Just a short while ago, Los Angeles was underwater. An atmospheric river storm flooded neighborhoods and forced Camp Flog Gnaw 2025 to confront the one thing festivals dread: a last-minute reschedule. Organizers postponed everything by a week, and when the gates at Dodger Stadium finally opened, the sky snapped back into classic LA blue.
Flog Gnaw’s founder, prolific rapper Tyler, the Creator, acknowledged how hard it was to keep the weekend intact. “The easiest thing we could have [done] is cancel this shit, but that didn’t feel right with my spirit,” he told the crowd at his Saturday set, adding that keeping Flog Gnaw alive “took so much, so much fucking brainpower and love and favors from people.” While shouting out his team, he also bowed deeply to fans, artists and stagehands alike. It was a gesture that set the tone for the weekend: gratitude and care.
A Tyler world, not just another sponsored event
Camp Flog Gnaw was unmistakably Tyler’s universe. The festival leaned into a county fair aesthetic — Ferris wheel silhouettes, carnival booths, glowing rides — but everything was filtered through his sensibility. While other music festivals lean heavily on alcohol tents and branded “experiences,” Flog Gnaw felt guided by a singular creative vision. The most visible installations were for Tyler’s own apparel labels, Golf Wang and Golf le Fleur, and the brands’ bright yellow GOLF shopping bag became the unofficial uniform of the weekend. Guests carried it not just as bags for their merch but as part of the festival’s visual logic — proof that at Flog Gnaw, everything orbited Tyler’s creative identity. He was, in every way, the creator.
A festival rooted in Los Angeles
What made Flog Gnaw notable was how deep its roots ran to one place — Los Angeles. Hosting a festival in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium — geographically central, emotionally iconic — isn’t neutral. Stepping onto the asphalt evoked childhood trips to the L.A. County Fair or family outings to a Dodgers game. An abundance of classic L.A. fashion echoed this sense of home: camo, graphic tees, tiny tops and oversized pants — a community came dressed as itself, nothing else.
Artists brought that same sense of place onto the stage. Early Saturday, Kali Uchis delivered one of the weekend’s standout sets: a surreal, pastel daydream complete with a giant teacup and massive pink bed. Her performance flowed from ethereal pop to quebradita footwork, a Mexican American dance style that emerged amid a wave of anti-immigrant legislation. Mid-set, she played a video nodding to her Colombian-American heritage in which she spoke about immigrants’ contributions to the United States. She ended her set by condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) treatment of Latine communities: “All I wanted to say is that ICE is terrorizing our community, and they need to be sentenced for their violations against human rights.” Her words reverberated in a city shaped by those histories, grounding an otherwise dreamlike performance in real-world stakes.
Tyler’s chaos and Childish Gambino’s second life
Tyler’s own set fully embraced theatrical chaos. During “THAT GUY,” the music skipped, the screens blacked out and sparks flew. A “technician” climbed a ladder to fix it before a voice joked about an earthquake — and right on time, Tyler launched into “EARFQUAKE.” Whether orchestrated or accidental, it played like an inside joke with the city.
By contrast, Childish Gambino’s closing slot was emotional. This was his first performance since suffering an onstage stroke in 2024 and canceling his world tour. In the middle of his set, he paused to reflect on why Flog Gnaw mattered so much to him: “They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realize you have one. You got one life, guys. And I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing.” The moment offered a grounding interlude in an otherwise rapid-fire setlist, leading to cheers from touched fans.
Day Two: succinct surprises
Sunday brought unexpected highlights. Alemeda proved the biggest discovery of the day, with her alt-R&B vocals carrying across the crowd with ease. Blood Orange followed with a lush, atmospheric set that blended electric guitar, cello and the harmonies of Eva Tolkin and Ian Isiah.
And one of the biggest names of the night, Doechii, turned the main stage into a classroom fantasy, complete with moving desks and uniform-style costuming. The Grammy-winning artist performed for a full hour — nearly twice her runtime at FrostFest 2025. She left no doubt of her ability to command a massive stage with ease. The crowd belted “Nissan Altima” and “Denial is a River” back at her with full force.
T-Pain and A$AP Rocky deliver nostalgia and spectacle
But Flog Gnaw wasn’t through quite yet. T-Pain’s set was pure nostalgia, his use of AutoTune a crisp addition rather than an artistic crutch as he moved through “Good Life,” “Low” and “Kiss Kiss.” Even if the crowd opted for phones-up singing rather than full-body dancing, the early-aughts rap icon brought a warm and communal energy to Dodger Stadium.
A$AP Rocky closed out the night with a cinematic boom. Before his set began, a helicopter circled overhead, its sweeping spotlight echoing the iconic reality of LA nights. Rocky “sailed in” on said helicopter — a bombastic beginning made all the more striking by the entrance of his backup dancers, men clothed in white waving an upside-down U.S. flag throughout the set — a veiled criticism, perhaps, of the state of the nation.
Throughout the night, the pit surged with so much force that he had to repeatedly ask the crowd to take a step back and check in to make sure everyone was okay. Midway through, he brought out Tyler for a surprise appearance during “Who Dat Boy” and “POTATO SALAD,” a final jolt of excitement that felt like the weekend’s concluding chord.
A festival built on care
In its 11th year, Camp Flog Gnaw remained a festival rooted in Los Angeles — playful, visually saturated, politically aware and built on the creative vision of its founder. For two days, it offered a bright, beautiful escape from reality. The only thing anyone could reasonably have asked for more of was better cell service.