Two Nights, One Massive Celebration: Lights All Night 2025

Dallas Market Hall became a glowing, bass-fueled playground for two nights as Lights All Night returned to Dallas, transforming the venue into a festival experience unlike any other. Thousands of fans from Texas and beyond gathered to celebrate the coming of the New Year, dance, and share moments that only happen when the lights flash, the bass hits, and everyone in the room moves together as one.

This year, LAN didn’t just shine with music, it was a weekend that balanced artistry, energy, community, and celebration. Sponsors like White Claw, Beatbox, and Bang Energy kept fans refreshed and energized throughout both nights. Beyond fueling the party, Lights All Night partnered with the North Texas Food Bank, allowing the community to donate non-perishable food items before entering the gates, and reminding everyone that music can bring people together for a purpose beyond the dance floor.

From the moment I walked through the gates, I was blown away by the sense of community. Everywhere I turned, there were smiles, love, friends re-uniting, new friendships being born, and even people recognizing and welcoming ME warmly at nearly every corner. It’s not something I’m used to at events of this size, and it immediately made the weekend feel intimate, despite the thousands of attendees. The combination of music, movement, and human connection set the tone for an unforgettable festival.

The visuals were equally mind-blowing. Towering LED walls stretched across the stages, lasers cut through the darkness with precision, and pyrotechnics punctuated the biggest drops. Every beat felt amplified by the light, color, and motion around you, turning each set into a fully immersive audio-visual experience.

A particularly striking installation was Landon, a large mirrored figure created in 2023 to celebrate 13 years of Lights All Night and the 30th birthday of its organizer, Disco Donnie. Walking through the festival, seeing Landon reflecting lights and movement from every angle, gave the weekend a tangible sense of history and celebration.

The first night started strong as Citadel X opened the main stage, while Maddie Scott, Trishy, and Featherweight opened on separate stages, setting a high-energy tone and giving fans a taste of what was coming.

Sara Landry followed with her hypnotic, industrial-leaning techno, drawing the crowd into a trance-like state and demonstrating her mastery of tension, rhythm, and floor-filling intensity.

Then came RL Grime, who has always been one of my favorite producers, and it was amazing to finally see him again in a festival setting. His cinematic trap set turned the main stage into a pulsating spectacle. Every perfectly timed drop, thunderous bassline, and synced visual sent shockwaves through the crowd, and I can’t wait to catch another one of his sets soon!

Rising talent, Dairy, brought a uniquely inspiring story to Night 1. A local Houston DJ with over five years of mixing experience, Dairy had previously won the Wicked Oaks DJ Contest, but his original set was rained out. Festival organizer Disco Donnie gave him a second chance to shine at LAN 2025. Though before his set started, Dairy’s USB malfunctioned, threatening to derail the performance. But he powered through, delivering an explosive and vibrant set that had the crowd moving from start to finish. It was a perfect example of skill, resilience, and pure energy paying off for years of hard work.

Closing out the main stage was Illenium. I had been waiting to see him play for years! Experiencing him live for the first time was a revelation. He took the crowd on an emotional bass journey, seamlessly blending melodic drops with heartfelt vocals that had the audience singing, cheering, and at times, sobbing. It was the perfect capstone to a night full of highs, and his performance reminded everyone why emotional storytelling is at the heart of electronic music.

Artists such as Wooli, D.O.D, Hostage Situation, and Mau P also kept the crowd heavily engaged with their sets, while late-night highlights included Green Velvet, MPH, and XILLA closing out the side stages.

Day 2 kicked off with a completely different energy than the first night. Fans arrived louder, dressed bolder, and were ready to dance harder.

The early stages set the tone for a high-energy day, and Kindred was one of my personal favorites. I first met her in the artist lounge on Night 1, and we instantly clicked, snapping pictures and laughing like we’d known each other for years. Seeing her play The Lonestar stage with confidence and high energy was truly mesmerizing, and it was clear she was born to perform on stage. Seeing someone I’d just met absolutely own her set made the experience more electric and unforgettable.

Then came GRiZ, delivering what might have been the most joyous, highly-anticipated, feel-good set from both nights. From the first funky saxophone note played, to the soulful bass-filled melodies that followed, his performance was a celebration of life itself. Fans danced and sang together, and his stage presence made every moment feel inclusive and uplifting. GRiZ’s combination of live instrumentation, electronic production, and improvisation kept the energy flowing nonstop, and was truly one of the best performances.

One of the most beautiful moments of the entire weekend happened during GRiZ’s set, when two of my close friends, Zack and Chelsea, got engaged right in the middle of the crowd. An already magical set now carries an unforgettable life-changing memory. Huge love and congratulations to them!

Shortly after, my good friend Sedation took over The Watering Hole stage and delivered an ill-tempered set that absolutely slammed. His aggressive, high-energy drops and precise mixing had the crowd moving nonstop, proving that even outside the main stage, Lights All Night was packed with timeless moments.

Late-night intensity hit as Crankdat, Deathpact, and Levity tore through their sets at The Metroplex with relentless bass and electrifying drops, keeping the festival’s energy at its peak.

The festival’s emotional and visual peak came with Porter Robinson, who commanded the stage with a perfectly timed set to welcome the New Year. As confetti cannons erupted, showering the crowd in shimmering streams of color, Porter guided thousands through a euphoric journey of melodic drops and deeply heartfelt moments. His set became an undisputed emotional high point of the night, uniting everyone in pure joy, energy, and celebration under the dazzling lights and lasers.

Finally, Knock2 closed out the main stage with an explosive, high-octane set, sending fans home exhausted, exhilarated, and fulfilled.

At the same time, on the opposite end of the festival grounds, rising producer Finnuh was absolutely tearing up The Watering Hole with face-melting riddim chops, delivering a set that had the crowd (myself included) bouncing nonstop.

After two incredibly amazing nights, Lights All Night 2025 has left me completely blown away. From the first beat of Night 1 to the final drop on Night 2, every stage, every artist, brought something truly unforgettable. The love and connection amongst so many new friends, the striking visuals, and the chance to meet and celebrate with artists like Dairy, Kindred, Deathpact, Levity, Sedation, TVBOO, Wreckno, and so many others made it an experience unlike any other. I left Dallas tired, exhilarated, and already counting down the days until I can do it all over again.

Cheers to Disco Donnie and his team for hosting such an amazing festival!

Post by Preston Lane
Photos by Preston Lane
Dairy photo by Gabriel

VIEW FULL GALLERY HERE

Did you attend this festival? Comment below.