Goldrush Music Festival lit up Rawhide for its eighth two-day soiree

Goldrush Music Festival returned this past weekend, September 12 and 13, for its eighth iteration. The festival has been held at the Phoenix Raceway the past few years, but made its Return to the West at the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler. The 1880s-inspired Old Western town now features a brand-new pop-up concept restaurant (for this festival, the concept was the Samurai Saloon).

Goldrush is ideally suited for both devoted fans of EDM and more casual listeners looking for a good party. This year, the festival sold out of two-day passes and Saturday night passes, filling the outdoor space, while Friday also saw a large crowd. Goldrush 2025, like all festivals, suffered from a few shortcomings, but I have more praise to spew than shit to talk. Here’s a look at some key aspects of the event, along with my rating on a scale of 1 to 10; the latter being the highest.

The Stages: 9/10

Unlike some other smaller and more niche Arizona festivals, Goldrush has a large audience and, in turn, a diverse range of talent and stage vibes. The main stage, The Golden Gorge, was on your immediate left upon entry, giving audiences the opportunity to camp out for the likes of Dillon Francis and Excision on Day 1 and Benny Benassi, Disco Lines, Major Lazer, and Illenium and Zeds Dead on Day 2. The stage was decked out like a barn, with massive glowing screens serving as windows and featuring dazzling lights and visuals throughout the night, from lasers piercing through the dusty fog to bursts of fireworks.

While the main stage already featured a diverse range of genres, including big room, techno, riddim, drum & bass and bass house, to name a few, there were plenty more artists to explore throughout the festival grounds. On the other end of the venue, next to the Ferris wheel, the Pioneer Peak kept the energy high with plenty of harder dance genres: hardstyle duos Sub Zero Project and Showtek to end Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, and dubstep artists like DENNETT, DRINKURWATER, INFEKT and Getter performing through the weekend. The Hideout featured melodic techno and groovy tech-house, including Hi-Lo, ChaseWest and Roddy Lima. At the same time, smaller stages like Trulieve’s Sound Cabin and the Lightstrike Sound Arcade gave attendees a chance to check out some local talent. The silent disco stage, Mission Patio, also returned to Goldrush this year, with a three-channel dance party.

The Western town: 8/10

Returning to its roots at Rawhide, the Relentless Beats team played up the classic aspect of the music festival: the Western town. Adorning the walkways with cardboard cutouts meant to resemble Old Western storefronts and themed features on-site, such as the Red Bull-sponsored Dusty Disco and the Samurai Saloon concept restaurant. Walking among the crowd of people decked out in cowboy gear along the pathway from the two main stages, The Golden Gorge and Pioneer Peak, felt like leading a surreal expedition. And at almost every corner, there was a bit of festival magic to enjoy, from the Goldrush signs people lined up at for photos to the ornament-adorned tree with a bench beneath to sit back and observe. The star of the show, of course, was the Ferris wheel, which added another layer of whimsy to the fest.

The crowd vibes: 8/10

One of the best parts of Goldrush’s Wild West theme is the level of creativity it encourages. While the theme naturally lends itself to western-inspired, desert-themed looks, it’s always cool to see someone elevate that to the next level or even do their own thing entirely. Some of my favorites of the night included a girl decked out as a latex-inspired mushroom, a flower with an LED ‘fro, two men in an inflatable horse costume, and a large group of friends all dressed to varying levels as cows.

But not only does everybody look the part at Goldrush, but the good music and rave traditions (not to mention, altered states) make it feel like partying with a bunch of friends. On the dance floor and off, it was easy to trade compliments and trinkets (stickers, kandi bracelets, even rubber) and feel like you had made a meaningful connection in the crowd (however long that lasts).

This crowd seemed particularly devoted to dancing, with several attendees even shedding their shoes to get more into the groove. At Pioneer Peak, attendees at the hardstyle sets paid homage to European dance styles like hakken and muzzing, while the dubstep crowds saw fierce head-banging and aggressive rail action. At The Hideout, the shufflers came out to groove. And as is true at any good rave, the flow artists, with their spinning stars and glowing whips, wands, and toys, tied it all together in a magical way. Of course, there were a few bad actors, shoving without apology or men with wandering hands, but for the most part, the crowd was there to vibe and dance with friends, and when you did chat with a stranger, it was usually a wholesome or amusing interaction.

The grounds: 4/10

Unfortunately, attendees were given the full desert town experience. With the mainstage and walkways being nothing but dirt, the congestion, watery eyes, and massive dirt boogers (and for those with piercings, a gross collection of gunk to clean off their jewelry) were inevitable. Inside, people’s shoes were slowly covered with a layer of dirt, and outside, their cars looked similar. Around the Golden Gorge and Pioneer Peak were several potholes, too, a dangerous combination with the dark environment and energetic dancing. You could avoid the dust by standing in the grass or on rocks, but the tradeoff was uneven ground and signs that warned, “Caution, watch for wildlife.”

The bathrooms: 6.5/10

My expectations for festival bathrooms are always pretty low, but Goldrush was able to meet at least my minimum demands. Right before entering and right inside past the main entrance, where plenty of portable toilets were available, and a little past the main stage, both by the bars in the garage and down in the western town, were two indoor restrooms that GA attendees could use — many of those stalls were cleaner than the VIP trailers.

The parking: 7/10

Finding parking at the festival is always a little annoying, but at Goldrush, it was completely manageable if you arrived within the first few hours and was free of additional charge, which is not always the case. Finding your car after the fact was easy enough if you pinned your location. Leaving the parking lot, however, was a different story; one not as fun as a dance party.

The traffic: 4/10

Driving to the festival was just fine once you’ve arrived, but driving to and from the venue was an entirely different beast. Friday was relatively manageable, and Saturday took an hour both to enter and leave the venue. And to compile all of that, all of the PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) and good vibes of the festival seem to fly out the window when it comes to letting someone over at the exit. Of course, calling a rideshare is another beast entirely, and while walking to a nearby hotel or taking a shuttle can often be an easier option, those too come with their own sets of challenges. Fortunately, past the festival traffic, it tended to be smooth sailing anywhere else — not too many people on the freeway on a Sunday at 4 a.m.

Samurai Saloon: 7/10

One particularly unique feature of Goldrush Music Festival this summer featured the first pop-up of a series of festival concept pop-up restaurants hosted at Rawhide. While I can’t personally attest to the dishes, the exterior of the pop-up paid a perfect resemblance to a classic cowboy bar, and inside, the establishment gave off a modern, chic vibe, a perfect place for attendees to catch some air, grab a cocktail, and a unique savory bite — one such promoted item was the Wagyu hot dogs.

Other food options: 5/10

The tradeoff of having an entire sit-down restaurant at the rave is that it was one of the main food choices for Goldrush. A Chick-fil-A truck, a Handel’s ice cream stand, mesquite street tacos and a few generic food stands offering loaded fries and similar items were the night’s options for food. Since there were still food options, I'm obligated to give this section at least a 5 out of 10, but to me, the festival was lacking foods that are easy to hold and eat; many other festivals (including previous Goldrush events) usually have choices like pizza by the slice, pretzel bites and popcorn. Or maybe I’m just feeling bitter over the lack of the usual Wetzel’s Pretzels truck.

Overall: 7.5/10

While the heavy dust and the stress-inducing traffic situation put an undeniable damper on the festival, the negative aspects were hardly enough to outshine the many bright spots of the festival. The appeal of Goldrush has always been its mainstream headliners and over-the-top themes, which can appeal to less devoted listeners. At the same time, the multiple stages work to satisfy various niches. This year, thanks in part to the venue switch, Goldrush was able to deliver it in a more immersive way than in the past few years. It deserves at least a 7/10 rating (plus 0.5 through my own nostalgic lens).