The Portola Music Festival rocked Pier 80 in San Francisco this past weekend as thousands of people celebrated the best of electronic and dance music.
Set at a working multi-purpose cargo terminal, Portola unfolds amongst towering industrial cranes, shipping containers, and has endless concrete to walk through. There was barely (if any) phone service on the terminal, but that did not seem to matter to the crowds of people gathered in their festival-best, dancing freely as music played through every corner of the pier.
Hosted on Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept, 21, the fourth installment of the 21+ festival included an incredible mix of electronic music pioneers and the best newcomers, including:
LCD Soundsystem, The Chemical Brothers, Anti Up (Chris Lake and Chris Lorenzo), Mau P, Brutalismus 3000, Dom Dolla, Arca, Peggy Gou, Kettama, Christina Aguilera, Moby, The Dare, and many more.
Artists performed amongst five distinct stages; Pier Stage, Crane Stage, Warehouse, Ship Tent and finally Despacio, an acclaimed touring disco space with club sound systems that gives the ultimate vinyl experience created by James Murphy and 2ManyDjs.
Throughout the festival, the entrance to the highly anticipated Despacio could easily be identified by a long line that twisted through crowds of people walking throughout the festival. A festival worker held a green sign at its end that marked the line’s entrance.
The fashion did not disappoint either. From wizards to coordinated group outfits and Portola merch, the first day of the musical festival brought out a wide array of stylish and unique outfits. The Times even came across the Lorax while listening to Blood Orange, yes the fictional character that “speaks for the trees”.
Although the festival lacked colorful elements that are typical at most festivals, Portola made up for it with fun art installations and photo backdrops, photo booths and convenient charging stations throughout the festival. They also presented a delicious lineup of food that featured some of the Bay Area’s best. We even came across a Merced County food vendor serving tacos, quesadillas and aguas frescas, Las Tortilleras from Los Banos.
They excitedly mentioned it was their first time at the festival and were eager to see how the festival would go.
The highly anticipated pop vocalist, Christina Aguilera was introduced to the stage by Daniel Lurie, the mayor of San Francisco, on the first night of the festival.
“Now, I am the mayor,” Lurie began as he took the stage. “But tonight, the person in charge, the woman who has been doing it for 25 years, the one and only, Christina Aguilera is up next!”
Singing popular ballads like ‘Fighter’, ‘What a Girl Wants’, ‘Genie in a Bottle’ and the cult classic ‘Lady Marmalade’, Christina Aguilera left her stamp on Portola with undeniable stage presence.
Sunday’s setlist included an electrifying performance by Moby that included live instruments and flashing lights. Dom Dolla had possibly the biggest crowd of the festival as he hyped up the crowd and played the beloved ‘San Frandisco’! The Australian house music producer ended his set and paid homage to the day (the 21st) by playing September by Earth, Wind & Fire.
“Happy September 21st, Everybody!” He yelled down to the dancing crowd of festival-goers.
Once again, Portola has set the stage for dance and electronic musical experiences rooted in curiosity, creativity and community. And with the beats still echoing through Pier 80, the countdown to next year’s announcement starts now.