As summer comes to a close and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” continues to defrost, the number of festivals to attend before the year-end dwindles. Most festivals occur in warm weather, allowing festivalgoers to dust off their jean shorts and flower crowns. But a lot of people forget that festival season stretches into the fall.
After seeing my friends post pictures at Outside Lands, I craved another festival. I didn’t spend enough time around the EDM stage at Shabang and wanted to hear those badass beat drops. Upon looking for another music festival to attend, I stumbled upon the Portola line up. This fall festival has its own specialty. While Outside Lands features genres like rock, indie, hip-hop, soul, and funk, this two-day festival focuses on electronic and pop music. If you’re thinking about attending like me, I got you covered on everything you need to know!
History
The festival is named after the 1909 Portola Festival, the first city-wide event in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. According to the American Philatelic Society, the 1909 festival was designed to celebrate the city’s rebirth and show that it was ready for tourists and large-scale events. The Portola Music Festival had a similar revival factor, as it came to life last year after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 festival had big names such as Flume and Charli XCX leading the way and garnered 30,000 people daily. I hope to see even bigger numbers this year!
Location
NorCal doesn’t get as much love as the SoCal festival scene, so I was ecstatic to discover that this event will be hosted in SF. The festival takes place at Pier 80, the city’s largest cargo terminal. A combination of indoor and outdoor stages, making the experience more unique. Suppose it’s too cold outside near the water, just head inside the warehouse. But if it’s too hot or stuffy inside, cool off outside with some fresh air. I didn’t dress appropriately for my first festival and wished I brought a blanket or sweatshirt for the colder evening. Portola is really thinking ahead for all of us.
Dates
The music festival is just about a month away, plan to get down together on September 30th and October 1st. It’s on the weekend, so you *hopefully* don’t have to worry about taking a day off. The venue doors open at 1 p.m. on both days and ends at 11 p.m. Set times (as shown above) have already been announced as well so you can plan out the perfect day.
Performers
Portola stacked the lineup this year, but I am personally most excited about Day 2. After a 9-year hiatus from music, American DJ Skrillex is headlining. Sonny John Moore, or Skrillex, is most known for his 2011 song “Bangarang,” which has 925 million views on YouTube. He was the one who got me into the EDM/dubstep scene when I was in middle school. Another artist I’m stoked for is Labrinth, who you might recognize from the Euphoria soundtrack. I’m hoping he surprises the crowd with Zendaya or Billie Eilish like he did at Coachella.
With all this talk about Day 2, I can’t forget about Day 1. Major Lazer is there, along with Nelly Furtado, just to name a few. Major Lazer released their lead single “Lean On” in 2015, my iTunes era, where I bought the song for $1.29. Surprisingly, these two artists have something in common: both had a song featured on Just Dance. “Lean On” was in Just Dance 2017, while “Promiscuous” was in Just Dance 3. If you see anyone in the crowd doing a fully choreographed dance to either song, you’ll know why.
Ticket Info
Tickets are available now on their website! Like most festivals, the earlier you buy, the cheaper it is. Unfortunately, this particular music festival is 21+ only. I apologize to all the freshman and sophomore college students; you’ll have to wait another year or two. It’s time for the adults to party it up!
