Editor-in-chief, Dakin Hardwick here! Introducing you to the latest addition to the Spinning Platters team, Ammar Hasan! He’s a great photographer and writer, and he joined us in a pinch when our original photographer on Portola had an emergency and couldn’t make it. Without further ado, here’s his coverage of Portola Music Festival 2026:
Kaytree
Kaytree was an excellent way to kick off day two of Portola. Her set was at 1:40 PM so many people were still on the way to the festival, but I’m glad I got to see her for the first time. She was a laidback but great DJ. It was a great transition for future sets because you could see the energy keep rising. You could definitely see people warming up for the festival from the start of her set to the end.
Mochakk
The well-renowned Brazilian DJ Mochakk came on at 5:35 PM, and the energy & vibrations were simply sensational. I was lucky enough to be in the front row of the crowd for this one for media coverage. The crowd behind me was screaming in excitement and dancing when he played “Da fonk,” his Rizzla remix. His hairstyle made me want to bring the long hair back. Mochakk’s energy was contagious, and that also helped the crowd get more into it. Definitely an upbeat set for the books.
Adela, simply a future superstar. That is the only way to describe her performance. My favorite set of day two by far. I was thankful to cover her. Someone in the crowd shouted, “She’s a ballerina!” so I looked forward to her set, and I wasn’t sure what to expect,t but I was blown away by her flexibility in her moves. She had levels of flexibility I’ve never seen from a singer before. On top of that, the choreography with the other dancers she had was also incredible. The dancers seemed to be synchronized at all times. Her outfit gave strong pop star vibes with the denim & studs. The final song Adela chose to play was Nicole Kidman. You could hear a loud pop from the crowd as soon as the beat dropped. My personal favorite was “Red Bottoms”; that song has incredible vibes. Portola made an incredible decision to bring her to perform.
SG Lewis came on at 4:30 PM, and I wasn’t sure what to expect because I hadn’t listened to him before, but going forward, I absolutely will. He brought out a guest vocalist named Rahh, and they absolutely crushed it together. When SG Lewis played his song Heat with Tove Lo, it instantly gave me the urge to start breakdancing. The crowd felt the same way because I could feel the energy lift sky high. RAHH was a great complement to his set as well; her vocals synchronized very well with his songs.
The duo group Mind Enterprises came on at 2:30, and I’m glad I chose to cover this set. As soon as the song “Idol” came on, I was snapping my fingers & bopping my head to the beat. Their demeanor was more laid-back, but the music was extremely upbeat, and the duo looked like some old-school actors, so it fits their set very well! If I were to go to a club, this is the music I would love to come on to dance to. As soon as the set was over, I heard a girl behind me say, “That felt like it flew by.” I’ll be looking forward to checking out more of their music now that I’ve experienced them live.
Zara Larsson came on at 7:05, and it instantly felt like the crowd was radiating energy. Her outfit suited her energy so well; it was so bright it felt like something from the 1980s! Her smile was so bright it was contagious. Superstar would be an understatement for her, an ICON! If there was a single person in the crowd unaware of how good of a dancer she was, they won’t forget now. The dancers she picked all looked incredible in their own way and complemented her set really well. She brought up a fan from Brazil who many people thought resembled Bad Bunny! You could hear the crowd go absolutely crazy when “Midnight Sun” came on. Lush Life threw me back to a special time period. Her stage setup was incredibly detailed, from the forest backdrops to the Puss Puss car to even all of the neon-colored backgrounds.
10/10 PERFORMANCE!!
Swedish House Mafia was an absolutely incredible way to close out
Portola 2026. The crowd was in extreme anticipation, and people were rushing to get to the front. I can’t say I blame them; they delivered. Being in the photo pit, when you saw the flames rise, it felt like it was an actual representation of their music. This had to be the most packed set I had seen all day, and they lived up to the hype. The energy from the crowd matched the set, hands in the air everywhere and smiles all around! I turned out to grab a picture of the crowd, and it was the happiest I’ve seen a crowd in a long time. I anticipate that they will be requested again by Portola fans in the near future.
