An Honest Portola Festival Review from a Jaded Raver with High Expectations

I took an unplanned six-year hiatus from festivals. After breaking it for Portola Festival, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve become too critical in my old age.

In its fourth year, Portola Festival returned to the industrial Pier 80. The annual festival has had a strong showing since its inception, with quality music lineups ranging from rock, nostalgic EDM, and pop, to even an appearance by the SF mayor. The San Francisco weather sided with festival-goers, offering beautiful sunny skies and mild winds on both days.

Like most new festivals, organizers have worked hard to overcome the shortcomings of Portolas’ first three years, and it shows. Entry was smooth. Lines were manageable. Bathrooms were plentiful. Musical acts were on point, and everything was spacious with people spilling out and cascading across the parking lot.

Maybe it’s because I took an unplanned six-year break from attending festivals and have become a bit of a jaded raver, but I still find areas where Portola could make some improvements.

After such a long break from the music circuit, I was a little trepidatious to dip my toes back into a festival with less greenery. But for two days, I could make it work. And with Goldenvoice at the helm (um, they run Coachella, hello), I thought I was in good hands.

Photo Credit: JW

Goldenvoice Ticketing Issues

Before the festival started, Portola faced some turbulence due to ticketing issues. Back in May, Goldenvoice shared a special presale code with returning attendees for low ticket pricing, but the rollout didn’t go as planned. Many came across system crashes, lost their spots in the queue, and walked away feeling frustrated.

Then, a few weeks ago, a 25% discount code for two-day passes was released, along with a Waymo promotion that ultimately offered a better deal than what those loyal early buyers received. For some, it felt like a misstep in communication and timing, but it definitely sparked conversation within the community.

As a consolation, some tickets were upgraded, but that caused a whole other set of problems. It effectively insulted those who paid for VIP and flooded the once-exclusive section with more people than I’m used to seeing.

This fiasco worked in attendees’ favor, though, as Portola did not feel crowded at all. Pier 80 is 60 acres of parking lot; it’s already full of ample space. And the four stages are spread all across the industrial area. Five, if you include Despacio, the traveling dance club.

Photo Credit: Scott Hutchinson

Audio Quality

Now, I’m no audiophile, but after years of dancing in warehouses and grassy fields, I’ve developed a pretty good ear and some high expectations. All in all, I just like good music blasting out of a good sound system. Simple enough, right?

To Goldenvoice’s credit, it’s clear they’ve been working towards improving Portola’s sound issues by experimenting with stage configurations and layout adjustments. But despite those efforts, sound quality still seems to be a challenge.

Of all the stages, The Warehouse highlights these sound struggles most noticeably. Audio quality improved as more bodies were present, given that the bass and mids didn’t always sound right reverberating within the thin metal walls when less packed.

Even with these limitations, I enjoyed many sets in the Warehouse. Acts like Anti Up, The Chemical Brothers, and 2manydjs b2b Erol Alkan made the most of their time in the darkened venue and brought it hard.

Photo Credit: Rachel Kupfer

Stage Layout

Goldenvoice is taking notes from previous Portolas, as the Ship Tent and Crane Stage were on point this year. Hamdi had the former stage bumping so hard you couldn’t even get inside. The Crane Stage’s sound was crisp and clear, with acts like Ski Aggu and Blood Orange throwing down.

On the other hand, the Pier Stage’s layout could’ve used a bit of shifting. Audio clarity was an issue, depending on where you stood. That didn’t stop The Rapture from taking over the stage Sunday, as well as Underworld, who blew attendees’ minds.

And while I was skeptical of this booking, the highlight of my weekend was Christina Aguilera. In true Y2K fashion, she brought it: choreo, vocals, pyrotechnics, plus all the nostalgic bangers like “Dirrty” and “What a Girl Wants.” I was transported back to high school, singing with the crowd at the top of my lungs.

Additionally, Despacio has perfected their travelling club tent to a T. The music, the vibe, the setup — all amazing. The McIntosh amps towering around the dancefloor, queued up perfectly, slowed things down, allowing partygoers to appreciate the music. I reveled in the darkness and eclectic music choices.

With such great talent, the sound has to be up to par. With a little finesse, the Pier and Warehouse Stages could be revamped to sound just as good as the Ship Tent and Crane Stages do.

Photo Credit: Scott Hutchinson

Festival Decor and Activations

With Pier 80 being an industrial, concrete parking lot, it could use a little je ne sais quoi to improve the aesthetic. There are lots of cranes, ships, and a warehouse on site — which is cool — but in terms of art or ambiance, things felt a little flat.

There was a lack of immersive art, large-scale installations, natural elements, and vendors with colorful art pieces. They did have a Lil Tuffy booth, and it was cool to peruse some poster designs — but adding some green spaces would help the area feel more welcoming. Nothing too crazy, but a little zhuzhing couldn’t hurt.

The Vibes

I came out of Portola judging attendees harshly for rude behavior, such as more pushing and refusing to let fellow attendees pass than I’ve ever dealt with. Others online voiced similar concerns, while people had worse experiences, such as reported muggings.

Overall, though, the reviews have been positive. Many Redditors have delighted in searching for missed connections, and one even looked for that elusive bowl of Ramen they enjoyed onsite.

While I did take issue with the amount of trash thrown on the floor, I realize that perhaps it might be more complex than I realize. Perhaps Goldenvoice can eventually bring that same clean and sustainable vibe that can be found at Coachella through a similar rewards system that offers prizes and points in exchange for empty bottles, cans, and cups.

But let me give credit where it’s due and focus on what Goldenvoice does bring to Portola. They provided refillable water stations and put the word out to bring reusable water bottles. Their food vendors use compostable service ware and donate leftover food and usable materials to shelters and local charities. So I could admittedly be less judgmental and see it as a work in progress.

I know that Goldenvoice has reconfigured the layout of stages and reworked some things, for which I have to give them props. Clearly, Portola has the musical talent on lock. But ticketing and sound logistics are yearly problems, so something has to change.

Does this make me jaded? Maybe. But let’s hope Goldenvoice looks at their missteps this year and makes some bold moves for next year. And if they do, I’ll make the trek again for Portola 2026.

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