Walking on the hard asphalt of Pier 80 through crowds dressed head to toe in furs, sequins and so, so much mesh, you can feel the bass replace your heartbeat and watch as lasers shine into the night sky. It is in these moments that you realize just how special Portola Music Festival is.
From the final Muni stop, dropping attendees off just a block away from Pier 80, it becomes immediately clear you are in the right place. There is a steady flow of half-drunk or otherwise intoxicated 20-somethings in far too little clothing to be comfortable, alongside friend groups in coordinated outfits and old pros with Advil and cough drops visible through their clear CamelBaks.
Inside the event, the energy only grows. Bars, food trucks, merch tents and photo booths are spread across the festival grounds. Almost every person has a drink in one hand and some kind of food in the other, whether that be a Bay Area staple such as Señor Sisig or a nondescript tray of chicken tenders and fries. The 21-plus event isn’t exactly a pop music festival, nor is it a rave, meaning the mix of attendees is as broad as can be.
Shanny Wise of Fcukers performs at the Pier Stage on Saturday.
The location of the event, both in relation to the city and to the water, gave the weekend an interesting atmosphere. Once the sun began to set, the signature Bay Area fog swept through the pier like clockwork. Despite the cold and windy climate, the skyline of downtown was a beautifully lit backdrop for the music that accompanied it.
Portola Music Festival is in its fifth year of operation, throwing its inaugural festival in 2022 with headliners such as Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Jamie xx and Charli xcx. With promoter Goldenvoice, the same company that puts on Coachella and Stagecoach, on Portola’s side, the crowds and notoriety of artists have grown tremendously, bringing in Robyn, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto and Zara Larsson, among others, filling this year’s lineup.
The festival gets its name from the 1909 Portola Festival, held in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Today, the festival sends a similar message to the world as it did more than a century ago: San Francisco is back and better than ever.
The pier has taken on many lives, from a possible Home Depot location, a Muni and Caltrain assembly station, a temporary homeless shelter and, since 2016, a fully operational cargo terminal. Because of this, the festival is planned around shipping schedules, requiring coordination from many city agencies to ensure the event can run smoothly.
There are a total of five stages spread across the grounds, including two fully outdoor stages entitled Pier Stage and Crane Stage, a tent aptly called the Ship Tent, a concept venue called Despacio and the Warehouse, a 225,000-square-foot building retrofitted to hold some 18,000 guests at capacity.
Saturday kicked off with high-energy acts such as MGNA Crrrta, Fcukers, Tove Lo and Mike D 5D playing roaring sets. Fatboy Slim played the Crane Stage for an hour and a half, mixing his signature tunes while barefoot behind the decks. Melanie C of the Spice Girls closed out the Ship Tent for the night with a killer DJ set.
Mike D 5D rocks out at the Ship Tent on Saturday.
Robyn delivered a show-stopping performance at the Pier Stage on Saturday evening, drawing masses of fans to see her sing and dance her heart out. The performance seemed almost cathartic for Robyn, as the artist let her body take control, moving freely to the rhythm of her songs. Her set included a glamorous outfit change, revealing a sparkly silver dress accessorized by her perfectly coiffed bleach-blonde hair. Finishing her set with her hit song “Dancing on My Own,” the crowd screamed the lyrics right back to her at comparable decibel levels.
Sunday brought colder temperatures and higher winds, kicking up dust from the asphalt that seemed to lodge itself in the eyes and nostrils of almost everyone in attendance. Despite this, the energy was somehow even higher than on Saturday. With Sunday tickets sold out and a killer lineup ahead, nothing could bring the mood down.
Adéla, an up-and-coming pop icon with roots in ballet, took over the Crane Stage in the afternoon, blowing fans away with her choreography, which included being carried by her entourage while in a full split. She ended her set with the viral track “Nicole Kidman,” assisted by an American Sign Language interpreter to the side of the stage, who fans online praised in light of the sexually suggestive lyrics he had to interpret.
Underscores also delivered an outstanding set, captivating the crowd at the Crane Stage from the moment she stepped onstage. With her hair bleached in the shape of headphones as she performed a stripped-down set, the artist commanded the stage with the help of hypnotizing visuals. Born and raised in San Francisco, she pointed out that the street she grew up on is called Portola, creating a full-circle moment for her as an artist.
Robyn brings alt-pop intensity to the Pier Stage on Saturday.
Swedish House Mafia, Four Tet and Parcels brought their massive talents to close out the festival, but one artist’s set will undoubtedly stay in the minds of all who witnessed it for a very long time: Zara Larsson. The “Lush Life” singer left no stone unturned, singing both her biggest hits and deeper cuts, all the while effortlessly carrying out choreography with her backup dancers. Her set brought summer sun vibes to a cold and gloomy September night, reminding the crowd that “summer isn’t over yet.” The lucky fan brought onstage for the “Lush Life” dance, who said his name was William, repped Brazil and proceeded to show the top of his butt crack while displaying his tan lines. Once William’s pants were back up, Larsson brought out Robyn to sing “Puss Puss,” then ended her set the same way she started it: with “Midnight Sun.”
On both days of the festival, a mysteriously large tent titled “Despacio” was tucked in the corner of the pier. After waiting in line, guests entered a dark room illuminated only by a massive disco ball in the center, refracting light in every direction. That disco ball sat above a checkered dance floor, surrounded by a circle of stereo setups that blasted retro beats while a smoke machine periodically kicked on. Entering Despacio felt like being transported back in time, making it a highlight of the event. With next to no phones in sight, individuals danced to the music and connected with those around them, showcasing exactly what music, and much of this festival, is truly about.
It would be an oversight not to mention the nonexistent cell phone reception at the event, as well as the festival’s overreliance on a suboptimal San Francisco public transit system, compounded by the demands of the multiple other crowded events being held in the city. All of this made the logistical nature of getting to and from Portola quite frustrating, with resulting delays and massive surge pricing for rideshares.
Despite all of the money spent and the dust accumulated in concertgoers’ snot by the end of the weekend, attendees still yearned for the experience they had just a few hours prior while walking through the pier at the night’s end, employees disassembling stages around them. Being in a large group of people enjoying music, laughing with friends and letting go of their worries for a day allows you to enjoy all the quirks that make San Francisco and its people so amazing. As you leave the festival with ears ringing, you can’t help but look forward to next year.