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Lightning in a Bottle dropped their 2026 lineup early this year, with the event’s organizers presenting a major bill for the fest this May.
Leading the lineup are art electronic legends Empire of the Sun, Dutch phenom Mau P (whose August track “Tesla” is currently at No. 1 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay), hard techno arbiter Sara Landry, bass OGs Zeds Dead, UK D&B legends Chase & Status, R&B queen Tinashe, UK fav Barry Can’t Swim and Brazilian whirlwind Mochakk.
Beyond that, the bill features Of the Trees, Billboard’s September Dance Rookie of the Month Jigitz, Overmono, Daily Bread, Lee Burrdige, Hot Since 92, Nia Archives, Dimension, Alleycvt, Jayda G, and many more. See the complete lineup below, with this lineup poster’s design nodding to the festival’s longstanding Mixtape stage, where DJs play classic cuts on cassette all weekend long.
Additionally, after first collabing with legendary L.A. club night A Club Called Rhonda last year, the party will be back for another takeover at the Crossroads Stage, with the longstanding D&B party Respect DnB, the party Baile World and afrobeat/amapiano/dancehall party FMLY BZNS all also hosting nights at Crossroads. LiB will also, as always, host myriad talks, workshops and yoga sessions over the weekend.
Lightning in a Bottle 2026 will mark the 23rd edition of the independent festival. It happens over Memorial Day weekend, May 20-24, 2026 at Buena Vista Lake near Bakersfield, Calif.
Tickets for for the fest go on sale on Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. PT.
Lightning in a Bottle 2026
Courtesy Lightning in a Bottle
For two decades, Lightning In a Bottle has delivered delightfully kooky, kinda heady and always hyphy fun for festivalgoers from the West Coast and well beyond.
The revelry continues today (Jan. 17), as the beloved California event has announced the lineup for its 20-year anniversary show, happening this May 24-29 in Bakersfield, CA.
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Leading the lineup are REZZ, SOFI TUKKER and Zhu, who will all headline LiB’s Lightning stage along with Phantogram, Tobe Nwigwe, 070 Shake, Caribou, DRAMA and many more.
The Thunder stage will host its own headliners Liquid Stranger, LSDream, Tokimonsta and The Glitch Mob, along with LTJ Bukem with Armanna, Meute, Deathpact and more.
On the house and techno oriented Woogie Stage will host Tale Of Us, Diplo, Ben Böhmer, Purple Disco Machine, LP Giobbi, Blond:ish and a crew of other artists. Longstanding LiB artists including David Starfire, Dimond Saints, William Close & The Earth Harp and El Papachango will also be returning in 2023. See the complete lineup below.
Along with the music, the five-day camping fest will host vibey experiences including Interactive yoga and movement classes, talks and workshops, games, races, an 80s prom and other special events. Tickets for the fest are on sale now.
Ahead of LiB, event producers The Do Lab will return to Coachella to host their annual stage at the fest. The lineup for this stage — known for offering a loose, playful and musically impeccable vibe to Coachella — will be released in the coming months.
“What I do know is that for most people, music is a safe space, a place of comfort, a place of joy, a place of release,” Do Lab Assistant Music Director Tadia Taylor told Billboard in 2022 of curating the lineups for LiB and Coachella. “Being in a position to expand all of those emotions and expand the palette and the expand the people and share it all, I could never dream of anything more.”
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