FestiVAL 2025 is the first hybrid IRL/virtual microfestival — and it hopes Twitch is tuning in

This weekend in Los Angeles dozens of artists will take the stage at FestiVAL, a 24-hour microfestival running from 12 pm on 26 July in an undisclosed location. The audience? Over 800,000 attendees — potentially.

FestiVAL is the “world’s first hybrid IRL/virtual microfestival”, according to the organisers, and will play host to Twitch-partnered DJs, performers, and other content creators on the platform. These acts will all livestream the entire festival from various perspectives on their respective channels, providing viewers with a more holistic experience of the event.

“We’re trying to give everybody all the streams, angles, and perspectives so that they really feel like they’re there and that they’re not missing anything,” says Chris Valdes, AKA Valdudes, co-founder of the festival alongside CaseSpowboy, and a Twitch-performing DJ in his own right.

IRL (in-real-life) attendees, meanwhile, will be able to see the live comments of at-home viewers projected on a screen. Although it’s “another way for the viewers to feel involved in the festival,” says Valdes, it’s also about bringing the Twitch energy to FestiVAL as a whole. “It just adds this whole other element of interaction and magic that will create opportunities of awesomeness that we haven’t even planned on yet,” Valdes adds. In practice, that might look like in-chat memes emerging from moments of the festival, as well as live reactions to a track a DJ plays or an event from the in-person crowd.

DJs playing at the festival include Valdudes, CaceSpowboy, Chris Cox, Gabriel & Dresden, Magda Halina, Teknokat and more. In addition to DJs, FestiVAL will also welcome TheSushiDragon (“a tech guru, visual artist, genius”, says Valdes) plus ‘IRL streamers’ DippedInPoison, McD00dle, and WhoIsChelsea. These creators will be broadcasting on Twitch, interacting with IRL attendees, and even hosting minigames themselves, like tarot card readings.

FestiVAL is certainly a Twitch-focused event, but it is yet to secure the financial support of the livestreaming platform — it first has to prove itself.

“We, the community, came up with [FestiVAL] and said to Twitch, ‘Hey, what do you think? Do you want to help us out?’” says Valdes. “It has to go perfectly…and then they’ll send over their official sponsorship support. So far, it’s all looking good!“

The event does, however, arrive a year after the launch of Twitch’s DJ program, which was seemingly the company’s acknowledgement of its DJ community and their lucrativeness. During COVID-19, the number of streamer DJs rose, and there are still thousands of DJs streaming regularly on Twitch. The company’s goal was to offer more opportunities for DJs on the platform to monetise their performances and build a better framework for licensing and royalty payments from streams on Twitch.

“[Twitch DJ] had two major effects,” explains Valdes. “The good effect has been that Twitch can now push DJs and promote us on the front page, host DJs at TwitchCon, and really bring them into the fold of Twitch — and ultimately get sponsorship money for an event like this.

“But the big drawback,” Valdes cautions, “is that since the launch [of Twitch DJ], it’s been slowly introducing more fees that we have to pay [as DJs on the platform]. So, more views, to speak, should translate into more revenue — and it does — but then, combined with the fees, some people are still making the same amount, or even less. People are still doing their thing and going strong, but it’s definitely been a struggle for a lot of DJs.”

To support its DJs, FestiVAL will pay its acts to perform, but artists will also be able to generate additional revenue via their individual Twitch streams. Viewers can donate and subscribe to creators during their set, offering an additional revenue stream for their performance, marking a first in the electronic music festival scene.

“We’re really hoping that that is the new model going forward,” explains Valdes. “Livestreaming is huge, we know people love it. Festivals are huge, we know people love those. We really want to bring those two worlds together, and help Twitch DJs break out, just not only on Twitch, but in the greater landscape.”

If it works, FestiVAL could mark a blueprint for the next generation of music events — one that recognises livestreaming not just as a stopgap, but as a permanent stage.

Grab your ticket for the event at festivalttv.com and find streams and updates on its Discord server. 

Sam is the Commissioning Editor at MusicTech, where he’s helped shape the publication’s editorial voice since 2019. With nearly two decades of music-making and a degree in music technology behind him, his focus is on the stories behind studio gear and the artists who use it. He’s spent way too much time sampling disco records.