All Things Go, a music festival that came to New York City, D.C., and Toronto in late September, is something you won’t want to forget. All Things Go is a smaller music festival that typically features a blend of smaller artists of the indie genre and rising stars. Artists such as Wallows, Clairo, Lucy Dacus, Djo, Role Model, and Kesha all performed this year.
We all know that securing that must-see concert ticket is hard, especially for mainstream artists like Taylor Swift, for example. With much smaller scale artists, the demand for All Things Go tickets remains high. With three-day passes selling out and single-day tickets in high demand leading up to the event, All Things Go 2025 cemented its status as a must-see event for music lovers who crave more than just a playlist—an experience. It’s a festival that listens to its audience as much as it plays for them, and in doing so, it continues to shape the future of live music. Music festivals tend to get a mixed bag of reviews. When you think of music festivals, typically larger-scale festivals, like Coachella, come to mind. There have been plenty of negative reviews and experiences from larger festivals, as music often takes priority over guest experiences. However, All Things Go ensures that its audience is well catered to and has great experiences aside from the music.
All Things Go traveled to three cities this year, and each city had its own environment that made it unique. For example, both Forest Hills Stadium in New York, and Merriweather Post Pavilion are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing venues that previously held Re:SET, another indie-based music festival series held in 2023. The venues themselves set this festival aside from others, as there is more to experience than just the music. Each venue had decorations such as arrangements of string lights, and food vendors that made each location more comforting and relaxing for festival goers.
What separates this festival from others is its ability to amplify voices that often go unheard while creating a safe community for those who enjoy live music. Queer artists, women in the music industry, and other underrepresented artists all have a home at All Things Go. The festival has been known to cater towards queer artists and is often seen as a safe space for queer people, and most importantly, queer women.
All Things Go began in 2006 and was originally an online blog founded by Zach Friendly, Adrian Maseda, Will Suter, and Stephen Vallimarescu. The blog brought awareness to underrepresented artists in the rock, indie, and electronic genres. Much later, in 2014, the first festival was held in Union Market in Washington, D.C., but it was not like what the festival has now evolved into. The original festival only lasted one day and was held in one location. Now, the festival takes place over a weekend in mid to late September, and visits New York, D.C., and Toronto. And with the outstanding turnout this year, this festival has the potential to continue to expand across other large cities.