Allison Marie

Breakaway Music Festival returned to the Festival Grounds at Subaru Park in Chester, PA, September 11–12 for its second year in Philadelphia. With Tiësto closing out Friday and Marshmello taking over Saturday night, the two-day festival brought a packed weekend of electronic music to the waterfront.

The weather couldn’t have been better, and the location ended up being one of the coolest parts of the festival. The Commodore Barry Bridge sits right beside the grounds and towers over the Main Stage. Once the sun went down, lasers, smoke and fire lit up the stage and surrounding area. From the food truck court along the river, the music could be heard traveling across the Delaware and echoing back from New Jersey.

Friday brought some great sets from SOFI TUKKER and KREAM before Tiësto closed out the night. Tiësto noticeably kicked the energy up a few notches, with a set full of lasers and pyro that kept the Main Stage crowd moving until midnight.

Saturday seemed even busier. Whethan and ISOxo had got the crowd energy up so when Marshmello took the stage in his hometown – it was one of the best sets of the weekend. Wearing a hockey jersey, he closed Breakaway with a huge production of lasers, smoke and fire. Seeing it all against the bridge and city lights made for one of those festival settings that’s hard to beat.

There was plenty happening away from the stages too. BeatBox handed out samples and swag, NOYZ Perfume had a setup onsite, and CELSIUS brought a two-story trailer with free drinks and a rooftop lounge. Chase also had a lounge with an elevated viewing area for eligible cardmembers, while Hiyo handed out drinks and LIFEWTR had a misting tent to cool everyone down. You could even get a dash of glimmer applied to you at the White Claw tent.

BELLA+CANVAS partnered with Breakaway on a merch station where festivalgoers could add patches and custom decals to their gear. The food truck court had a little bit of everything, from loaded fries to tacos to Philly cheesesteaks – there was a bite for everyone!

The Jimmy John’s Silent Disco was another fun stop throughout the weekend. Four DJs played at once, with everyone switching between channels on their headphones. Jimmy John’s even handed out free chips with signs joking that no one could hear you crunch at the Silent Disco.

Between the Main Stage and The L.A.B., there was always music going somewhere. But it was the location that really made Philadelphia’s Breakaway stand out. Dancing beside the river with the bridge overhead, city lights in the distance and lasers cutting through the smoke made for a pretty incredible weekend.

Breakaway Philadelphia’s second year was two beautiful September days, a lot of dancing and a solid reminder that festival season wasn’t quite over yet.

Breakaway continues to bring its traveling festival experience to cities across the country, with Carolina up next September 25–26, followed by Utah October 2–3 and Houston November 13–14 to close out the 2026 Breakaway tour.

For more on Breakaway Music Festivals, click here.