Day Trip Festival is at its best when it remembers exactly what it is: a sun-soaked, house-first weekender with no need to cosplay as an everything-festival. The 2026 edition does exactly that. Returning to the Queen Mary Waterfront in Long Beach on June 27–28, 2026, the Insomniac-run event has built a lineup around artists who actually make sense in this setting, with Cloonee, Odd Mob, and GORDO leading a bill that stays locked on groove, swing, and late-afternoon euphoria.
What makes this poster land is the depth. There are 54 artists spread across two days and three stages per day, and it never feels padded. You get a debut back-to-back from Green Velvet and Josh Baker, a perfect-on-paper sunset slot for Purple Disco Machine, tougher second-day pressure from Adam Beyer, HI-LO, Lilly Palmer, and Loco Dice, plus the very fun left turns of RuPaul and Rebecca Black stepping in with DJ sets. That is a lot of personality for one waterfront weekend.
Essential Details for Day Trip Festival 2026
- Dates: June 27–28, 2026
- Location: Queen Mary Waterfront, Long Beach, California
- Tickets: On sale Friday, April 24, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT via daytripfest.com
- Nearest Airport: Long Beach Airport (LGB), with LAX as the larger backup option
- Age: 21+
Where the lineup really starts talking
Saturday, June 27 – Disco lift, club pressure and a few smart swerves
Saturday looks like the more playful half of the weekend, but there is still plenty of punch in it. Odd Mob has become one of the safest bets in house music if your goal is to make a crowd lose its mind, while Purple Disco Machine getting the sunset slot feels almost unfair for anyone trying to keep their phone in their pocket. The debut b2b from Green Velvet and Josh Baker is the kind of booking that tells you Day Trip is still programming for dancers first. Add in Ben Hemsley, GORDO, BUNT., ChaseWest, and Obskür, and the first day covers a lot of modern dance-floor language without drifting out of character.
The two conversation-starting bookings are obvious: RuPaul and Rebecca Black, both in DJ set mode. On a weaker lineup that kind of move can read like stunt casting. Here it feels more like seasoning. The rest of the poster is so dialed into house, disco, garage, and rolling club music that those sets register as fun additions rather than a break from the brief.
- High Tide: CID, D.O.D, Green Velvet b2b Josh Baker, HILLS, Odd Mob, Purple Disco Machine (Sunset Set), RuPaul (DJ Set), Welker, Zoe Gitter
- Deep End: ChaseWest, Chica, Gaskin, GORDO, Kolter (Sunset Set), L.P. Rhythm b2b Locky, Obskür, RUZE
- Amphitheater: Ben Hemsley, BUNT., camoufly, Champion, Jaguar, Morgan Seatree, Notion, Rebecca Black (DJ Set), Swimming Paul (Sunset Set), Wes Pierce
Sunday, June 28 – Heavier rollers, sharper edges and a strong closing stretch
Sunday is where the lineup gets meaner in the best way. Cloonee is one of the most natural fits on this entire poster, the kind of artist who can make a massive outdoor stage feel like a very expensive warehouse party. Elderbrook showing up in DJ-set form is a nice twist, SIDEPIECE b2b Westend should be chaos, and Hayden James gives the day a bit of melodic brightness before things dig back in.
The rest of the second day is stacked with names that should make proper heads very happy. Loco Dice, Adam Beyer, HI-LO, Lilly Palmer, Layla Benitez, and Weska give the poster real backbone, while artists like Riordan, Silva Bumpa, Sidney Charles, Soraya, and Julian Fijma make sure the undercard is doing more than just filling space.
- High Tide: Cloonee, Elderbrook (DJ Set), Greg 99, Hayden James, it’s murph (Sunset Set), LUMI, Olive F, Roddy Lima, SIDEPIECE b2b Westend
- Deep End: Discip, Josh Baker, Julian Fijma, Loco Dice, Riordan (Sunset Set), Sidney Charles, Silva Bumpa, Soraya
- Amphitheater: Adam Beyer (Sunset Set), HI-LO, HNTR, Jia, Layla Benitez, Lilly Palmer, SCRIPT, Weska
Why this one feels stronger than a generic electronic weekender
A real point of view. Plenty of festivals say they are about dance music and then hand you a poster that looks like a playlist generated by committee. Day Trip Festival still has an actual lane. This lineup stays centered on house, tech house, techno, disco, UK-leaning club energy, and artists who know how to work in open air without flattening everything into festival mush.
The setting does a lot of the work. The Queen Mary Waterfront is one of those rare Southern California venues that already gives you atmosphere before the first kick drum lands. Harbor air, skyline views, and sunset slots matter more when the music is this groove-driven, which is why bookings like Purple Disco Machine, Kolter, Swimming Paul, it’s murph, Riordan, and Adam Beyer at sunset feel especially well placed.
The undercard is not filler. That might be the biggest compliment here. Names like CID, D.O.D, Notion, Morgan Seatree, Jaguar, RUZE, HNTR, and Weska are exactly the reason this lineup has replay value beyond the top line. If you are the kind of person who actually stays for early sets and wanders between stages, this poster rewards that behavior.
The practical stuff before you commit
Stay close if you can. Downtown Long Beach or the waterfront area will make this weekend much easier. Scenic festival exits are great in theory, but when thousands of people leave at once, shorter rides and walkable hotel options suddenly become a luxury.
Dress for two versions of the day. Southern California sun on the concrete can be brutal in the afternoon, then the breeze off the water shows up after dark. Light clothes for the daytime and one extra layer for the walk out is the move.
Use the sunset slots wisely. This is not one of those festivals where sunset is just a pretty backdrop. The programming clearly matters there. If you only build your schedule around the headliners, you are going to miss some of the best moments on the poster.
Take the age policy seriously. This is a 21+ event, which changes the crowd and the pace a bit. Day Trip tends to feel less like an all-purpose mega-festival and more like a focused adult weekend out, and that is part of the appeal.
Do not sit on tickets if this is your sound. House-first festivals with a clear identity are still rarer than they should be in the United States. When one gets the location, branding, and lineup balance right, people notice quickly.
Day Trip Festival 2026 looks like a weekend for people who want actual curation instead of noise. There are bigger festivals in America and there are certainly more bloated ones, but this poster understands its own audience in a way a lot of competitors do not. If you want two days of waterfront house music with enough edge to keep it interesting, this is one of the better bookings of the summer.
Secure your tickets at daytripfest.com.
