Festies
by Sunny Balopole, Vanessa Gutierrez, Clark Lawson
Ep. 63 Head Trip and 7 Stars Hit by Storms + A Rough Year for…
About this podcast
Festies Podcast, a music festival podcast
Festie (noun): A music loving adventurer who flourishes in the vibrant energy of festivals. Known for dancing to any beat, making new friends at every stage, and offering unwavering support to fellow festies in their crew. A true festie views every festival as a fresh opportunity to immerse in the moment and create lasting memories.
Festies is our backstage pass to the wonderful world of music festivals. We're Vanessa and Sunny, lifelong best friends who've explored 30+ different festivals between us. We've hit up festivals over 100 times combined. 18 of those, side by side. We cover everything from Coachella and Bonnaroo to Outside Lands and beyond. Think of us as your go to source for festival stories, tips, and all the glittery chaos in between.
We share advice, chat with the coolest folks in the industry, and spotlight hidden gem festivals you need to know about. From reggae to rock, EDM to indie, and hip hop to country, we dive into the music, vibes, and people who make festivals magical. We also highlight innovative products and festival hacks crafted by the community, because the best ideas always come from fellow festies.
Whether you're a first timer or a seasoned pro, we've got your back. So grab your hydration pack, lace up your comfiest shoes, and tune in, because the festival adventure doesn't stop when the music does.
Let's keep the vibe alive, one episode at a time.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 63 episodes
- Ep. 63 Head Trip and 7 Stars Hit by Storms + A Rough Year for Festival Weather · 30 min · Episode 63Head Trip and Valley of the Seven Stars landed on the same October weekend, and both got hit by storms. We get into Head Trip’s Saturday shutdown and how the Seven Stars crowd…
- Ep. 62 Festies Recap: Portola 2026 With Our Correspondent Megan · 50 min · Season 1 Episode 62Megan, a Festie since day one, joins us as our first ever Festies correspondent to recap Portola Music Festival 2026! She spent the weekend at Pier 80 in San Francisco and came…
- Ep. 61 Festies Recap: Same Same But Different 2026 · 45 min · Season 1 Episode 61SSBD 2026 is in the books! Sunny and Clark were on the ground all weekend. Vanessa's here to get the full scoop. We get into how we camped, what we'd do differently, and how we…
- Ep. 60 Portola 2026: Lineup Picks, Tips & What to Know Before You Go · 23 min · Episode 60Portola holds a special place in our story. It was the first festival we covered after starting Festies, and the first to hand us media passes. Now we're back, and leveling up…
- Ep. 59 Bonnaroo Cancels 2027 Festival, Daisy Chain Fields Gets Mixed Reviews · 28 min · Episode 59Bonnaroo just dropped the news: no festival in 2027. We get into why a year off might be exactly what The Farm needs to come back stronger. Then we hop over to Olivia Rodrigo's…
- Ep. 58 Same Same But Different 2026 Prep · 26 min · Episode 58No stress prep for Same Same But Different at Lake Perris. Built from community tips plus everything we learned camping there ourselves. The gear that actually keeps you…
- Ep. 57 Festies Recap: Outside Lands 2026 · 46 min · Episode 57Clark joins us to break down Outside Lands 2026, day by day. We rank the highs. We rank the lows. Surprise sets, sound failures, and the stuff everyone was talking about all…
- Ep. 56 Outside Lands 2026 Prep · 28 min · Episode 56Vanessa and Sunny are joined by Clark this episode, gearing up for Outside Lands 2026: Reddit finds, the fog you need to dress for, and a few side quests in Golden Gate Park…
- Ep. 55 Festies Recap: Stern Grove 2026 + SSBD Hype · 20 min · Episode 55Just Vanessa and Sunny on the mic today. Sunny recaps seeing Major Lazer with Clark at Stern Grove, then hypes up Same Same But Different, one of her all-time favorite fests…
- Ep. 54 Festies Recap: Bonnaroo 2026 · 44 min · Episode 54Bonnaroo 2026 is officially in the books. This week, Sunny and Clark sit down with Vanessa and her fiancé, Ed, to hear all about their trip to The Farm. It was their first time…
- Ep. 53 Festies Recap: Lightning in a Bottle 2026 · 41 min · Episode 53Sunny and Clark are back from Lightning in a Bottle and giving Vanessa the full recap. We cover favorite sets, workshops, camping adventures, festival lessons, new friendships…
- Ep. 52 How SideQuest Grid Is Changing the Music Festival Experience · 45 min · Episode 52In this episode, we talk with Lauren and David, the creators of Sidequest Grid, a festival-based social game that helps attendees meet new people and discover the magic between…
- Ep. 51 Lightning in a Bottle 2026 Preview: Lineup, Tips & Our Plan · 21 min · Episode 51We're officially approved for media at Lightning in a Bottle 2026! In this episode, we break down what LIB is all about, why the community is so unique, and what we’re excited to…
- Ep. 50 Festies Recap: Coachella 2026 (FloorChella) · 36 min · Episode 50Our 50th episode is here, and we’re celebrating with a full FloorChella recap. Vanessa joins remotely from Iowa after her big move, and Clark joins us for the conversation as we…
- Ep. 49 Inside the General Store at Coachella with Serena Flowers · 33 min · Episode 49Serena Flowers joins us to share the story behind the festival General Store you’ve probably relied on at Coachella, Stagecoach, and dozens of other major events. What started…
- Ep. 48 Outside Lands 2026 Lineup Reaction · 16 min · Episode 48This episode is our Outside Lands 2026 lineup reaction! We pull up the poster together and talk through our favorite artists, surprises, and early thoughts on the lineup. Outside…
- Ep. 47 Inside the Bonnaroo Yearbook with Caleb Arias · 33 min · Episode 47Caleb Arias, creator of the Bonnaroo Yearbook Project and the mind behind The Bonnaroo Yearbook Guy, joins us to talk about documenting one of the most iconic music festivals in…
- Ep. 46 Warped Tour, Mayhem Festival & Aftershock Festival With Aaron · 38 min · Episode 46In this episode of Festies, we are joined by our friend Aaron Apple, a longtime rock and metal fan and festival regular, to talk about the evolution of festivals from Warped Tour…
- Ep. 45 BottleRock 2026 Lineup Reaction · 10 min · Episode 45We’re diving into our first reactions to the BottleRock 2026 lineup. We go day by day through the artists, call out the surprises, and talk about who we’re most excited to see…
- Ep. 44 Ritesh Patel on Building Ticket Fairy to Support Festival Creators · 47 min · Episode 44We chat with Ritesh Patel, CEO and co-founder of Ticket Fairy and founder of LOCUS Festival (A Drum 'N' Bass Experience in Paradise), to talk about how a love for throwing…







