Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques. 

Stay in Bloom Festival returned to Frost Amphitheater for its third consecutive year on Friday and Saturday, once again turning a familiar campus venue into something that felt slightly removed from everyday life. 

Before entering the venue, the energy had already started to build. Just outside the gates sat the “Cypher Truck,” a setup that looked like a food truck at first glance, but instead featured DJs rotating through live sets. Attendees gathered around it, easing into the evening in a way that made the wait feel like part of the event. 

That atmosphere carried into the amphitheater. Two versions of Harold, the festival’s pink and blue mascots, moved through the crowd, stopping for photos and drawing steady attention from attendees. It was a small detail, but one that many leaned into. 

Inside, the evening felt both high-energy and controlled. The weather was steady, which made a difference for an outdoor show, and the crowd reflected that ease. I was near the very front, and I found myself with plenty of space to move and dance, which doesn’t always happen at events like this. The fans were incredibly engaged but respectful, contributing to an environment that felt shared rather than overwhelming. 

“It was a very special and fun event,” Erica Ngok ’27 said. “I really enjoyed seeing how it brought people together from trading bracelets, wearing cute outfits to match the bloom theme and just singing and vibing together.” 

For many student attendees, the festival came at a well-timed moment, serving as a needed break at the end of Week 5 and the pressure of midterms. 

The festival’s lineup followed a clear progression, building energy without feeling rushed. Bay Area artist Demotapes started the evening and set the tone early. Keenan Te followed with a performance that leaned more on his vocals. Nurko followed, leaning into melodic dubstep that made the music sound dreamy, and had a more emotional layer before the tempo shifted again. 

That shift came with Juelz and CHYL, who closed out the stretch before the headliner with a back-to-back set. Their styles complemented each other well, blending trap, bass and speed house into one of the most energetic moments of the night. The pacing felt deliberate, with each artist adding something distinct while still contributing to a larger flow. 

Dabin, the show’s headliner, closed the night with a set that balanced high-energy moments with more reflective ones. He brought out multiple artists throughout, which kept the performance dynamic and prevented it from feeling static. 

For An Doan ’25 M.S. ’26, who attended Stay in Bloom for the third consecutive year, “This event was really nostalgic for me,” she said. “I think the event organizers outdid themselves, and I really value how the festival introduces newer artists. I’ve discovered so many artists I listen to now through past years.” 

The production, from beginning to end, made the set feel both expansive and personal at the same time. Strobe lights, lasers, pyro and smoke were used throughout, but they never felt excessive. The visuals worked with the music instead of competing for attention, something that can be easy to lose at shows built around spectacle.

What stood out most, though, was the balance. Going in without many expectations, the night could have easily blended into the broader cycle of EDM shows that come through campus. Instead, it felt like a show curated precisely to “stay in bloom,” which I interpreted as creating a space that felt both dreamy and joyful. The pacing of the lineup, the way each set transitioned into the next and even the structure of the event all contributed to that feeling. 

Attendee Sarah Jacob ’25, M.S. ’26 said that the festival was one of her favorite events she’s attended as she wraps up her last quarter at Stanford as a graduating student. “The amazing people I went with, the energy of the crowd and the artists blew me away,” Jacob said. “It was genuinely so much fun.”

Stay in Bloom has now had a successful three-year run at Frost, and I hope that it continues to return for years to come.