As festival season heats up, Day Trip Festival is once again shaping up to be one of the most essential weekends in house music. Returning to the Queen Mary Waterfront in Long Beach on June 27-28, the Insomniac-backed event continues its evolution with an expanded footprint, a brand-new amphitheater stage, and one of its deepest lineups to date.

From sunset disco grooves to sweat-soaked warehouse energy, Day Trip 2026 is stacked with artists ready to deliver unforgettable moments along the California coast. While there’s truly no bad choice on this lineup, these are the five sets we’re circling first.

1. Green Velvet B2B Josh Baker

Anytime Green Velvet appears on a lineup, expectations are automatically sky-high. Pairing him with Josh Baker for a debut back-to-back set? That’s where things get dangerous.

Green Velvet remains one of the most iconic personalities in house and techno, capable of commanding massive festival stages while still sounding raw and underground. Josh Baker, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the hottest selectors in the minimal and tech-house space. His groove-heavy style feels tailor-made for Day Trip’s sun-drenched atmosphere.

The contrast here is what makes this booking so exciting. Velvet brings decades of acid-laced chaos and charisma, while Baker injects slick UK minimal rhythms that have dominated clubs over the past two years. Expect this set to walk the line between proper underground energy and total festival insanity.

If there’s one set with true “you had to be there” potential, it’s this one.

2. Cloonee

There may not be a hotter tech-house act in America right now than Cloonee.

Over the past few years, the Hellbent Records boss has transformed from a club favorite into a full-fledged festival weapon. His records dominate DJ sets across the scene, and his ability to control energy in massive environments has become elite-tier.

Day Trip feels like the perfect environment for him. The Long Beach waterfront crowd thrives on rolling basslines, percussion-heavy grooves, and tracks that feel built specifically for dancing in the sun. That’s basically Cloonee’s entire identity.

What makes this set especially intriguing is where he lands on the schedule. If he gets a sunset slot, expect pure magic. If he closes a stage, prepare for absolute chaos. Either way, this feels destined to be one of the most packed sets of the weekend.

3. Purple Disco Machine (Sunset Set)

Few artists understand festival atmosphere better than Purple Disco Machine.

His productions somehow manage to feel nostalgic and futuristic at the same time, blending disco, funk, and house into records that instantly elevate a crowd’s mood. At Day Trip, where golden-hour moments are practically part of the branding, a Purple Disco Machine sunset set feels almost unfair.

This is the type of booking that creates core festival memories. Ocean breeze, palm trees, thousands of people singing along to disco-infused house records. While many sets on the lineup will prioritize aggression and peak-time energy, Purple Disco Machine brings something equally important: joy. And in a scene increasingly obsessed with darker sounds, that balance matters.

4. Odd Mob

If you know, you know.

Odd Mob has spent the past year leveling up from cult favorite to one of dance music’s most talked-about names. His sound design is massive, his edits are everywhere online, and his sets have developed a reputation for being completely unhinged in the best way possible.

The Australian producer thrives on unpredictability. One second you’re locked into a groovy house rhythm, the next you’re getting blasted with bass-heavy switch-ups that feel closer to a warehouse rave than a beach festival.

That tension is exactly why this set could become one of the weekend’s breakout moments. Day Trip crowds have always embraced artists willing to push beyond standard house formulas, and Odd Mob feels perfectly positioned to take advantage of that energy.

Don’t be surprised if this ends up being the set everyone talks about on Monday morning.

5. SIDEPIECE B2B Westend

Festival back-to-backs can sometimes feel thrown together for poster value. This one actually makes sense.

SIDEPIECE and Westend both specialize in high-energy house music built for massive crowds. Their styles complement each other naturally: chunky basslines, infectious vocal hooks, and enough bounce to keep a crowd moving for hours.

What makes this pairing especially exciting is the unpredictability factor. B2Bs often allow artists to play looser and more creatively than they normally would solo, and that could produce one of the most fun dance parties of the weekend.

With a newly expanded festival layout and another lineup loaded top to bottom with house and techno talent, Day Trip 2026 is continuing its rise as one of North America’s premier dance music festivals. Whether you’re chasing sunset disco vibes, underground grooves, or full-send peak-time madness, this year’s edition looks ready to deliver across the board.

Bonus: BUNT.

BUNT. feels like one of the most interesting additions to this year’s Day Trip lineup because he brings an entirelydifferent emotional energy than most artists on the bill. While the festival is loaded with darker club grooves and peak-time tech house, BUNT.’s melodic dance sound offers something more uplifting and cinematic. He is one of my all-time favorite sets I have ever seen, and I can’t wait for it in June.