Back in September, I had the wonderful opportunity to cover All Things Go, a predominantly female and queer artist music festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. This was the best weekend of my life...ever. In this article, I will cover a summary of the festival, day-to-day breakdowns, give some insider tips for next year, and highlight some special artist interviews.

All photo credits go to All Things Go

The festival had two stages: the pavilion, which had select seating as well as the lawn, which held Mitski and MUNA. The next stage was the Chrysalis stage, which was all standing room and held artists like Zara Larsson and Rochelle Jordan. The festival started Friday afternoon, with opening acts like SYML, Balu Brigada, and underscores. The night kicked off with Slayyyter, then the crowd piled over to the main stage at the Pavilion to see Ethel Cain. Their set design was fantastic and captured such a rural feel with her melancholic melodies. Next was Magdalena Bay, which was such an amazing show; they played songs off of their Imperial Disk album and Mercurial World. The set design was fantastic and so otherworldly, with visuals behind their performance that added to their overall energy of the set. The night concluded with Mitski on the Pavilion stage with songs off her new album, Nothing's About to Happen to Me, and some of her fan favorites.

All Things Go had a ton of various vendors on site, such as FLRT energy drinks, Apple Cash, and FOLX Health. It was very clear that All Things Go is more than just a music festival but rather a whole event with programming specialized to the audience, with progressive companies and LGBTQ+ Health Groups. There were advocacy groups as well as voting registration booths!

The second day was met with some rainy weather, but it couldn't dampen anyone's spirits. The second day was met with some rainy weather, but it couldn't dampen anyone's spirits. I started out on the lawn with a towel and poncho, watching, singing, and dancing to Haute & Freddy, hemlock springs, and Naika. I then moved to the Chrysalis stage to camp out for Del Water Gap. While there, I saw The Beths, a band from New Zealand. They had an indie rock and power-pop set that was captivating and beautiful in the rain. I stayed at the smaller stage and worked my way closer and closer each set. I found some of the best parts I experienced over the weekend were making friends all around me. Asking where people were from, saw how far they traveled for some good music, and discussed some of our favorite sets. The next band I saw was The Beaches; they are by far my favorite discovered band of the weekend. They had a very engaging girl-pop set with classical rock influences. Their songs were incredibly catchy and made for such a fun experience dancing in the rain to some amazing music.

I then got to see Del Water Gap. I saw him three years ago, and there has been so much growth and confidence in his performance. It was truly magical to hear his set in the rain. He came into the crowd to sing All We Ever Do Is Talk and released beach balls to symbolize a stage-wide dance party. He finished with Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat, and the set left me with a hangover of excitement. After that amazing set, I caught MUNA on the Pavilion stage, which had such a fun set design; while watching them, I could tell they loved performing, and you could feel it all the way through the crowd. The night finished with a mad rush to see Zara Larsson at the Chrysalis stage. The field was filled with people with ponchos and colorful makeup. This was one of the highlights of the weekend. Zara Larsson is such an amazing, engaging performer. Her set design was beautiful and tells a story larger than her music: the idea that summer is forever, if you constantly put out the sunshine. It was truly beautiful and such an art form. Following that dance party, I finished the night at Hayley Williams. I loved the rock influences and such passion in her voice and art. Her first full song was Over Yet, and it was such a fitting choice to open up the set. Her encore included Parachute, which left me leaving the festival shaking with excitement.

Day two was so special because it contained so many different artists that I was able to discover who were so incredibly fantastic. It was a long day, but so worth it. Being surrounded by music lovers and artists so in love with their craft led me to declare, even before day 3, that this was the best festival I have ever been to.

For the last day of the festival, I got there right when the doors opened. I wanted to be up close and personal for the opening acts, such as googly eyes. I loved watching her set, and I even got to sit down with her and discuss her overall transformation as an artist, her collaboration with Tove Lo and Flume, as well as discussing some new music. She played songs like Pandora's Box and Jesus and John Wayne. Her music has an ethereal electro-pop sound, and when you tune into the lyrics, they hit hard. It was so lovely to hear about her musical processes and how she takes life experiences and turns them into pieces of art. I would love to thank her for the opportunity to pick her brain. I stayed at the Chrysalis stage and saw acts like natalie jinju, who had such an adorable set filled with love and soft vocals. Trousdale, a trio band that had played an incredible cover of The Chain.

For the next half of the day, I traveled back and forth between the Main Pavilion stage and Chrysalis stage to catch Tiny Habits, Violet Grohl, and Jensen McRae. One standout set I observed was Rochelle Jordan; they performed an R&B house music sort of vibe that was incredible. It was exactly what I needed to hear to keep the energy flowing. I saw CMAT next, and I must say, I loved how energetic their set was; it was full of passion and dancing. Another standout set for me was Ryan Beatty; it felt like whiplash going from dancing in a pit to swaying to sweet melodies, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I ran back to the Pavilion to catch Wolf Alice; they had such an amazing stage presence that reached all the way up the rainy lawn. I then hustled back to catch flipturn at the Chrysalis stage. Flipturn was such an incredible act; at one point, the drummer came into the crowd to play on the barricade and then returned to the stage to play a few songs fully blinded by a drum on his head. It was so apparent that they are all incredibly talented and their performances are so high energy. I caught Tinashe on a bit of a break, but it was hard to sit down during such an amazing inclusive set. It felt like the whole festival was on stage with them. Day 3 ended with Remi Wolf, Father John Misty, Brandi Carlile, and Lola Young.

Overall, this was such an amazing experience and such a well-thought-out festival. The weather couldn’t dampen the mood at all; the festival grounds were easy to navigate, and even if you weren’t actively enjoying a set, there were plenty of activities and booths to explore. Even a month later, I am still raving about how much of an incredible experience this was. I would like to thank WUVT for this opportunity, all the festival staff, and the media promotional team. The staff was incredibly kind, educated, and genuinely interested in your well-being. I would recommend this festival a million times over, and I cannot wait to attend next year!