Lightning In A Bottle 2025 has officially wrapped, and we’re so thankful for the energy it brought this year.
photos by Ivan Meneses @ai.visuals
Owned by The Do Lab, Lightning In A Bottle has grown into one of the largest transformational festivals on the West Coast. It caters to a crowd that blends mainstream EDM fans with the Burning Man-inspired scene. We were excited to return to Lake Buena Vista in Bakersfield, California, to see what they had planned for 2025.
We opted to stay in a hotel in Bakersfield for the weekend. While that meant missing out on the full LIB camping experience, the extra rest helped us return to the festival each day fully recharged and ready to dive in.
Friday night was full dubstep mode at Thunder with sets from Taiki Nulight, Flowdan, Peekaboo, and Tape B. We roamed the grounds, trying to hit as many side quests as possible—highlights included a rose ceremony, climbing aboard the Scarab Art Car by Off The Grid, hanging at the cassette tape renegade lounge, and checking out a giant wooden snail.
We caught sets from Marques Wyatt B2B Patricio, Osyris, and Sage at the FMLY BZNS takeover at the Crossroads.
Our first night ended with Four Tet, who delivered a phenomenal set blending deep melodic house, tech bangers, UKG, and a few brilliant left-field picks like Caribou’s 2010 indie dance classic Sun.
Saturday started with brunch in Bakersfield before heading back in time for Biianco, Salute, and Joy Orbison. Salute was a standout—someone we hadn’t heard before LIB—and we were blown away by his knack for hard-hitting melodic disco tunes.
Underworld was another major highlight. The ‘90s-era UK duo brought a hypnotic underground house set that felt surprisingly at home at a transformational festival like LIB.
Khruangbin easily delivered our favorite set of the weekend. Their slow, moody grooves and light disco vibes had Saturday night moving in full force. At times, it felt like a full-on jam band performance with extended interludes and unexpected twists.
Jamie xx closed out the night with a mix of classics and tracks from his latest In Waves record. What stood out most was how effortlessly he wove in unexpected tracks between his own—he’s a true DJ’s DJ with an ear for the unexpected.
A Club Called Rhonda threw an all-night party takeover at the Crossroads that went until 4AM. We were fully immersed in the vibe on our way out of the festival that night.
Sunday was mostly for recovery—we slept in at the hotel after two wild nights. We made it back just in time for sunset, always the best time to wander. We explored the lakeside, snapped some photos, and soaked in the magic of the final day.
Girl Math, the new DJ duo from VNSSA and Nala, made their LIB debut at sunset on the Woogie stage. Their set was packed with electro, Italo disco, and bloghouse-inspired jams. It was a total blast hearing my own edit of Justice’s D.A.N.C.E. played on such a massive sound system.
Claude VonStroke followed with his return to the scene, debuting a new brand and sound. His set leaned funky, deep, and laid-back—classic Dirtybird energy with a fresh twist.
The main stage closed out the weekend with Chanel Tres into John Summit. Hearing so many crowd-favorite tracks back-to-back was the perfect ending.
Lightning In A Bottle keeps getting better every year. The staff, the layout, the energy—everything continues to impress.
For what started as a renegade-style gathering, they now run things like a full-scale entertainment company—and that means a lot for regular festival-goers.
We give our weekend a solid 10/10 and would absolutely recommend it for anyone considering making the trip in future years.
