As the sky darkened over Pier 80 on Sunday night, the crowd at Portola’s main stage swelled into what looked like an endless sea of people. Bodies bounced in unison as Australian tech-house producer Dom Dolla took the stage, thousands of hands reaching skyward as the elastic beat of “San Frandisco” surged.
The crowd chanted along: “San Francisco, where’s your disco?” And it felt like a rallying cry, charging up the already electric atmosphere. For a moment, the city had its answer: The disco was right here, on the pier, under the cranes and fog.
Pier 80 hosted San Francisco’s Portola Festival for its fourth year — and it was its sunniest weekend yet. Early arrivals trickled between stages Saturday afternoon, testing the waters of the eclectic lineup. Pop duo Magdalena Bay lit up the main stage with their shimmering, surrealist pop, with dreamy synths bouncing off the industrial cranes and shipping containers of Pier 80.
Meanwhile, strongly anticipated performances from Kettama and Yousuke Yukimatsu were somewhat hampered by the Warehouse’s acoustic challenges. With paper-thin metal walls and a long, cavernous layout, sound reflected unpredictably, leaving spots where bass and mids struggled to reach the crowd clearly. By the time Anti Up took the stage, however, the audio had noticeably improved, filling the space with much greater clarity.
The line for Despacio, an immersive dance experience, barely budged all weekend. And with good reason: once inside, the all-vinyl sound system filled the room with deep, textured grooves, and the spinning disco balls and subtle lighting made it easy to lose track of time.
