Daisy Chain Fields 2026: Inside Olivia Rodrigo's Genre- & Generation-Spanning Music Festival

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For the girls who plan on running the world (or are doing it already), the moms bringing their daughters to their first music festival, and the millennials and Gen Xers who came of age during the Lilith Faire era, it's hard to name the top full-circle moment at Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields this past Saturday.

Was it when Sarah McLachlan called it out as such, declaring, "this is a beautiful full-circle moment for me, and I am so freakin' happy to be here!" before performing "Building a Mystery" with DCF's founder? Was it the second that Alanis Morissette stepped on the stage, twirling in her long wavy tresses with Rodrigo during a duet of "Ironic" (and sparking screams and tears of joy across multiple generations)? Was it the moment that thousands sang along with Stevie Nicks as she harmonized with Rodrigo during "Landslide"? Or was it when Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson paid homage to Bikini Kill (who took the stage hours before) as she ended "Stupid Girl" with a verse from Kathleen Hannah & Co.'s "Rebel Girl"?

Certainly one of the most powerful moments of the show came when Rodrigo performed "All-American Bitch," in which she typically challenges the audience to unleash their most deafening screams. An hour before, the singer-songwriter just revealed that not only had DCF raised $10 million for nonprofits that advocate for girls and women, but that philanthropist Melinda French Gates matched that number – bringing the total to $20 million. That was also due in part to the time donated by every performer on the bill. "The fact that they took the time out of their insanely busy schedules to come and do this festival for free is something I'm so grateful for," the Grammy-winning star told the DCF crowd. (Those who couldn't make it IRL can still shop official festival merch, of which proceeds benefit charity.)

Rodrigo's DCF comes nearly 30 years after McLachlan's all-female Lilith Fair raised more than $10 million for nonprofits during its run from 1997 to 1999. (A Hulu original documentary reveals the festival's untold story.) Fast-forward to Saturday's show, and the 23-year-old musician asked the crowd to channel "everything that pisses you off. There's a lot to choose from in this world today. I need you to get really really fucking angry, and when I say 'go,' I need you to scream and let it all out for me."

And let it out we did – 45,000 strong, for nearly 12 seconds. As one friend put it, who would have thought that Orange County (once a conservative stronghold) would be the place where a girl-powered music festival – yes, even the production's film crew was mostly women – would release an impossible-to-ignore roar. And all while raising tens of millions of dollars for organizations that advocate for reproductive rights, maternal health, gender equity, domestic violence prevention and more causes, including Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women's Law Center, and Planned Parenthood. Take that, patriarchy.

Celebrity festgoers included Drew Barrymore, former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur (who shared a sweet then-and-now moment with the actress-turned-talk show host), Emma Watson, Victoria Justice, Rachel Zegler, and others. The triple degree-heat didn't stop fans from zig-zagging between two stages to catch every single act: set times were staggered so that attendees could do so.

Quiet Light kicked off the Marigold Stage, which also featured Rachel Chinouriri, Die Spitz, Bikini Kill, the Breeders, Garbage and Not for Radio. The main Dandelion Stage's performers included Eli, Devon Again (who replaced Katseye after the girl group bowed out due to Megan Skiendiel's ankle injury), Santigold, Mitski, Doechii, Chappell Roan and the event organizer herself and her special guests.

And though fans were sad to hear of Karen O's last-minute cancellation due to a family emergency, the day offered more than enough memorable moments for fans across generations and music genres. Katseye fans still got to see the injured Skiendiel, Lara Raj, and Yoonchae Jeong on stage as they introduced the nonprofit Baby2Baby ahead of Devon Again's performance. "we're so disappointed that we can perform today on stage, but my ankle is on hiatus," Skiendiel explained.

Bikini Kill brought out Irvine-bred Emily's Sassy Lime to close out their set with "Rebel Girl" at the Marigold Stage. Of the Asian-American-led trio, frontwoman Kathleen Hannah said, "they started the fucking coolest garage rock band with the funniest fucking lyrics I'd ever heard, and they came to our shows and we started hanging out and we started touring with them. It felt like nobody fucking got our band except for these fucking cool teenage girls."

At the Dandelion Stage, Doechii and her dancers sported head-to-toe pink body paint (and managed to stay rosy the entire show) while getting the crowd to turn up the heat as she performed "Boiled Peanuts" and "Denial Is a River." Roan emerged for her set in a Fifth Element-inspired lavender look before getting the entire park to dance their remaining sweat off (luckily, the sun had set by then).

The onstage moments may have made history, but it was the interactions among festgoers that was the real magic behind DCF. At the Depop Oasis, young women praised one others' Y2K-inspired looks ("it's vintage!" was a common reply) while taking artsy portraits with their crew and cooling down with fruit popsicles. (Depop kindly hosted this editor at its comfy festival bungalow.)

Etsy's Creative Village featured a colorful, bead-filled fountain, where girls and grown-ups alike made custom pins and helped each other sort through thousands of the bright plastic pieces for the perfect finishing touch. Nearby, stylish strangers traded pins and handmade bracelets. Over at artist Ariel Zana's installation, we witnessed a Gen X dad bonding with his daughter over the "Who Was the First Artist You Saw in Concert?" mirror prompt.

As evidenced by Depop and Etsy's pop-ups, the activations themselves were all in line with Rodrigo's own commitment to supporting independent artists, makers, creatives, and charities. (And of course, there was a touch of fun and whimsy.) At the Daisy Chain Reaction philanthropy village, guests scored an exclusive tote bag, collected pins, and enjoyed hands-on crafts as they learned about the 10 nonprofits that benefited from ticket sales.

In a late-stage capitalism era where the current administration is targeting individuals and corporations alike for holding progressive values, it's encouraging to see blue chip companies aligning themselves Rodrigo & Co. Athleta hosted dozens of fashion editors and content creators and collaborated with DCF on exclusive merch, Brooks Running (which regularly pops up at women's marathons) hosted shoe charm-making stations and gave away blankets.

Verizon, which hosted the Uncover LA team at its bungalow, got customers right in the middle of it all – literally – with an exclusive area with a clear view of the stage through its Verizon Shine loyalty program. The wireless provider also offered free charging stationsto and exclusive merch lines for customers.

It's hard to find hope in time where the Trump administration has ended the constitutional right to safe abortions, defunded Planned Parenthood, pardoned anti-choice extremists, revoking anti-discrimination protections, and supporting the criminalization of parents who pursue gender-affirming care for their children (among many, many other policy and regulation changes). But at Daisy Chain Fields, witnessing community in action helped erase every iota of pessimism and hopelessness.

Amid the blistering heat, we regularly overheard people doing hydration checks among their fellow concertgoers and sharing portable fans for those in need of cooling. Over in the tented, airy bungalows (which cost $15,000 to $30,000 for a 15-person seating area within VIP), attendees made new buddies over H-O-T-T-O-G-O dances.

And despite parking logistics nightmare following the show on account of the Irvine Police (at least according to Redditors sharing their post-fest traffic experiences), fans stepped up – including one "parking fairy" in a yellow dress – to help direct frustrated drivers trying to exit the lot. It was a moment for the parents to do their thing, too: we witnessed one father in full-on "dad" mode, gathering and sharing intel from the cars stuck ahead.

(This editor's shuttle bus was among the automobiles in complete standstill for an hour; thanks to the quick thinking of our Depop hosts, our group switched gears and abandoned ship, walked past traffic and caught Ubers back to L.A. By the time we returned home around 1:30 a.m., our brave shuttle driver had just left the parking lot.)

But for the majority of – if not all – Daisy Chaingoers, the post-show experience will be a tiny footnote. Sure, some of standout scenes in our mind include dancing to Chappell Roan as the sun set with tens of thousands of music lovers, a karaoke session with a rock music legend, and a poignant tribute to country music saint Dolly Parton in the form of McLachlan and Rodrigo's duet of "Angel." But the most memorable moments will also be in witnessing and experiencing the little interactions between fellow fans: the "do you want to share my shade?" asks, the "I'll hold your spot in line" favors, and countless other acts of kindness.

Fleetwood Mac's Priestess of Rock 'n' Roll sung the praises of her twentysomething host, but her words were just as wise for everyone in the crowd. "I told her, 'Don't ever give that up and don't ever let anybody change you," Nicks gushed.

Added the 78-year-old legend, "She reminds me a lot of when I was her age 100 years ago. I'm somewhat awestruck that she could do all this, 'cause it's so hard. You have no idea, putting something together with all these people. And she's done it with this grace and crazy, crazy energy that she has… so support her, come and be a part of [this movement]. She's very special; take her to your heart because I have."

Scroll through the gallery for more inside the first-ever Daisy Chain Fields, and learn more about the fest and how to support its nonprofit partners here.