Breakaway Music Festival’s foray into the Philadelphia music scene included star-studded performances, insane production, and top-notch vibes.
Philadelphia has long been overdue for another major electronic music festival. While the bass-driven event HiJinx continues to build momentum, the indoor winter festival fails to meet the needs of many ravers in terms of production and vibe. Seeing a gap in the market, Breakaway Music Festival set its sights on bringing its national touring music festival to the City of Brotherly Love.
Finding a home at Subaru Park in Chester, PA, the inaugural edition of Breakaway Philadelphia included a monstrous lineup of world-class talent, including Zedd, Excision, Cloonee, and Two Friends. As a Philadelphia local and Breakaway veteran, I was excited to see how the festival would compare to my prior experiences, while keeping in mind that this was their first rodeo in this particular venue.
The first day arrived hot with lively performances and exuberant crowds.
Arriving at Subaru Park on Friday, I was pleased to see that the flow of traffic getting into the parking lots was a breeze despite the lack of shuttles and public transportation options. Although there was no pre-paid parking, the contactless payments upon arrival made lines almost non-existent. After a short walk, a quick stop at the box office, and a security check, we made it into the stunning waterfront venue. With views of the Delaware River, the breeze off the water was a much-needed reprieve on such a humid day.
Our first stop was at Brownies & Lemonade‘s takeover at The Launch Pad stage. The Los Angeles-based party producer curated Friday’s lineup, bringing some of their favorite acts to Philadelphia. The crowd drawn in by the stacked lineup of performers rivaled some of my all-time favorite festivals as attendees danced together, leaving it all on the dancefloor. Hedex delivered a brilliant drum and bass set with eye-catching visuals, while Eptic closed out the takeover with a hard-hitting set featuring a wall of death to the namesake tune.
Over on the massive Main Stage, memorable moments were aplenty. BUNT.‘s anticipated performance had the crowd ascending as the stutter house aficionado jumped in the crowd for his hit song, “TRIPPIN.” Disco Lines brought the good vibes with his fusion of house and bass music, while headliner Zedd wrapped day one, showing the crowd just why he’s a legend. From intricate visuals inspired by the Telos album to his expert song selection, blending nostalgic tunes with crowd-friendly bangers, the diverse producer had the crowd eating from the palm of his hand.
Excision brought his heavy dubstep sound to Philadelphia for an epic Lost Lands pregame.
While Friday’s lineup skewed toward radio-friendly dance music on the Main Stage, Saturday’s artists brought the bassheads out of hiding. The difference in the crowd was noticeable, with a lighter flow of traffic around the venue on Saturday. Bottleneck areas near the portapotties, between the Main Stage and the vendor plaza, were alleviated, and lines at the food vendors were shorter than they had been the day prior.
The Main Stage was bumping all day with thunderous bass and explosive bursts of pyro. Philadelphia native Trivecta made his return to the city with a set boasting melodic dubstep, psytrance, and an epic guitar solo to Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” Of The Trees switched things up, giving the crowd a taste of his imaginative, experimental bass soundscapes, followed by an exclusive bass set from Two Friends.
Waiting for Excision to take the stage, I noted just how much space there was in VIP. While Zedd had drawn a large crowd the previous day, the space toward the back of the section was sparsely filled, leaving ample room for headbanging. As always, Excision decimated the masses with his neck-breaking dubstep drops. Playing everything from “Titans” and “Vault” to the anthematic “Feel Something,” his headlining set provided a legendary 75-minute journey through over a decade of releases.
The festival footprint had its pros and cons, an area for improvement for next year.
After seeing that Breakaway would be taking place at Subaru Park, I questioned how the festival would pull off a multi-stage operation within the space. Utilizing the grounds surrounding the stadium, Breakaway was able to create an expansive footprint able to hold three stages and thousands of festival-goers.
While there was absolutely no issue with sound bleed as each stage was placed a good distance from the others, this made stage hopping between The Launch Pad and Main Stage difficult. Navigating through narrow spaces made walk times longer and led to crowds being backed up at various points of the evening.
With crowds constantly having to trek past the Silent Disco to catch their favorite artists, this was the perfect place to set up the stage. Breakaway’s Silent Disco stood out among others, offering three channels which allowed you to pick your vibe. Hosting dozens of rising DJs throughout the weekend, the stage saw high traffic as fans were lured in by its shining disco ball and packed dancefloor alongside the water.
Additionally, the placement of food vendors could use improvement. While I admit I should’ve looked at a map, it wasn’t until the second day that I realized there was more than one area where you could find a bite to eat. Unfortunately, this was a common occurrence with many attendees I spoke to who ended up waiting over an hour at what they thought was the only food truck. Better signage and food vendors near the Main Stage for year two would be a much-appreciated addition.
While the first year wasn’t picture perfect, Breakaway Philadelphia left a lasting impression, leaving fans clamoring for more.
From fireworks spectacles to dazzling lasers and epic flames, there was no shortage of production. Each of the three stages had its own unique vibe, featuring crisp LED screens and high-end lighting rigs. While many festivals phone it in for their Silent Disco stage, the festival took the time to create something unique with production value, which stood out to Philly-local Roselyn, who graced the stage on Friday.
Over the course of two days, the interactions I had with the attendees were nothing but pleasant. From PLUR moments trading kandi to meaningful conversations with first-time ravers, the weekend was filled with immense joy and served as an entry for many into the world of EDM. On Saturday night, I couldn’t help but notice that this was one of the first festivals in years where I wasn’t once worried about the potential for phone or wallet theft.
Breakaway’s expansion is helping put Philadelphia on the map as a destination for dance music.
Having already announced its return to Philadelphia for 2026, Breakaway Philadelphia is, thankfully, here to stay. While many local ravers were scrutinizing whether the festival would fit into the city’s music scene, Breakaway felt like the perfect addition. Bridging the gap between Philadelphia and talent that frequently overlooks it in favor of NYC, the major festival brand is just another piece to the puzzle as Philly continues to grow its electronic music scene.
