‘I hope that everyone here is reminded of how capable they are’: Inagural Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival empowers girls, women, raises $20 million

Festivalgoers who visited Irvine Great Park Aug. 29 encountered an abundance of flower crowns, interactive art installations, inspiring quotes about women’s history milestones painted on the pavement and a diverse mix of pop, indie and rock music — all activities offered at the The inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival. This event was a success, selling out in 30 minutes and brought in approximately 45,000 attendees, with all net proceeds going to support female-focused nonprofits.

The festival was developed by Grammy-winning pop musician Olivia Rodrigo, who was inspired by Lilith Fair, the charitable, women-led music festival created by celebrated Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan in the 1990s. Daisy Chain Fields “celebrates the voices, artistry and contributions of women in music,” according to a message from Rodrigo on Daisy Chain Fields’s website.

Daisy Chain Fields featured 14  performances on two colorfully-decorated stages from a wide variety of cross-generational female artists, like Chappell Roan, Doechii and Bikini Kill. Singer-songwriter Devon Again, was a last-minute addition to the Daisy Chain Fields lineup, filling in for KATSEYE, who pulled out two days before the festival due to a member’s sprained ankle. Despite feeling some nerves about her performance, Again said being in a space full of women gave her a sense of belonging.

“As a woman, you’re kind of positioned to feel incompetent or like the work that you’re doing is not valuable or not big enough,” Again said. “There are so many musicians, producers, et cetera that are women that are unbelievably incredible, and I hope that everyone here is reminded of how capable they are.”

In addition to the music performances, Daisy Chain Fields also had activation booths for the 10 nonprofits the festival was supporting, including Black Mamas Matter Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health and Baby2Baby. All of the organizations uplift girls and women in some way, whether by advancing Black maternal health, advocating for reproductive rights or helping survivors of gender-based violence heal and thrive. While waiting for Chappell Roan’s set, Sophia Davis said part of the reason she wanted to attend the festival was that it helped empower girls and women.

“It’s a really big part of my life to be a feminist and to be an activist as well in any way that I can,” Davis said. “So for all of these things to be merged like this is truly a dream.”

At the end of the festival, Rodrigo took to the Dandelion Stage and announced that Daisy Chain Fields had raised $10 million for charity. Rodrigo then brought out philanthropist Melinda French Gates and revealed that French Gates had matched that amount, bringing the total to $20 million raised for the participating nonprofits. 

Olivia Rodrigo and Sarah McLachlan sing “Building a Mystery” together on stage.

Sonya Passi is the founder of FreeFrom, one of the nonprofit organizations supported by Daisy Chain Fields, which works to end gender-based violence by cultivating economic freedom and safety for survivors. Passi said that she hopes to use the funds raised to “build long term.”

“I’m excited to see all the ways in which we’ll be able to support survivors more,” Passi said. “To have this money allows us to start planning for the next few years, and that’s incredible.”

Nonprofit representatives also introduced each performance at the festival. Archer parent Trish Ward-Torres, who attended the festival with her daughter Paulina Torres (‘32), said that visibility made the nonprofits and their work much more memorable.

“These are real people doing something real, and it’s nice to see that,” Ward-Torres said. “It wasn’t just one-offs of like, ‘oh, there’s a little booth over here’ . . . it was kind of pervasive through the whole festival.”

Again said she is excited by the existence of charitable music festivals like Daisy Chain Fields, and she hopes that it motivates people to create and participate in more of these events.

“I hope that it inspires artists to do festivals that aren’t for profit so much more often . . . because sometimes it just feels like there’s this imaginary money that’s going to random corporations,” Again said. “So this just feels . . . so much more human.”  

During her performance, Rodrigo told a cheering crowd that she would see them at the festival “next year.” She brought out several veteran musicians as special guests, including Stevie Nicks and Alanis Morissette. McLachlan and Rodrigo also performed two songs together: “Building a Mystery” and “Angel,” dedicating the latter to recently deceased country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton. Rodrigo acknowledged the impact women pioneers have had on both herself and on modern-day society. 

“I am so aware of all the women who came before me,” Rodrigo said, “who fought for me to enjoy the rights that I enjoy today.”