A Weekend At Breakaway Arizona In Phoenix

Going on tour isn’t just for your favorite musicians. Breakaway, the nation’s largest touring music festival, brings the vibes of an electronic dance party to cities across the U.S. — and you don’t need to buy a plane ticket to partake. If you have FOMO from seeing your favorite influencers at Coachella, or your travel budget is tight but you still want to party (as you should!), this could be your golden ticket to seeing big-name talent not far from home.

Founded in 2016, Breakaway visits up to 12 locations every year, with a unique two-day lineup at each one. This year’s stops include Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa, and Philadelphia, with artists like John Summit, Two Friends, Sofi Tukker, and Zedd performing. Tickets run around $150 for general admission to both days, which gets you access to both stages, a silent disco, food trucks with free samples, crafting stations from vendors, and more.

Curious to get a peek behind the scenes? I went to Breakaway Arizona on April 18-19 in Phoenix, and got to enjoy the VIP experience thanks to an invite from CELSIUS. The brand’s Essential Vibes Tour campaign partners with festivals to give fans even more access to the artists and shows they know and love.

Here’s a full recap of my two-and-a-half days in the Arizona desert.

Thursday, April 17

5:00 p.m.: Arrive in Phoenix

My flight from New York was delayed, so I got to the Omni Hotel Tempe just in time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. My brother, who came as my plus-one, was already getting some work done in the lobby when I arrived. Our hotel was *right* by the Arizona State University campus and conveniently located about a 15-minute Uber ride from the festival grounds.

6:00 p.m.: Have dinner at North Italia

We met the brand’s PR team and a few other journalists for dinner at an Italian spot near our accommodations. After chowing down on truffle garlic bread and arancini for the table, I had a mushroom pesto pizza to myself — the ideal reward after a long day of traveling.

8:00 p.m. Stop by the Two Friends & Jake Shane pop-up event

The night before the festival, CELSIUS hosted a pop-up with DJ duo Two Friends and internet sensation Jake Shane. This was supposed to take place at a Raising Cane’s restaurant, but due to some logistical issues with permits, we ended up outside at Sloan Park, the same grounds where Breakaway was set to be held.

Around 100 fans showed up to watch Two Friends perform their hit remixes out of an Airstream, with the help of their saxophonist Casey Fitzpatrick. Shane stopped in to hand out CELSIUS merch and take photos, and although there were tragically no chicken fingers present, the overall vibes were high. The set wrapped around 9:30 p.m., and we hopped in an Uber to head home and get some beauty sleep.

Friday, April 18

10:30 a.m.: Take a workout class at Barry’s Scottsdale

Breakaway and CELSIUS had several brand partners throughout the weekend, including the nearby Barry’s and Orangetheory Fitness studios. After sleeping in, my brother and I took a Barry’s class (his first-ever) to get our heads in gear. Daniel’s report after trying the class: He was sore the whole weekend. Do with that information what you will.

12:00 p.m.: Have lunch and the afternoon off

The festival didn’t start until 5:00 p.m., which gave us plenty of time to explore Phoenix during the day. We grabbed lunch — stir-fry and pho — at a local Vietnamese restaurant, then checked out the Desert Botanical Garden. I have family in the Phoenix area, so I’ve been to this place before, but never during the spring when the cactus flowers are blooming. Tickets are $35 per person during peak season (until the hot summer months), and you can easily spend an entire afternoon here.

4:00 p.m. Get ready

If there’s one thing I took seriously all weekend, it was my outfits. For Night 1, I wore a distressed gray minidress from Pacsun, paired with black chunky combat boots from PrettyLittleThing, a cross necklace and black studded bag from Princess Polly, and black sunnies from DEZI.

I’ve been using a three-barrel waver tool on my hair, which gives a messy, texturized look that’s pretty much impossible to mess up — something I was thankful for later when the wind picked up.

5:00 p.m.: Arrive at Breakaway Night 1

Doors opened at 3:00 p.m., with the official festival kicking off at 5:00 p.m. We arrived right on time to get the lay of the land, checking out the food trucks from Jersey Mike’s and Daiya, bracelet crafting stations, CELSIUS- and Breakaway-branded photo opportunities, and more. Our tickets gave us access to the dedicated VIP area, which included trailer bathrooms, a separate bar, and a taco truck with shorter lines than the food trucks in GA.

My brother and I ordered grilled potato tacos and ate them in VIP before wandering the rest of the grounds. The weather was chillier than expected when the sun went down, but thankfully, I had an emergency sweatshirt on hand.

6:30 p.m.: Interview Two Friends

I took a break from eating and exploring to interview Two Friends in their artist green room before their set. Fun fact: Breakaway Arizona is held at the baseball park where the Chicago Cubs do their spring training, and it’s a near-perfect replica of the main stadium in Chicago. Breakaway used the suites as green rooms, so I chatted with Matt Halper and Eli Sones overlooking the baseball field. They’d already been there a few hours, watching their friends like Koastle and Daniel Allan perform.

7:30 p.m.: Head back to the festival

It was time for the headliners: Two Friends and The Chainsmokers. By this point, it had started raining (a rarity in Arizona that I was unprepared for), but nothing could bring my energy down. The less-populated VIP section allowed us to stand closer to the stage, and my brother and I drank and danced our way through both of these sets. A highlight: scream-singing “Closer” by The Chainsmokers in the pouring rain. My 2016 self would never believe I’d one day experience this.

9:30 p.m.: Call a car home

I’ve been to enough concerts to know how chaotic it is to get a car home with the crowds and surge pricing, so I suggested we leave a few songs before the end of The Chainsmokers’ set. This proved to be the correct move — we got a car quickly, while our friends who left later told us they had to wait 30 minutes in the downpour.

Saturday, April 19

10:00 a.m. Grab coffee and prep for the day

I cherished my quiet mornings since our evenings were jam-packed. On Saturday, I sat in the lobby with an iced latte and read my book — BookTok-fave novel Babel by R.F. Kuang.

12:30 p.m. Return to the festival grounds for a tour

The Breakaway team kindly offered me a private walk-through of the grounds before doors opened for the day, so I got to stand on the side stage — a privilege normally reserved for Ultimate VIP ticketholders, who pay around $500 a day for up-close access to the artists.

I also enjoyed hearing about the work that goes into transporting the festival between cities. The team drives semi-trucks filled with the stage equipment across the country from weekend to weekend, a full-time operation that hilariously embodies the opposite of Breakaway’s motto: “leave it all behind.” They bring it all along!

2:30 p.m. Head back to the hotel to eat and get ready

I met my brother back at The Omni, and we walked across the street to get salads at Pita Jungle — one of many restaurants bordering ASU’s campus. I took a precious few minutes to lie down and then started getting my ‘fit together for Night 2: a bandana from Garage, Boys Lie tank top, Madewell belt, DEZI sunnies, and thrifted dad shorts, with the same boots and bag as the night before.

5:00 p.m.: Arrive at Night 2

I was traumatized from the Night 1 weather, so I brought a full two-piece sweat set in case it got cold (turns out I didn’t need it). The temps were *chef’s kiss* this evening, without a cloud in the sky.

My brother and I explored a few activations we’d missed the day before, like the silent disco, which is part of every Breakaway tour stop. You get a pair of headphones and can toggle between three live DJs, all of whom applied for the chance to play at this event. (The festival’s president, Jarrod Fucci, told me earlier that the competition was fierce among local talent, with 54 DJs ultimately selected to play in shifts.)

We also played skee-ball in the CELSIUS Vibes House area, a cordoned-off space with selfie mirrors and free energy drinks. I can confirm this game hits differently when paired with live EDM.

7:30 p.m. Get in place for the headliners

After scarfing down a plate of nachos from the same food truck as the day prior, my brother and I took our spots in the crowd to watch Soki Tukker and Gryffin. The special effects went way harder on Night 2 since the drier air allowed for fire and fireworks. My favorite moment was Sofi Tukker’s remix of The White Lotus Season 2 theme song.

9:30 p.m. Call a car home

Once again, I was on a quest to leave early and avoid traffic. We left a few songs before the end of Gryffin’s set to rest up before flying home early the next morning — and I finally put my sweatshirt to good use on the plane. My first-ever EDM festival went off without a hitch (cold weather be damned), and I might even have picked up a new love for electronic remixes.