If you thought that Rolling Loud Orlando day one was insane, then you definitely were not prepared for days two and three. The City Beautiful flourished while hosting the festival for the first time, and no one was disappointed as over 60,000 people made their way to Camping World Stadium over the three days full of surprises, special guests, and more.
The Sponsorships
So much more happens at the festival besides the insane artists who come to play. The main stages are all sponsored by big names like Under Armour, Verizon, and Zig Zag, but you could find so many interesting people just hanging around stages, enjoying local cuisine, at the karaoke tent, or just exploring in general.
Lyft was the official ride sponsor for transport to and from the festival, making it easier for people whose hotels were downtown to get to the festival grounds. The onsite experiences came with admission as a VIP, and they ranged from free tattoos to a glam station called Bunny’s Bae Bar and a barbershop called Loud Cuts. Other big-name brands like Dunkin’ had a presence on the grounds to keep guests hydrated and going strong, with free merch and samples online, especially in the Florida heat.
This year’s Rolling Loud also featured the first-ever movie theatre at a festival, showing the trailer for the highly anticipated Rolling Loud: The Movie on the first night, starring Owen Wilson. It was filmed at RL Miami 2024 and is slated to come out later this year.
New Destroy Lonely and snow strippers debut
One of the most anticipated sets of day 2 was Destroy Lonely, who took the mainstage around 7:45 with a killer setlist. He played his biggest hits, such as “if looks could kill” and “NOSTYLIST.” He also debuted four new songs, including one with Snow Strippers called “Carry My Wings,” which was the highlight of his set. Snow Strippers, who had played the night before on the Verizon stage, had teased the performance on their Instagram the morning of, and it was quite the spectacle.
Molly Santana brings out North West
One of the more underground artists to make a splash, Molly Santana is an up-and-coming artist whose fashion choices and sound are unique. Her walkout to “2 Rich” was filled with energy as she brought her music to the stage. Other highlights included her playing well-known songs “Unstoppable” and the TikTok-famous “So Right.” The most surprising moment of her set was when she brought out her friend and now collaborator, North West, to debut their new song together. The daughter of Kanye West was sporting blue hair and a fit similar to Molly’s as they lit up the stage.
homicide gxng shuts down Mainstage with a killer set
Signed to Playboi Carti’s Opium label in 2021, Homicide Gxng brought insane energy to the main stage in the early afternoon. They played four unreleased songs, opening with a new one called ‘PICK A SIDE.’ Their sets had most moshing on day 2, with some of the most traffic of the day to the main stage.
Playboi Carti headlines his sixth Rolling Loud
The most anticipated set of day 2 was Playboi Carti’s headline set at the mainstage. Let me just say there is a reason his fans call him “King Vamp”: his raised platform (being bat-themed) and usual screaming style made their appearance.
Opening with ‘HBA,’ most of his set was from the recent album I AM MUSIC, but he did play his other fan favorites like “FEIN,” “Timeless,” and “Sky.” He also brought Ken Carson, the day 3 headliner, and Destroy Lonely out to perform their unreleased tracks together, especially a new one he has with Ken called “cover my ears.” They also performed Carti’s song “Rockstar Made,” off of his album Whole Lotta Red, together. The fact that he played “Location” also made my night.
The other moment where I had FOMO? Seeing “Type Sh*t” live. Carti truly delivered with this set. He also made sure to shout out the class of 2026!
Rich the Kid makes a surprise Rolling Loud appearance
Rich the Kid was a late addition to the lineup, but he made his set and his moment worth it.
After teasing a new album on April 29, he made his way to the Sunshine State to play the Verizon stage and have a good time, playing his hits with ease.
He brought out both Swae Lee and Ty Dolla Sign to play some of their biggest hits, including their new collaboration off of Swae’s new album DON’T EVEN CALL, as well as chart-topping hits “CARNIVAL” and “DON’T KILL THE PARTY.” A release date for the album has not been announced yet, so stay tuned for that!
bossman dlow
Bossman Dlow has been making waves in the rap scene since late 2024 with his song “Shake Dat Ass (Twerk Song)” after it went viral due to an edit of Nicholas Chavez in the Netflix show Monster, based on the Menendez brothers. He also performed at one of the local college bars after his set.
sexyy red shows out
Sexyy Red is known for her chaos and somewhat controversial branding, but her sets are always filled with energy and never disappoint. Known as the “Hood Hottest Princess,” the Missouri rapper has been making headlines on the scene for the last few years, and her Rolling Loud performance was no exception.
Ken Carson closes with new album xperiment set as first-time headliner
If Playboi Carti is known as King Vamp, then Ken Carson is known as the Lord of Chaos. And honestly, the name fits. After NBA Youngboy announced that he would not be headlining, Ken was announced as the replacement, to many fans’ delight. This was Carson’s first time headlining, and it really shows how successful he has become, considering he was at the bottom of Rolling Loyd’s lineup only a few years ago.
The setlist was pretty heavy on his hits, like “Rock n Roll” and “ss,” but he also took the opportunity to play some songs from his upcoming album XPERIMENT. He also had the most special guests out of any of the headliners, including Lil Tecca, Young Thug, Destroy Lonely, and, of course, Playboi Carti.
Rolling Loud’s inaugural Orlando festival is considered a success by many in the area, you can watch reruns of the festival on YouTube or Prime Video in case you missed out.