59.70, 21+ // BUY TICKETS

Outside Lands 2024 - tickets

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Outside Lands turns to Tyler, the Creator, The Killers, Sturgill Simpson, Post Malone & more in 2024 for festival’s 16th year

April 23, 2024 by 3 Comments

Outside Lands - 2024 lineup

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 9th-11th, 2024 //

It has been more than six weeks since a major music festival in California announced its 2024 lineup, but as we look toward the summer and fall, it’s usually around this time on the calendar when Outside Lands targets its annual reveal.

And after celebrating a 15th anniversary last year that saw Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters and ODESZA atop the lineup, the three-day event is back in SF with a completely new cast of headliners for Year 16.

Tyler, the Creator, The Killers and Sturgill Simpson will lead the way while a fourth headliner — similar to what Coachella has done for the past three years — has been introduced for the first time and the honor will go to Post Malone, who headlined OSL in 2022 and will now perform a special country set much like he will do at Stagecoach this upcoming weekend at the Empire Polo Club. The Killers are the only other ones of that foursome to have previously been a headliner at Golden Gate Park almost a decade ago.

If you aren’t fanning out to those aforementioned acts though, don’t fret because OSL’s undercard still has a lot of other music to offer. Standing out on this year’s bill are The Postal Service, Grace Jones, KAYTRANADA, JUNGLE, Chris Lake, Gryffin, Snoh Aalegra, Young The Giant, ScHoolboy Q, Teddy Swims, Reneé Rapp, Victoria Monét, Knock2, Slowdive, Killer Mike, Fletcher, TV Girl, Tyla, Chappell Roan, Channel Tres, Charley Crockett, Men I Trust and Ben Howard to name more than just a few on the poster above. Check out the rest of the artists coming to the Bay Area this August up there.

Of course, we can’t forget to also mention the return of the SOMA Tent, which will continue to be the fest’s home for all things dance music and has booked Angrybaby, The Blessed Madonna, Idris Elba and Seth Troxler, among others, to join the party from Friday to Sunday.

Three-day GA, GA+, VIP and Golden Gate Club passes go on sale here for $465, $715, $1,075 and $5,095, respectively, this Wednesday, April 24th at 10 a.m. PT, and in the meantime, you can see our previous coverage here before you complete your purchase!

Outside Lands 2024 - daily lineups

UPDATE (May 29th): Daily lineups have arrived, and we now know which artists will be playing each day. The Killers have been tabbed to headline Friday with Tyler, the Creator on Saturday and Sturgill Simpson closing things out Sunday. Make sure to review the daily schedules above before single-day tickets go on sale here for $199 (GA), $319 (GA+), $469 (VIP) and $2,249 (Golden Gate Club) at 10 a.m. PT this Thursday, May 30th. Still thinking about going to OSL for the whole weekend? Three-day passes for all tiers are available here, but who knows for how long!

Outside Lands - updated 2024 lineup

UPDATE (June 20th): Tyler, the Creator has canceled his headlining set Saturday at OSL for personal reasons, and replacing him will be 25-year-old singer Sabrina Carpenter after her performance on the main stage at Coachella earlier this year. See the updated 2024 roster above, and pick up your tickets while you still can here!

Outside Lands 2024 - Friday set times

Outside Lands 2024 - Saturday set times

Outside Lands 2024 - Sunday set times

UPDATE (July 23rd): Set times have arrived. See the schedules above to find out what your biggest scheduling conflict will be this August.

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