REVIEW: All Things Go DC 2026 Was All About Community
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
Photo by All Things Go Festival, Respective Collective
ALL THINGS GO HAS BUILT SUCH A DISTINCT COMMUNITY—not out of pure coincidence, but by how intentional their lineup of artists is every year. There’s a clear reason why artists always rave about how it’s one of their favorite gigs to perform, and their fans recognize that as well.
This year’s festival came with an unexpected change of plans after All Things Go New York was canceled due to severe weather. But over in DC, the weekend carried on through its own mix of sunshine and rain, with some attendees originally headed to New York making their way to Merriweather Post Pavilion instead.
Throughout a weekend that shifted from sunny skies to plenty of rainfall, All Things Go DC brought together nearly 50 artists across two stages, showcasing everything from Ethel Cain’s final tour stop to Zara Larsson’s glammed-out pop party to Brandi Carlile’s career-spanning closing set. But some of the most memorable moments happened in between all of those sets: watching fans run to barricade for their favorite artist, discovering someone completely new or seeing thousands of people find community through their favorite songs. Read below for more on how All Things Go DC 2026 unfolded.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Friday kicked off the weekend with sunny skies and surprisingly comfortable weather as crowds began to fill Merriweather Post Pavilion. Along with plenty of art to explore around the festival grounds, underscores had the crowd bumping early in the afternoon before Slayyyter turned things up even further. Her energy is infectious and her set gave the crowd a taste of what’s to come with her upcoming album.
By the time Ethel Cain was preparing to take the Pavilion Stage, it felt like everyone at the festival had the same idea. Crowds rushed over in masses to catch her set (maybe a little too enthusiastically at times) before she opened with “American Teenager.”
Magdalena Bay followed with another one of the weekend’s most visually impressive performances. Years after Imaginal Disk arrived, it’s crazy how much impact its world still has when brought to a festival stage. Their performances continue to feel as immersive as the record itself, and they never disappoint. Hearing “Angel on a Satellite” underneath a nearly full moon? Chef’s kiss.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Saturday brought a complete weather shift with clouds and lots of rain, but Kevin Atwater’s intimate acoustic set was the perfect soundtrack for the weather. Even his quieter, fingerpicked tracks translated beautifully to the festival stage. And yes, the clarinet made an appearance. “Fierce as fuck,” as Atwater himself would say.
The afternoon became that much more theatrical. Zolita brought what can only be described as lesbian Britney realness, with full-fledged pop production choreography. Haute & Freddy brought their fun, opera-house-inspired performance to the stage as they continue their sold-out tour, while hemlocke springs came out in green-and-black striped tights and purple-and-blue hair,armed with a glittery sword. Somehow, she still sounded identical to her studio tracks.
Rebecca Black’s start was briefly delayed, but she eventually took the stage with tracks from her newest album, Age of the Exhibitionist. She & Him were also a surprisingly entertaining addition to the afternoon, with bedroom pop artist Jordana even making a surprise appearance.
But my favorite performance by far of the entire weekend came from Zara Larsson. Everything about her set was immaculate. The stage transported the crowd into a lush forest world that still somehow felt Y2K, while her outfit, choreography and vocals made the entire performance feel so intentionally thought out. Her vocals were ethereal even while keeping up with choreography that barely gave her a second to stand still.
The dedication in her crowd made it even more memorable. One fan had originally planned to attend All Things Go New York before its cancellation, but made her way to DC instead. After previously training to run to barricade to see Larsson at Lollapalooza, she was determined to become the “Lush Life” girl this time around and she danced on that stage with success.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
By Sunday, the rain was still hanging around, but Trousdale brought some sunshine of their own in their signature sparkly pink, blue and green outfits. Their three-part harmonies sounded just as tight live as expected while they mixed their own tracks with some impressive covers.
CMAT quickly brought the energy back up in a gorgeous yellow-and-black polka dot dress that matched her band, immediately proving why she continues to be such a fun live performer. As the rain finally began letting up, Ryan Beatty brought a completely different atmosphere to the afternoon. His set was simple, but it worked incredibly well, with his y’allternative sound becoming an unexpectedly fitting soundtrack to the cloudy day.
If anyone was getting sleepy from the rainy atmosphere, Wolf Alice had no problem waking them back up. Ellie Rowsell’s vocals were loud (in the best way possible) and the band filled the Pavilion with an energy that demanded your attention. Tinashe followed with tracks from her new album Popstar alongside favorites like “Nasty,” eventually stepping behind the decks herself toward the end of her set.
Remi Wolf was another incredible highlight. Alongside her impressive vocals and energy she’s already known for, she previewed unreleased tracks from Mud and spoke about processing emotions and relationships after spending five years on the road. The title track was especially insane live, breaking into a massive, high-energy chorus that shook the atmosphere of the pavilion in the best way possible. Wolf also took a moment to reflect on music being one of the things people can still rely on to bring them together.
By the end of the night, that sentiment was clear as day. The crowd was packed for Brandi Carlile, filled with friends, couples and longtime fans singing along to both new and old music. It was incredibly sweet to watch so many people experience her music together, and Carlile herself seemed genuinely humbled to be closing out the festival.
At one point, she reflected on Lilith Fair being a formative, coming-of-age festival experience for her and compared that feeling to what All Things Go could become for someone standing in the crowd today. She even brought CMAT on stage to perform together.
The continued throughline at All Things Go is how intertwined its lineup is with the community that attends. Attendees traveled across cities for the artists they were determined to see, dancing through the rain or standing alongside thousands of people singing the same song and, at the end of the day, the weekend was about experiencing music together.
Brandi Carlile might have said it best: for someone in that crowd, All Things Go could easily become their own Lilith Fair.
