Desert Daze 2019 saw the return of the mostly psych rock festival to the campgrounds of Lake Perris for the second year. Though the first year saw a bit of a struggle early on with hour-long waits to get into the festival, things ran much smoother right from the get go this past weekend.

The Flaming Lips, DEVO, and Wu Tang Clan headlined the three-day festival, with standout sets from the likes of Khruangbin, Stereolab, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Temples, RIDE (who stepped in as a late replacement for Shinto Sakamoto), The Black Angels, White Fence, Nick Hakim, and more.

What makes Desert Daze stand out as a festival the most is the chill, laid-back vibe. You don’t have any assholes shoving their way to the front. There’s always plenty of room to move closer. People are generally kind to each other and the mostly niche musical offerings inspires die-hard actual music fans rather than people just searching for a good Instagram.

Desert Daze 2019 proved this festival has really found its footing, and the location is gorgeous and fitting. It will be great to see it continue to grow year to year at Lake Perris, and I’m glad to have a chance to see it happen. The balloons that Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne brought out midway during their Friday set said it all: Fuck Yeah Desert Daze.

Photos by Sarah Woods