Great Park in Irvine, California, was filled with love, music and charity Saturday at the scene of the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival. The festival, headlined and founded by Olivia Rodrigo, brought together some of music’s biggest female stars and supported many more women worldwide.
Rodrigo cited the inspiration for the festival as coming from the 1990s women-led music festival, Lilith Fair, founded by Sarah McLachlan. Lilith Fair was established as a response to industry claims that tours wouldn’t sell if they included more than one woman; the festival raised over $10 million for charity over three years.
On June 22, Rodrigo announcedthe festival on her Instagram account, captioned, “Daisy Chain Fields features an all-woman lineup and 100 percent of the net proceeds will go to charities dedicated to advancing and advocating for women and girls.”
The lineup included modern superstars like Chappell Roan and Doechii, along with special guests including music legends Karen O, later changed to Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks and Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan.
The nonprofit partners benefiting from the festival include Baby2Baby, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Freeform, Jhpiego, the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, the National Women's Law Center and Planned Parenthood. Donations quickly came in from across the world, and the festival sold out in under 30 minutes.
Days before the festival, Rodrigo released a “The Handmaid’s Tale” inspired charity song titled “Serena Joy,” with a portion of proceeds going to the Daisy Chain Fields fund. The song is an anthem encouraging fans to speak out and to fight against those who ignore what is going on in the world.
“If you can’t throw a punch you can learn how to spit and we'll never give up and we'll never submit,” Rodrigo said in the song.
On Saturday, 45,000 fans poured into the Great Park, transformed into a world plastered in pink, green, yellow and blue florals. Thousands of people united for a full day of music and female empowerment.
Split between two stages, which were used alternately to allow fans to see all acts, were 14 artists of many different genres, generations and backgrounds. The Marigold Stage kicked off with indie folk musician Quiet Light, who performed off her 2026 mixtape, “Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2,” in the sweltering California heat.
During the first performance on the Dandelion Stage, transgender pop artist Eli pledged $30,000 of her record label advance to Black Mamas Matter Alliance and FreeFrom while calling for wealth distribution and to love your neighbors, “no matter what they believe or don’t.” Devon Again followed on the Dandelion Stage, replacing Katseye after they were forced to drop out due to member Megan Skiendiel’s ankle injury during a tour rehearsal.
The evening session was kicked off by hip-hop star Doechii, who took the stage in a floral bra and covered in neon pink body paint. Her set stole the show as she combined her hits off her 2024 mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal with classics from other female superstars like Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah and Britney Spears.
The generational shift was immediate after Doechii, as Garbage took the Marigold Stage, led by 60-year-old vocalist Shirley Manson. Manson addressed the multigenerational lineup, saying, “We’ve been around since before most of you were born … so to be included in this festival lineup is an immense privilege, and it’s not one we take lightly.”
The final act on the Dandelion Stage before the headliner was Gen-Z superstar Chappell Roan. Roan brought together the crowd of 45,000 to sing along to several of her smash hits from her iconic 2024 album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” while debuting a red mod bob instead of her signature curls.
Finally, the headliner took the stage. Before beginning her set, Rodrigo gave a speech of gratitude to the performers, the staff, the audience and to Melinda French Gates, who was brought out on stage after making the announcement she would match the contribution made by the Daisy Chain Fields Fund, bringing the total donations for the day up to $20 million.
Rodrigo began her set with a series of instant classics off her three studio albums, as well as a live debut of “Serena Joy.” Then, the first of the promised special guests took the stage, starting fittingly with Sarah McLachlan.
With McLachlan on piano, she and Rodrigo performed a duet of her 1997 hit, “Building a Mystery.” It was followed by a memorial tribute to the late Dolly Parton. McLachlan told the crowd, “I want to dedicate this song tonight to the OG, matriarch, beautiful goddess of country music. The biggest philanthropist in the history of country music, Dolly Parton.” They went on to perform McLachlan’s song, “Angel,” as the words, “We will always love you, Dolly,” glowed behind them.
Rodrigo was then joined by Alanis Morissette for a duet of her 1995 track, “Ironic.” Morissette took to Instagram following the performance, saying, “This is what it looks like when women and the feminine leads.”
The final song of the night was accompanied by Stevie Nicks for a duet of the 1975 song by Fleetwood Mac, “Landslide.” Rodrigo capped off the performance exclaiming to the crowd, “See you next year,” confirming the continuation of the festival.
The one-day festival showcased women’s power while raising millions of dollars for causes worldwide.
