LadyLand Festival returned to Brooklyn for Pride Weekend on June 27, transforming Under the K Bridge Park into a vivid celebration of music, nightlife, and queer culture. Set against the industrial backdrop of the Greenpoint neighborhood—underneath the Kosciuszko Bridge, with cars passing overhead—the space felt equal parts open-air club and underground rave. Surrounded by warehouses and framed by the city skyline, the festival once again delivered an experience that blended high-profile talent with rising stars, all anchored by a spirit of self-expression and community.
From the moment gates opened, the energy was undeniable. The weather struck that classic New York summer balance—clear skies and humidity—intensified by crowds packed tightly together, dancing from stage to stage. Attendees arrived in a wide range of outfit styles, each one a reflection of individuality and Pride itself. Whether gathered in groups or moving solo through the crowd, there was a shared sense of joy that carried throughout the entire night.
At the heart of the festival were three distinct spaces: the main stage (Fist stage), the Resist stage along the water, and the Truck stage—each offering a different slice of the LadyLand experience.
The evening began on the main stage with The Illustrious Blacks, whose performed just as the sun began to set. The Brooklyn-based duo of Monstah Black and Manchildblack brought an expansive sound that blended Afrofuturism, disco, house, funk, and techno into something entirely their own. With setlist highlights including “Funk That,” “Suck My Disco,” “Plastic (A Bigger Name),” and “Let the Music Set You Free,” they energized the crowd early, turning the open-air space into a full-on dancefloor.
“The mission of The Illustrious Blacks is to lead the masses to a state of liberation and a higher vibrational frequency via music and performance,” the duo shared. “A festival as massive and as respected as Ladyland is the perfect platform for us to use our powers to take the audience into the stratosphere.”
From there, the night expanded outward, with crowds moving fluidly between stages. Down by the river, the Resist stage offered a different experience—cooler air drifting in off the water and views that framed performers in a more intimate setting. It became a showcase for some of the festival’s most exciting emerging talent.
Brooklyn-born BAYLI stood out for her genre-blurring set, pulling from hyperpop, techno, club, and alt-pop influences. Songs like “Passenger Princess,” “all of that,” and “SUGARCOAT” highlighted her ability to merge polished pop instincts with underground energy, earning her a strong reaction from the crowd.
Directly after, Babymorocco delivered one of the more chaotic and sweat-soaked performances of the evening. Leaning into hyperpop and club sounds, his set—featuring tracks like “Jean Paul,” “Bikinis and Trackies,” and “SXC” kept audiences locked in from start to finish.
Back toward the center of the festival, the Truck stage functioned as its own world—a “club within the festival.” Surrounded by chain-link fencing, disco balls, and flashing lights, this space highlighted DJs who kept the momentum going. The lineup, including Dane Devereaux, Markus, Coyado, Amarji King, and P1nkstar, emphasized LadyLand’s roots in nightlife culture.
Closing out the truck stage, P1nkstar brought a set rooted in nearly a decade of work across hyperpop, urban latin, and performance art. Reflecting on the moment, she shared,
“Ladyland always blurs the line between mainstream and underground… it’s an incredible way to spend Pride, feeling celebrated… while celebrating everyone else in the room.”
As the night progressed, the main stage continued to deliver one high-energy set after another. Sam Quealy turned in a visually dynamic performance, complete with full choreography and backup dancers. Drawing from both her debut album Blonde Venus and her more recent release JAWBREAKER, she balanced theatrical staging with driving techno-pop production across tracks like “Strings of Terror,” “Londontown,” and “Pussy Power.”
DJ Meredith Marks followed, bringing a different kind of spectacle. Known for her presence both on and off the stage (she’s part of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast), Meredith delivered a set that blended house and pop, at one point introducing a live violinist to elevate the performance.
CupcakKe’s set pushed the crowds energy even further. With a catalog known for its bold and unapologetic tone, she delivered a mix of newer tracks from The BakKery alongside fan favorites. Songs like “Deepthroat,” “Cpr,” and “Vagina” prompted some of the loudest reactions of the night, as the crowd matched her intensity line for line.
Romy, a member of the indie rock band The XX shifted the mood slightly while keeping the momentum alive. Pulling from late ’90s and early 2000s dance, trance, and electronic influences, her DJ set leaned into euphoric club energy—creating what felt like a seamless bridge between high-impact performances and the night’s final act.
That moment arrived with Kim Petras, who returned to LadyLand as a headliner after first appearing at the festival’s earliest edition. Taking the stage beneath the bridge, she delivered a full set centered around her newest album Detour, performing tracks including “DTLA,” “I Like Ur Look,” “Check It,” “Polo,” and live debuts such as “Brutalist,” “Basketball,” and “Korea.” She also incorporated songs from her “Pretour” release series—like “Pop Sound,” “Mr. Producer,” and “Cha Cha”—alongside fan favorites like “Can’t Do Better” and “Party Till I Die,” marking its first performance since 2023.
Throughout her set, the crowd remained locked in, closing out the night with the same energy that carried through from the very first performance.
By the end of the evening, LadyLand had once again delivered on its promise: a space where music, identity, and community converge. From the rave-like atmosphere under the bridge to the diverse performances across its stages, the festival proved that Pride in New York continues to be as much about connection and celebration as it is about the music itself.
Words & Photos by Ann Storlie (@ast_lie)
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