At 6,200 feet in the Sierra Nevada, just steps from the ski lifts at Palisades Tahoe, Tahoe Live is returning December 11–13 with its biggest and most diverse edition yet. The three-day winter destination festival will bring GRiZ, Knock2, Chris Lake, T-Pain’s TEDDY PAIN DJ set, Madeon, Walker & Royce, Noizu, YDG, Mary Droppinz, Daniel Allan, WINK x nikko, KHØDA LEON and more to a single stage at the base of one of North America’s most iconic ski mountains.
After expanding to three sold-out days in 2025, Tahoe Live is entering its next chapter with a lineup that reflects how much the festival has evolved. While last year’s programming leaned heavily toward bass music, founder Dustin Esson and the Tahoe Live team spent the past year broadening the experience, bringing together house, bass, melodic electronic, crossover sounds, and emerging talent from across the dance music landscape.
Even with that wider musical range, the festival is holding onto one of its defining ideas: one stage, three days, and no set conflicts. Rather than forcing fans to choose between artists, the format allows the entire crowd to experience the lineup together. There is no schedule to strategize around or artist to sacrifice, creating a communal atmosphere that has become a central part of the Tahoe Live experience.
The 2026 lineup also brings several artists whose appearances carry particular significance for California audiences.
GRiZ is among the weekend’s biggest draws, marking his next solo Northern California headline appearance following his highly anticipated return to the region. The Detroit-born, Colorado-based artist made his Bay Area comeback last November with two sold-out solo headline shows at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. His only Bay Area appearance since then has been a GRiZTRONICS b2b with Subtronics at Outside Lands, making his Tahoe Live performance another notable Northern California appearance.
“I think the last time I was in Tahoe, we went to a skatepark and I was trying to do flips into the foam pit. Unfortunately, I didn’t become a professional skateboarder, but we’re gonna be coming through with so much new music and more flips than a game of skate,” GRiZ tells Billboard.
Knock2 brings another major home-state moment to the mountain. Born in San Diego, the producer has become one of electronic music’s most talked-about names while remaining selective about festival appearances in his home state. Outside of Niteharts, Tahoe Live is expected to be one of the few opportunities for California fans to see him perform at home.
On the house side, Chris Lake adds a heavyweight presence to the lineup. A major force in modern house music with a substantial following throughout Northern California and the Bay Area, his inclusion further reflects Tahoe Live’s move toward a broader electronic music identity.
Then there is T-Pain, bringing his electronic alias TEDDY PAIN to the mountain. The appearance adds an unexpected crossover element to the weekend, placing the multi-platinum artist within a lineup that otherwise spans some of the biggest names and emerging acts in electronic music.
The bill continues with Madeon, the French electronic artist known for cinematic productions and acclaimed live performances, alongside Walker & Royce, whose distinct approach to house and groove adds another layer to the weekend. Rising artists including YDG, Mary Droppinz, Daniel Allan, WINK x nikko, and KHØDA LEON further expand the musical palette.
Of course, the setting is every bit as important as the lineup.
Located at the base of Palisades Tahoe, the festival grounds sit at 6,200 feet, surrounded by Sierra Nevada peaks rising more than 9,000 feet. The stage is positioned just steps from the ski lifts, while lodging, restaurants, and après-ski options throughout The Village are within walking distance.
That means a day at Tahoe Live can begin on the mountain before continuing at the festival. Fans can ski or snowboard during the day, then head down to the stage for an evening of music. Once darkness falls, lights, lasers, and large-scale production take over the alpine environment, with the surrounding mountains becoming part of the visual experience.
It is that combination of music and location that has helped Tahoe Live develop into a destination event rather than simply another date on the festival calendar. Taking place as ski season begins and outside the crowded spring and summer festival cycle, the weekend offers a different kind of electronic music getaway—one built around skiing, snowboarding, après-ski, mountain scenery, and three days of music.
For Esson, who grew up around ski culture and has spent years producing events in mountain markets, that relationship between the festival and its surroundings has been part of the vision from the beginning.
“We really wanted this year’s lineup to reflect where Tahoe Live is going. Last year leaned heavily into bass, and this year we intentionally opened it up – house, bass, and high-energy electronic, while still keeping the single-stage format that makes Tahoe Live special.” — Dustin Esson, CEO/Founder
That vision has developed considerably since Tahoe Live first launched as a two-day festival in 2022. The debut featured Steve Aoki, Louis The Child, Whethan and more before the festival moved to Palisades Tahoe in 2023. That edition marked the resort’s first Tahoe Live experience, with REZZ and DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) leading the lineup.
By 2024, the festival had grown to approximately 15,000 attendees across two days, welcoming Diplo, RL Grime, Loud Luxury, Disco Lines, Boogie T and more. Then, in 2025, Tahoe Live expanded to three days for the first time, bringing Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, Alison Wonderland, LSZEE, DJ Diesel, San Holo, PEEKABOO, Jessica Audiffred and others to the mountain.
The 2025 edition also offered a clear indication that Tahoe Live was becoming a destination in its own right. Fans traveled from 48 states to attend, while lodging throughout The Village at Palisades Tahoe sold out well ahead of the event.
People weren’t simply traveling to Tahoe and happening to attend a festival. They were traveling to Tahoe for Tahoe Live.
“Most music festivals give you a stage. Tahoe Live gives you a mountain. For three days, you wake up, go ski, then come back and dance all night, and do it again the next day. World-class music, legendary terrain and The Village all come together for something that could only happen in Tahoe. We’ve loved watching Tahoe Live grow, and we’re excited to keep building what comes next.” — Matt Peterson, Vice President of Marketing, Palisades Tahoe
Esson has seen that transformation firsthand as the festival has grown from its original two-day format into a full winter destination experience.
“We always believed Tahoe Live could become something really special, but to watch that happen so quickly over the first few years has been incredible. It’s become the weekend our fans look forward to all year because there really isn’t anything else like it. You’re experiencing the only dance music festival on the grounds of a U.S. ski resort, and the entire weekend happens within that environment – you can ride the tram up to 9,000 feet, ski, come back down to the festival, hang with your friends in the village, hit the pubs at night, and wake up and do it all again the next day. It’s become much more than a festival. It’s a full winter destination experience, and that’s what makes Tahoe Live so special,” Esson tells Billboard.
Following last year’s sold-out three-day edition, Tahoe Live heads into 2026 with its broadest musical mix and biggest lineup yet while maintaining the single-stage format and mountain setting that have defined the festival since its beginning. At Palisades Tahoe, the music is only part of the experience—the mountain itself remains the backdrop, playground, and setting for an entire winter weekend.
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