What You Missed at Breakaway Philadelphia

By Aleisha Flores

SEPT 27 2025

The quiet suburb of Chester, PA was alight from September 12 to 13 as Breakaway Festival made its Philadelphia-area debut at Subaru Park’s festival grounds. The festival featured a stacked lineup of 24 artists led by EDM icons like Zedd, Excision, Cloonee, Of The Trees, and Two Friends. While events like the indoor HiJinx have become beloved traditions for Philly’s EDM fans, music fans in the City of Brotherly Love have been craving a good old outdoor festival experience – and Breakaway’s touring production brought just that.

Immediately upon arrival, attendees were met with signs encouraging them to “leave it all behind” with a full bar, merch booths and fun brand pop-ups. Fans could easily fill up on water and grab free Celsius hydration packets to beat the heat as artists at the Launch Pad kept the beats going all night. 

Friday night saw the Launch Pad stage get taken over by a lineup of artists curated by Brownies & Lemonade, the production group that’s become synonymous with pop-up warehouse parties around the country. Philly-native Siroch kicked off the B&L party in his own major festival debut with a mix of bass house and UK drum-and-bass. Some of our other faves were Rossy, who put on a killer trap set, and Control Freak, whose trap-dubstep mixes had attendees headbanging as the sun set.

photo by Ryce

The walk to the Main Stage was also a real sight – the pathway connecting the stages offered breathtaking views of the Delaware River. The view was extra pretty after dark as lights and colorful lasers from the festival reflected off the water. Another fun feature of Breakaway was also available along the path: the Silent Disco, which offered attendees a choose-your-own-vibe experience to the tune of up-and-coming DJs along Chester’s waterfront.

Z3lla’s Juj Seeley, another Philly native, was having her own full-circle moment at the Main Stage on Friday, playing her first hometown festival. Afterward, EVAN GIIA took the stage with her signature melodic bass style. In addition to remixes of classic party hits, she captivated the crowd by singing some of her own songs. BUNT. quite literally rode the crowd’s high energy by jumping in with them. He performed fan-faves like “TRIPPIN,” but also threw in new bangers like “Spaces,” his latest collaboration with The Chainsmokers and Izzy Bizu. Zedd closed out the incredible Friday lineup with classics like “The Middle.” Of course, no Zedd set is complete without the entire crowd singing along to “Clarity.”

Breakaway’s good vibes continued into Saturday. At the Main Stage, Redline District was warming up attendees for a night of headbanging with a dubstep-bass set. Meanwhile, over at the Launch Pad, things were a little more chill. Gudfella curated a pleasant blend of trance, house, and even a little jazz with glitchy visuals that had the audience bouncing along. 

photo by Ryce

Night Tales’ set at the Launch Pad was a highlight of the night. They took a different approach to the party through their exclusive set style called “CLR,” which stands for “Colour. Love. Rhythm.” The duo was accompanied by backup singers and dancers who helped hype up the crowd. Where other DJs would remix existing songs, Night Tales and their crew would sing live, breathing fresh air into a traditional set.

Following Night Tales at the Launch Pad was ACRAZE, who made the grassy lawn feel like a packed, sweaty club with his signature tech house sound. Remixes of his own hits like “Do It To It” and Fred again..’s ridiculously catchy “Victory Lap” had the audience jumping. 

Back at the Main Stage, Of The Trees took the audience into a different dimension with experimental trap and space bass. Two Friends came on right after, using Breakaway Philly to showcase their first-ever bass set. Attendees went wild for remixes of nostalgic tracks like “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and “Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy, along with earworms like Travis Scott’s “FE!N.” But they also did unexpected spins on the ever-memeable “Careless Whisper,” complete with an actual saxophonist joining them onstage for a few sax solos throughout the set. 

Excision closed out Breakaway Philly with a high-energy, heavy dubstep set. The crowd let loose completely for the festival’s final act, dancing with friends, shuffling, and of course, headbanging. The set had no breaks, each song seamlessly blending into the next without losing momentum. Well-timed fireworks, colorful lasers that could be seen from the Commodore Barry Bridge spanning above the park and pyrotechnics made Excision’s set a multi-sensory experience.

Overall, Breakaway Philly was a blast, full of unique experiences for attendees and platforms for both established electronic icons and rising DJs. For two days, attendees really could “leave it all behind” and find a musical escape. Breakaway has already confirmed that the festival will be returning to Philly next year, so stay tuned for more updates on their Instagram.