The best and worst of M3F Fest 2025

Some festival experiences are easy enough to pick apart. However, when it comes to M3F Fest, that prospect is altogether more complicated.

Because this fest isn't just a great place to take in interesting electronic/dance music, shop fun and kooky local merchants and peep the continually insane costumes and outfits. Over the years, M3F has made a real difference, donating all ticket proceeds to help raise more than $6 million for various Phoenix charities.

Still, being pure of heart doesn't mean things always go so smoothly. As much as this year's lineup was packed with huge talent, and fun times were had by all, there were real logistical issues with security staff and set times. And don't even get us started on the weather (which really was both a blessing and a curse). It's good to help others and have fun, but even the best intentions don't always translate so perfectly.

So, what follows is done with the utmost love and respect for the unique mission of M3F. By being honest in our appraisal, it's a way to remain accountable to the people and the local music scene as well as find ways to make this event work even better for its core fanbase. Plus, any opportunity to complain about festival food will always be relished in full.

Here's the best and worst of M3F Fest 2025, along with more pictures from the event.

The worst — or the best?: Cold weather

Attend enough fests in Phoenix, and you'll know the singular pain of standing in a dusty field when it's 103 degrees out. Some hearty rain offered something quite novel, a dash of excitement that made day one feel practically charged with an unpredictable energy. General romanticism aside, though, and the cold weather also proved to be problematic. Somebody with M3F had to have seen rain on the forecast, and yet there was little in the way for rain-proof shelters or other structures put in place. I even heard some attendees asking for just one or two patio heaters for some warmth. Luckily, Saturday was much warmer during the day, and the night wasn't nearly as chilly. But it's a lesson that even Phoenix weather can be a touch unpredictable, and as fun as that may be, added preparation goes a long way.

Best: The mud

This is the only time you're going to hear me utter this: The muddy conditions of day one were great. Sure, I mostly hated it when it happened at ZONA Fest in 2022, but M3F is much different. If the fest is a tried and true EDM extravaganza, then stomping through the muck is a feature and not a bug. All that gunk just made everyone slow down a bit and have to work together to move, and that's a surprisingly effective way to bolster community. The mud also meant that certain sections of the park were closed, and while that meant more packed crowds, it was mostly a chance to huddle through the chilly rain of day one. Sure, I'm mad my Vans are now caked with hunks of mud, but them's the breaks.

Worst: Issues with photography access

Yes, our photographers had problems getting access to certain bands, including an outright blockage for Justice. That's certainly one of those things that's an issue for journalists and not at all the attendees. Except we work mostly for you, and so not having access to certain stages to photograph bands makes that all the more laborious or difficult. It's also indicative of larger issues with the production — a trickle-down effect that can dampen the overall experience (i.e., security knowing valuable info that attendees might need). That, and it seemed like security had to deal with some of these smaller issues and not doing the rest of their rather important jobs. It's all just proof that fests are big, imperfect machines, and if there's one issue, then the whole thing just doesn't run as smoothly.

Best: Four distinctive, unique stages

Not every fest operates the same — Innings, for instance, only offers two stages of music. M3F, meanwhile, offers four, and this year that model worked really well as each area had its own unique feel and focus. Vista was for the headliners (or soon-to-be headliners); Daydream housed a lot of left field or "underdog" acts; Cosmic was where all the DJ sets took place; and Valley featured local and/or smaller touring acts. And even within that setup there was variation, including a little genre diversity to spice things up (like Alvvays "opening" for LCD Soundsystem). It's a small thing, but it makes people move around the grounds, where they can eat, drink and shop as they open themselves up to new musical experiences. Plus, it often helped with crowd flow, and that's always a major issue at an event of this size.

Worst: Sound issues/bleed over between stages

The issue with having four stages is that you need ample room, and that's not always so easy in a place like Steele Indian. Having the Cosmic and Daydream stages so close, for instance, is great for your everyone's "commute," but it means soundchecks at one stage were heard at the other stage. Add in some (albeit minor enough) delays between sets, and that bleed over meant you'd be enjoying Slow Pulp only for the Alvvays set to interrupt at a critical moment of immersion. I've raised this issue in other M3F reviews, but at this point it just feels like a feature that we'll have to learn to live with regardless of easy changes (like staggering performances a little longer, perhaps?) Still, at least you could stand in some spots and take in both stages with a simple turn of the head, so that's cool.

Best: Generally cool costumes

I'm not fully entrenched in the culture of electronic music, and so I don't really get the whole dressing up aspect of fests like M3F. Wouldn't you be happier/more comfortable in a hoodie and hat then, say, assless chaps and a duck head? But this year, it felt like, be it a response to the rain or something else, people really brought their A games in the costume department. Whether it's the dude with neon hair that "turned on" via his glowing umbrella, the many jumpsuits (so much utility in those bad boys) or lots of flowy capes and scarves, this year's ensembles were wild but thoughtful. It's nice to see people express themselves but also consider the more community-oriented vibes of M3F, and that balance is how M3F feels so diverse and multifaceted. If nothing else, at least there wasn't anyone in a satirical Elon Musk costume.

Worst: Dank pot choices

Let's just get it out of the way: Everyone knows you're smoking pot at these fests. Sure, I wouldn't blow smoke rings into a security guard's face, but you don't have to try and hide it under a blanket or behind a building. What you need to do, however, is find higher quality pot. Of all the contact highs I've endured at fests over the years, this year's M3F gave me a headache from the generally dogshit-level weed people consumed throughout the weekend. Fun fact: Pot is legal here in Arizona, and you can buy some high grade stuff at dispensaries and not the skunkiest weed ever from your cousin Tanner. It's not even about sharing — it's making sure no one else has to smell your burned scrapings and walk around the park feeling like hot garbage. If you need some help or suggestions, we do have a killer cannabis section.

Best: People's choice of totems

It wasn't just the costumes that improved this year. These electronic music fests always feature people carrying totems as a way to 1) further the culture and immersion and 2) serve as a beacon for wayward party members. This year's best selections included a metal chicken, a giant inflatable pickle, these weird giraffe bobblehead-like things, a small child carrying a sign and even this orb that let off a rather serene glow. But more than being cool to look at, they were just large enough to not annoy or block someone's view, and that kind of fun but courteous approach is hugely important. We should always balance being in the moment with not being a nuisance, and I can't think of a better metaphor to highlight what makes M3F's attendees so darn endearing. Keep it up, you beautiful freaks.

Worst: Food and prices

At this point we're basically a broken record: Food prices at festivals suck. Even at Innings, though, I got a scoop of ice cream for $8. Meanwhile, at M3F, I paid another human being $6 for a can of Coke because I'm the least savvy man ever born. The thing that makes it worse is that, where Innings had a food area that basically felt like a bland cafeteria, there were actual trucks/stands at M3F. And that little detail made it easier to better connect with actual vendors working in our town — until they tried to charge you $12 for a regular helping of plain old tater tots. Foodservice folk deserve to be paid fairly, but it shouldn't come at the expense of the consumer, and especially not at M3F where it's all about giving back. Still, that Coke was at least moderately refreshing.