Festivals are supposed to be equal parts music and atmosphere. Portola Festival 2025, Goldenvoice’s fourth go at turning San Francisco’s Pier 80 into a flagship electronic gathering, nailed the first task but stumbled on the second. The sets were consistently excellent. From the thumping spectacle of Mau P and Dom Dolla to the genre-blurring discovery of Jazzy and KILIMANJARO’s combined set, I left with a brand new playlist in my head. However, the experience also reminded me that a festival is about more than who’s on stage.

The highs: discoveries and dance floor legends

Portola had strikingly few musical weak points. Every set I caught had something to offer, and the ones I didn’t expect to love ended up becoming highlights. I wasn’t familiar with Jazzy, KILIMANJARO, Maulgi or Hamdi beforehand — but when wandering throughout the venue and bass-thumping beat drops that came out of Ship Tent, I was suddenly locked into their orbit. That’s the magic of a festival: you plan your day around the names you know, and then some artist you’ve never heard of shakes up your carefully laid plans.

Of course, the heavy-hitters delivered, too. Mau P and Dom Dolla turned the Pier and Crane Stage into a house music playground. Peggy Gou radiated cool, Duke Dumont gave the crowd the anthems they came for and imaginative Zack Fox — who I’d just seen at Frost in April — somehow managed to top that first show. 

But nothing touched the Warehouse. A literal industrial space flipped into a Boiler Room-style DJ chamber, it was part rave, part spaceship launch. The lights and lasers almost felt alive, synced to every drop and build. It was hands down the most fun stage setup I’ve ever been in.

Portola did sprinkle in a few curveballs: Rico Nasty, Ravyn Lenae, Christina Aguilera and a few other names you wouldn’t expect on an electronic dance music (EDM)-heavy lineup. In terms of the non-EDM artists I saw, Rico Nasty’s set was a bit underwhelming for me. It felt a bit chaotic, and she missed some of my personal favorite tracks. Was it odd to watch Aguilera belt in the middle of a festival otherwise devoted to DJs? Absolutely. But it also gave the weekend a sense of welcome unpredictability.

The lows: logistics and lost opportunities

If Portola’s music soared, its logistics dragged it back down. Cell service was basically nonexistent. My phone might as well have been on airplane mode, which meant finding friends turned into a game of chance. And at a multi-stage festival, that’s brutal.

Then, there was the lack of seating. Pier 80 is a concrete jungle, and without many spots to sit, downtime between sets wasn’t exactly restful. Add in merch you couldn’t try on before buying (for typically high Goldenvoice prices, of course) and food that was just okay, and you’ve got a festival whose infrastructure ultimately felt unfinished.

The biggest miss, though, was the atmosphere. Goldenvoice has built its reputation not just on booking talent but on creating worlds (think Coachella’s larger-than-life art installations). Portola leaned almost entirely on its industrial setting and stage lights. The Warehouse was dazzling, yes, and there was a small “Portola” sign, but beyond that, the grounds felt sparse. Now, I understand why the arts seemingly weren’t a priority —  it wasn’t the Portola Music and Arts Festival, after all. But, if Goldenvoice wants Portola to become more than just “Coachella’s EDM Little Sibling in San Francisco,” it’s in dire need of immersive design to make it feel like more than an empty parking lot. 

The bigger picture

Accessibility is Portola’s ace card. Not everyone can afford the trek to Indio for Coachella or Stagecoach. So, planting a major electronic festival in San Francisco fills a real gap — and judging by how many people I know who only went because it was close by, that accessibility matters. And yet in the weeks leading up to Portola, discounts and student deals popped up everywhere. The crowd didn’t feel empty, but the scramble to fill it hints that Portola hasn’t quite carved out its identity yet.

I brought two friends with me: one who lives and breathes EDM and one who had never been to a festival at all. Both had an amazing time. That might be Portola’s biggest strength — the diversity of EDM artists works for diehards and for newcomers, the type of festival where you don’t have to know every DJ on the lineup to have a good time. The festival’s still young, and it shows. But young doesn’t mean bad. If Goldenvoice can fix the basics — give us better cell service, more seating and a stronger artistic atmosphere — Portola could evolve into something truly special.

For now, I’d recommend it to anyone who wants the thrill of a world-class lineup without leaving the city. It may not yet have the polish or mythology of other long-running festivals, but with the right tweaks, Portola could grow into a destination in its own right — and if nothing else, I’ll be dreaming of that Warehouse for months to come.