Daisy Chain Fields, a music festival founded by singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, held its first festival on Aug. 29, 2026, in Irvine, California. This festival was founded with the intention of fostering community and support for women in the United States and around the world. The festival made a major monetary impact, raising 20 million dollars for organizations supporting women and girls.
There’s so much to discuss about this festival including its events, resources, and superstar lineup, but most importantly, this festival is a great example of what it means to build a community.
To me, this is the most effective way to make a real change. As Rodrigo states in the Daisy Chain Fields Mission Statement, “Daisies are wild and beautiful. As a chain, they are strong and unbreakable.”
Rodrigo credits an earlier music festival, Lilith Fair, as the inspiration behind Daisy Chain Fields. Lilith Fair was a female-led music festival that took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999 and was revived in the summer of 2010. Founder of Lilith Fair, Sarah Mclachlan, was featured as a special guest at Daisy Chain Fields. In my opinion, this was a sign of respect and admiration for her earlier contributions to women’s issues in the music space.
Daisy Chain Fields follows Lilith Fair’s example by having a female-led lineup with a focus on charity. Daisy Chain Fields had an insanely diverse lineup of female stars, and what’s even cooler is that they all performed for free. Rodrigo states in an interview with Good Morning America that 100% of the net proceeds from the festival would go to charities.
These organizations include Planned Parenthood, National Institute for Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Freefrom, Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Jhpiego, and National Women’s Law Center.
The festival line-up included Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Devon Again, Die Spitz, Eli, Garbage, Not for Radio, Rachel Chinouriri, Quiet Light, Santigold, The Breeders, and Olivia Rodrigo herself. The lineup also included special guests Karen O, Sarah Mclachlan, and Stevie Nicks.
I think Rodrigo did an amazing job curating the lineup to include different artists from all different genres, backgrounds, and eras. This variety of artists acknowledges the diversity of womanhood and creates amazing groundwork for this community-building event.
In addition to the performers, the photography crew was also all-female. As a woman in film and live entertainment, I found this to be incredibly important, since many fields like these are male dominated.
Giving women access to jobs, portfolio material, and networking opportunities is, in my opinion, an overlooked and underrated aspect of this festival. Additionally, from an artistic standpoint, I think having women capture this event immortalizes their perspective on it, and that is so incredibly valuable.
Lastly, Olivia Rodrigo performed a new single at Daisy Chain Fields called “Serena Joy”. This song is about fighting for what’s right, featuring lines such as “It’s all for the cause, for the good of us all.”
In addition to creating a sense of unity, “Serena Joy” has meaningful lines such as “And if you close your eyes, then it can’t be your fault,” which pokes at those who are willfully ignorant about important issues to avoid having to face them.
Additional lines in the song like “And we’ll never give up, and we’ll never submit”, in my opinion, inspire listeners to stand up for what they believe in. I feel that Rodrigo performing this powerful anthem at her new charity-focused music festival makes a clear statement on where she stands in the world of activism.
The work Olivia Rodrigo is doing through Daisy Chain Fields is incredible. Encouraging community, connection, support, and resources are, in my opinion, the best ways to make an impact.
Many celebrities share their opinions online, but I believe that the ones that make real long-term impact are those that use their art to create something meaningful that brings people together. Olivia has said that she hopes this becomes a yearly festival, and I, like many fans, hope it does!