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

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

Coachella jumps way ahead of schedule to unveil 2026 lineup led by Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber & Karol G for festival’s 25th edition

Coachella - 2026 lineup

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 10th-12th & April 17th-19th, 2026 //

Well, if you thought Coachella released its 2025 lineup early … I can’t believe I am typing this halfway through September, but next year’s is already here!

After moving up its annual announcement more than six weeks prior from the January time frame that we had long become accustomed to, the three-day festival has jumped way ahead of schedule for 2026 with the bill being revealed earlier than ever since co-founders Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen put on the inaugural edition in 1999 and lost nearly $750,000 doing so.

Goldenvoice’s signature event has transformed quite a bit following its late 90’s debut, adding a second weekend back in 2012 as well as more unique stages, performances and activations subsequently over the years at the Empire Polo Club, but the 25th anniversary of Coachella will follow a more recent trend with each day being headlined by a different pop star.

Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G have all previously performed at the fest in some capacity as either a scheduled performer or surprise guest — the latter of which Bieber has been multiple times — yet none have seen their name rise to the top of the poster until now. Coachella’s fourth and newest headlining spot will go to another electronic act in Anyma, the Italian DJ who played the Sahara Tent in 2024 and is coming off last spring’s “The End of Genesys” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. For those wondering which stage Matteo Milleri will be hitting and what his allotted time will be, we should know that when set times officially drop in April so stay tuned for more updates here. Nevertheless, a slot on the Coachella Stage is almost a certainty, and if we were to guess, Saturday or Sunday would seemingly be the most likely of the three days for the world premiere of his new “Æden” live show.

The undercard, meanwhile, is what really stands out to us upon first look thanks to a stacked roster boasting so many top-notch artists and bands, including The xx, The Strokes, Young Thug, Nine Inch Noize, GIVĒON, Kaskade, Disclosure, Turnstile, Addison Rae, BigBang, Ethel Cain, Labrinth, Laufey, Dijon, sombr, Major Lazer, Teddy Swims, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Katseye, Interpol, FKA twigs, Devo, Alex G, Clipse, Sexyy Red, Swae Lee, Subtronics, Central Cee, Solomun, Little Simz, Central Cee, Taemin, Mochakk, Foster the People, PinkPantheress, Duke Dumont, Levity, Royel Otis, WORSHIP, Blood Orange, REZZ, Armin Van Burren, Moby, Fujii Kaze, Adriatique, Adam Beyer, Marlon Hoffstadt, Davido, Holly Humberstone, Lykke Li, Boys Noize, Gigi Perez, fakemink, Geese, The Rapture, GORDO, rusowsky, Suicidal Tendencies, Creepy Nuts, Yousuke Yukimatsu, BUNT., Joyce Manor, Green Velvet, French Police, BINI, AYYBO, Black Flag, Kettama, Luisa Sonza, Oklou, Groove Armada, ZULAN and Röyksopp. Check out the poster above to see who else will be making the trek out to Indio.

More specifically, there are a couple of collaborative projects — electronic supergroup Nine Inch Noize (consisting of Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize) and hip-hop duo Clipse (featuring Malice and Pusha T) — that are particularly noteworthy and what separates Coachella from the other major festivals when it comes to the curation process. And of course as fans we can’t forget to mention the Radiohead “bunker” installation inspired by their 2000 album Kid A, which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, because that’s something you will not want to miss while roaming the polo fields — whether it leads to temporary “A mnesia” or not.

If the desert is suddenly calling your name, make sure to register here before passes go on sale this Friday, September 19th at 11 a.m. PT. While it only takes throwing down $49 to secure your spot with Coachella’s payment plan, Goldenvoice recommends looking for Weekend 2 tickets with Weekend 1 already close to sold out. And if car camping for $40 per night isn’t exactly your thing (we understand), plenty of hotel and shuttle packages can be found here. However you decide to experience one of the biggest music festivals in the world, it’s sure to be one you will never forget.

Good luck, Coachellans!

Coachella 2026

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

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