Hard Summer 2025 – Vibes, Versatility, and a Venue That Finally Feels Like Home
If 2024 felt like a homecoming, 2025 was the graduation ceremony — diplomas in hand, fireworks in the sky, and 80,000 ravers dancing through the quad. Last weekend, Insomniac’s Hard Summer returned to Hollywood Park for its second round at the Inglewood mega-complex next to SoFi Stadium. And this time? They nailed it.
The two-day blowout sold out before the gates even opened, proving the 2024 pivot from downtown wasn’t just a fluke — it was the move. With 300 acres of space, smoother logistics, and production that actually fit the scale of the crowd, Hard Summer cemented itself as L.A.’s biggest electronic music festival. This year, they doubled down on the good stuff: more water stations, more shaded rest zones, and better flow between stages. A few logistical hiccups aside, the vibes still hit right.
Sure, things got off to a slightly chaotic start. On Saturday, a group of hyped-up fans tried to storm the fence, prompting some uncomfortable flashbacks to Astroworld. Security handled it quickly, no injuries were reported, and once the sun set behind The Forum, where Lady Gaga was also performing, the only thing crashing through barriers was the bass.
A Venue That Makes Sense Now
Hollywood Park finally feels like the right fit. The Hard and Harder stages, megastructures that anchored SoFi’s Champions Way, stood like titans of sound facing off across the festival grounds. The Green and Purple stages were repositioned for easier foot traffic. And then there’s the Pink Stage — which got a crucial upgrade this year.
After last year’s sound complaints from the surrounding neighborhoods, organizers smartly relocated the Pink Stage to a spot right next to the Hard main stage. The result? Better flow, less echo-chamber acoustics, and a stage that felt more integrated into the heart of the action.
It also meant VIPs got a sweet setup. Entering from the same central gate, a quick left turn led straight to the mainstage dancefloor, while a right turn dropped you into the Pink Stage’s groove pocket. Easy access, great vibes, and no audio spillover headaches from last year.
Extra stages like the Beatbox Art Car added playful energy and surprise sets. And so does the tucked-away Locals Only stage which featured regional talent and paid homage to Hard’s community-driven “Pre-Game” initiative. It was all walkable too — no more marathon treks between stages like we experienced at the Coliseum in 2023.
A Genre‑Hopping Lineup with Serious Range
Hard’s always been good at mixing the crates, but this year felt extra intentional. On the top line you had house superstar Dom Dolla, Colombian pop icon Feid, industrial techno wizard Gesaffelstein, Montreal beat genius Kaytranada, London’s eclectic producer Four Tet, and the cerebral electronics Floating Points.
From there, things zigzagged across genres: hard techno heavyweights like Sara Landry and Nico Moreno, club architects like Joy Orbison and James Hype, house heads like The Blessed Madonna, Ben Sterling, and SOSA, plus bass-fueled chaos courtesy of PEEKABOO, Crankdat, and Tape B. Hard wasn’t just crossing genres, rather it always tries to curate a mixtape of the moment.
Saturday: Kaytranada’s Bounce, Feid’s Green-Lit Takeover
Triple-digit heat didn’t stop the crowd from turning out early, but Kaytranada brought a breeze of his own during golden hour. House, hip-hop, R&B, and even a little gospel funk — his set was smooth, textured, and confidently cool. Then Feid hit the Hard Stage with a full band and full swagger, closing out the night with green lasers, reggaeton bangers, and a reminder that Latin pop belongs in these spaces too.
And then came the surprise: Snoop Dogg himself. The West Coast icon strolled onstage mid-set, and the duo rolled through classics like “Still D.R.E.,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and “Gin and Juice.” It was one of those “wait, is this really happening?” moments that sent the crowd into full frenzy.
Elsewhere, Gordo delivered a high-energy warm-up on the Harder Stage before Sara Landry unleashed a pounding techno set that electrified the crowd. The Green Stage kept heads spinning with Tape B B2B Mersiv, while the Purple Stage hosted a cerebral, live electronic performance by Floating Points that brought welcome nuance.
During the hot afternoon, Detroit’s BOLO lit up the Harder Stage with sun-soaked house, and the rap legend, Busta Rhymes brought his signature spitfire to the Hard Stage.
Sunday: House, Hard Kicks, and Everything In Between
Sunday spotlighted the full spectrum. Dom Dolla headlined the Hard Stage and brought a hit parade to the Hard Stage, including “Saving Up”, Rhyme Dust”, and more, elevated with blinding pyro and crowd-synced visuals that made the experience feel massive.
Then came the dark prince: Gesaffelstein. At the Purple Stage, the French enigma donned his usual black suit and baptized the crowd in white strobes, punishing bass, and near-theatrical fog. It was stunning, punishing, and completely unforgettable.
Over at the Green Stage, 999999999 an acid-heavy set that was both brutal and brilliant. While earlier during Sunday’s golden hour, Four Tet gave a kaleidoscopic masterclass in genre fusion, an intricate blend of garage, IDM, and jazz. James Hype brought expert-level transitions and energy to his evening set, proving he’s one of the most polished in the game.
Just before his closing set on the Harder Stage, we caught up with Deorro — the SoCal legend who’s been pushing his Latin-house hybrid sound since the bloghouse era. Known for tracks like “Five Hours, and “Dechorro”, his style blends bounce, bass, and regional flavor with ease.
His Sunday night closing set was a high-BPM, unapologetically fun celebration of homegrown energy. And judging by the roar of the crowd, L.A. was proud to have him back. Check out our interview with Deorro below.
The Pink Stage Reset
Last year, the Pink Stage’s placement caused some serious audio spill — pointed straight into the neighborhood, the sound complaints piled up. This year’s fix? Relocating it next to the Hard Stage. The result was cleaner acoustics and better integration into the main festival path.
With sets from Loco Dice, Ben Sterling, and SOSA, the Pink Stage became a nonstop destination for house and techno heads. Walker & Royce B2B VNSSA turned up the bounce on Sunday, while Nico Moreno brought the warehouse vibes when he closed the Green stage. Tucked away near the massive stages, the Beatbox Art Car became a hidden gem, where L.A. local djs spun their sets.
PLUR Vibes, Real Lessons
Hard Summer 2025 wasn’t flawless. The early fence-jumping scare proved that security and entry logistics still need work. Maybe stronger barricades. Maybe rethinking entry queues. Maybe even lowering those ticket prices just a touch (a raver can dream). But none of that erased the weekend’s energy.
Despite the hiccups, the spirit of PLUR was alive and well. People helped each other hydrate. Dance circles broke out at every corner.Strangers shared shade and gave out Kandi bracelets. You could feel it — not just a festival, but a community.
Here’s to next year’s edition — bigger beats, brighter lights, and even more unforgettable moments on the horizon.
Deorro interview:
Frank151: Thank you for having the time to speak to us before your set.
Deorro: Yeah, of course, my pleasure.
I was wondering, we always ask this question at Frank, if you could make a festival, who’s your three headliners, dead or alive? If you curate your own festival.
Any music?
Any music. If you have your own festival.
There’s a Rock en español band called Mana.
Okay..
I would have… Marco Antonio Solis. Myself. (laughing) That’s number four. That’s number four. And then I would have… Man, I think I would have Pink Floyd.
Okay, that’s a good idea. More on the Latin side yeah?
Yeah, yeah.
Piggybacking to the next question, you now make more Latin stuff, like “La Bandera” and collaborate with a lot of different artists. What makes your transition from Melbourne Bounce like when you started. Like “Dechorro”, and your other songs that are in that genre, what made you do that?
I feel like at first It was all about trying to be a part of what the rave scene was, but then once I feel like I got accepted, It was about what do I have to offer? And I feel like I kind of turned around and I realized that my culture is the best thing I had to offer. Because I grew up with my culture.
From West Covina, right?
Exactly. So, I mean, I had Mexican parents, so that’s when I said, you know what?.. I’m going to apply to my music what I grew up with. And I feel like I fell in love with music all over again, you know,
That’s awesome! So you’re gonna headline the Harder stage tonight, and recently you played at Academy a couple of months ago..
Yeah.
That was a good show too! What makes the difference between preparing your set at a club and for a festival?
Thanks! I feel like the biggest difference is preparation when it comes to the stage size. I mean you have fire, fireworks… Bigger CO2, sometimes you have a bigger stage to have performers. That’s the only difference. But as far as the vibes, I mean the vibes, I always look at the crowd and I read the crowd and if they want this, I give them that.
Okay, so it’s too much of a difference in terms of preparations yeah?
Not so much. Just reading the crowd vibes.
And I know you collaborate with a lot of artists. Do you have any other artists in the future that you would like to collaborate with?
I mean I would love to collaborate with El Buki, Maná, Café Tacuba. Manu Chao, I mean there’s so many artists that I would love to collaborate, you know. Límite, there’s so much.
Okay, and what can we expect from Deorro for the rest of the year?
I want to blend the worlds of EDM and Latin for sure. 100% EDM and Mexican, you know?
That’s great! Like what you’re doing now! Well, thank you so much for your time, and have a great set tonight!
Thank you so much, I appreciate you guys!
Written by Eric B. Thornton | Edit by Bernadette