Tomorrowland’s celebrated underground concept makes its long-awaited U.S. debut this May in Los Angeles.
There’s a particular kind of electricity that runs through Los Angeles in the weeks before a first-ever. When HARD Summer returned to LA at the Banc of California Stadium where it finally found its home at SoFi, or when Skyline Festival claimed the Arts District. So when Tomorrowland’s CORE series announced it was bringing its concept stateside for the very first time, landing at LA State Historic Park on May 2nd and 3rd in partnership with Insomniac, the reaction among the people who pay attention was less surprise and more: finally.
If you’re not already familiar with CORE’s backstory, here’s the short version: it started as a stage tucked deep inside Tomorrowland Belgium’s forests, a deliberate detour away from the main event, built around alternative house music, atmospheric soundscapes, and a face-shaped stage design that’s since become one of the most recognizable in global festival culture.It grew into its own standalone brand, its own boutique record label in CORE Records, its own monthly radio show on One World Radio, and eventually its own world tour where they did Medellín in February, Los Angeles this May, and Melbourne in November. LA is the centerpiece of that first proper global run.
The Tomorrowland-Insomniac partnership that makes this possible isn’t new, either. The two companies spent four weekends together last year producing the UNITY residency at the Las Vegas Sphere which was one of the most talked-about live music events of 2025, and CORE Los Angeles is their next move together. When Insomniac is your co-signer in this city, the production infrastructure is not going to let you down. What CORE brings to that equation is a musical philosophy rooted in artists who reward active listening: atmospheric, emotionally charged, and built to feel as much as to hear. Here are some artists that you shouldn’t miss at Core LA.
FOUR TET — Saturday, CORE Stage, 8:00–9:30 PM
If you’ve been in any remotely credible electronic music conversation in the last two decades, you already know this London-born, mathematically-trained architect of folktronica who pivoted into one of the most quietly influential forces in contemporary dance music is headlining Saturday night on the CORE stage. His electric curation of songs in his DJ sets, and somehow makes it work, has been delivering in recent years is one of those rare artist arcs that never feels like a sell-out, especially after his recent collaboration with Skrillex and Fred Again… We’re curious how his set will unvold.
@cued.up Four Tet’s 3-hour journey at Dekmantel 2025 was pure bliss. The ultimate wizard of sound… shapeshifting styles, locking us into those heavy, shuffling beats. #fourtet #edm #festival #rave #dancemusic
HONEY DIJON — Saturday, CORE Stage, 6:30–8:00 PM
Right before Four Tet on the same stage, which is either the dream slot or the most pressure imaginable, is Honey Dijon, the Chicago-born, New York and Berlin-based DJ and producer who has spent years making the case that house music’s Black and queer roots are not footnotes; they are the entire story. Her sets are built for the floor in the most non-compromising way. If there’s a moment Saturday where the energy visibly tilts upward ahead of the headliner, Honey Dijon is the reason why.
@djhoneydijon You want hot stuff children? Well, mama’s got it 🔥 #honeydijon #housemusic #electronicmusic #blackmusic #donnasummer #clubdj #djlife #musictok
ERIC PRYDZ — Sunday, CORE Stage, 9:30–11:00 PM
The Swedish producer and live performer has spent the better part of two decades operating at a level that most of his contemporaries can only gesture toward. Forget “Pjanoo“, though yes, it will probably appear, and yes, you will completely lose your mind when it does. What Prydz brings to a late-night headlining slot in 2026 is a lifetime of meticulous sound design and a live show production philosophy that treats lasers as a compositional element, not decoration. His CORE stage set closes out Sunday. It should be treated as mandatory.
@ericprydz Holosphere 2.0 launched… #UNVRS #EricPrydz #HOLOSPHERE #IBIZA #ElectronicMusic
ARTBAT — Sunday, CORE Stage, 8:00–9:30 PM
The Ukrainian duo of Artur Bosargi and Batish have built a global following on a sound that splits the difference between melodic techno’s emotional grandeur and something rawer and more urgent underneath. What ARTBAT does in a live context (and they play live, which matters) is build atmosphere that genuinely compounds over time. Their Sunday CORE stage slot, right before Prydz, positions them as the emotional setup for the weekend’s closing argument. Don’t treat it as a warm-up.
@artbat_ofc When the lights drop and the sound takes over, everything else fades. We find ourselves in this moment again and again, and it’s where it all comes together ❤️🔥 #artbat #technotok #melodictechno
MALL GRAB — Saturday, Mano Stage, 9:30–11:00 PM
Jordan Alexander is the Australian producer and label head behind Steel City Dance Discs. He is one of the more credible lo-fi house voices working right now, and his live sets tend to skew rough and tactile in the best possible way. Playing the Mano stage Saturday opposite Four Tet means Mall Grab has the alternative closing option for people who want their Saturday night to end somewhere a little murkier and less polished.
@ultrarecords @Milky x Mall Grab ‘Just The Way You Are’ out now
NINA KRAVIZ — Sunday, Mano Stage, 9:30–11:00 PM
The Siberian-born DJ and producer is one of those artists who seems to generate strong opinions simply by existing. Kraviz closing the Mano stage Sunday night means there’s a genuine fork in the road for your evening: Prydz on the CORE stage or Kraviz forty yards over. It’s not a bad problem to have. Her sets can careen between acid, EBM, lo-fi house, and whatever she found in a crate that week, held together by a kind of confidence that only comes from not particularly caring whether you approve.
@ninakraviz
KEVIN DE VRIES – Saturday, Mano Stage, 8:00 – 9:30 PM
Since his first release in 2015, the Dutch producer has been carving out a niche for how his hybrid techno sound, where he pulls simultaneously from the emotional architecture of melodic techno and the raw, peak-time driving techno. His CORE stage slot positions him as one of the weekend’s more interesting undercards. Kevin De Vires is the kind of artist who tends to over-deliver precisely because he’s not yet carrying the weight of massive expectation. Watch that change after this set.
@adtomusic
HANNAH LAING – Saturday, Core Stage, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Born in Dundee in 1994 and raised by hardcore raver parents, Hannah Laing didn’t take the conventional fast track into electronic music. She spent nearly a decade working as a dental nurse, DJing on weekends, until a breakthrough set at Creamfields convinced her to go all in. Laing describes her sound as “doof”, her own shorthand for a high-energy fusion of techno, hard house, and trance. That signature style has clearly struck a chord. Her 2023 single “Good Love” with RoRo spent 26 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 7 and achieving Platinum status — a rare feat for artists operating on the harder edge of dance music. In late 2025, she released “Have You Ever Loved (Ellie)”, a deeply personal tribute to a close friend. The track was named “Hottest Record” by BBC Radio 1 on release day, cementing her reputation as both a crowd-mover and an emotionally resonant producer.
If you’re looking to experience cutting-edge electronic music in a visually immersive setting, CORE Festival Los Angeles 2026 delivers something genuinely different. Dive into the lineup, explore ticket options, and stay updated via the official CORE page from Tomorrowland, this is where global talent and next-wave energy collide.