Portola 2025 delivered a stacked music lineup against a striking backdrop of industrial warehouses, retired ships, and giant shipping cranes. Fitting for an electronic music festival. The heart of Portola wasn’t the setup or even the lineup, but the thousands of people interacting in millions of ways.
Discovery and rediscovery are the game. At a festival (or anywhere else), it’s about finding new loves and deepening old ones. More than the artists you come for or find there, it’s the relationships that you make and keep that will be remembered.
When I first started going to festivals, especially when I went alone, I leaned toward exploring new friends and new artists. This year at Portola, I felt the other side, deepening relationships with friends and music I’ve known for years. Here are 5 moments with the friends I love and the music I love almost more:
- It was my second time seeing Confidence Man (first was SXSW), and I overheard a few people compare them to Sofi Tukker, but if Sofi Tukker was good (one of them was me).
- Finding out The Prodigy no longer says the line “smack my b*tch up” anymore during the song. Debatable, but I respect the decision.
- Ravyn Lenae’s voice is what instruments aspire to emulate but never quite get there. Her new song with Kali Uchis is another stack on her pile of classics.
- Dom Dolla set off a large ship’s airhorn during his song, “San Francisco,” at just the right time. He’s one of the best right now at taking popular songs from the past, pulling out what fundamentally makes them good, and making them his own hit.
- I’m not sure if I’ve ever listened to The Rapture before, but one of the band members had the most touching dedication to a friend he lost, Mike. It’s probably the most vulnerable moment I’ve seen from someone on stage, and I will always remember it. Sincerely heartbreaking.
Portola’s app was one of the most well-done I’ve seen from a festival, with (1) notifications laid out well about who was performing now and next, and (2) the ability to share your schedule for the day to a friend by generating a clean image. It’s the small things. One thing the app could improve is adding features to help discover and rediscover musicians and people from before and after the festival.
FOLLOW PORTOLA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Portolamusicfestival.com • Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
Stefan, Carl, Siri, Jarid, and Paul – great being with you this weekend. Love you all.
If you love dance and soul music, check out my Silence Nogood.
📷 PHOTOS BY STEFAN ARONSEN
Full Lineup (in alphabetical order) 🎶
1tbsp • 2manydjs b2b Erol Alkan • Anti Up (Chris Lake & Chris Lorenzo) • Arc De Soleil • Arca • Bad Juuju • Blawan • Blood Orange • Bob Moses • Bolis Pupul • Boy Harsher • Brutalismus 3000 • Caribou • Chris Stussy • Christina Aguilera • Confidence Man • Dabeull Live Band • Despacio • DJ Gigola • Dom Dolla • Duke Dumont • Dylan Brady • HAAi • Hamdi • Haute & Freddy • Horse Meat Disco • Jazzy b2b KILIMANJARO • Kelly Lee Owens • KI/KI • Kreayshawn • Kumo 99 • LCD Soundsystem • Loukeman • Magdalena Bay • Malugi • Maribou State • Marie Davidson • Mau P • Moby Live • nate sib • NEIL FRANCES presents CLUB NF • Nick León • Noga Erez • Oppidan • Peggy Gou • Prospa b2b KETTAMA • Ravyn Lenae • Rico Nasty • salute • SHEE • Ski Aggu • SKIIS • Swimming Paul • The Blessed Madonna b2b Tiga • The Chemical Brothers (DJ set) • The Dare • The Hellp • The Prodigy • The Rapture • Underworld • Villager • X CLUB. • ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U • Zack Fox.
