Photos by Deborah Rodriguez ; Written by Sean Sara
After a trailblazing year of head in the clouds in 2023 we saw a small break until 2025 but it wasn’t for nothing! The lineup announcement was one for the century featuring huge artists like G-Dragon, 2NE1, and a surprise artist for the 10 year finale which fans speculated was Jackson Wang. Not to mention the very diverse line up of smaller artists like YY, Youha, Piao, and Jonah Love for fans of the festival to discover, with a roster of artists as different and strong as these the weekend kicks off on Saturday with impeccable vibes. Walking into the festival there were all the activations and booths being immediately filled with crowds from Jinro Soju, Melona, Tide, and Pocari Sweat there were lines and freebies all over. The booths weren’t enough to stop some fans though as we saw people running to try and get barricades at the 88Rising stage from 10am to catch their favorite artists with the best view 12 hours later. The dedication to artists from fans was apparent from the moment we saw the same people barricade from the morning till evening, and no the heat was no match for fans’ passion. On the first day of performances we had so many amazing sets to watch from ARMNHMR’s amazing DJ set, Miso’s serenade, Dean & Tabber’s RnB set, all the way to King of K-Pop G-Dragon bringing the finale of Saturday night to close!
Sunday was the final day where Japanese group, Number_i, kept the energy sky-high with a fast-paced, charismatic set that had fans jumping from start to finish. Piao followed with a dreamy, soul-soaked performance, serenading the crowd with unheard melodies that left everyone in awe. One of the days earlier, most heartwarming surprises came when YY and Youha took the stage together, debuting their new single “skippy” with undeniable chemistry and fresh, genre-blending sound. The highlight of Sunday at Head in the Clouds 2025 was the monumental 10-year anniversary finale, where Jackson Wang made a surprise appearance following 2NE1’s absolutely electric set. The group written in legacy lit up the main stage with a performance so fierce, and so energetic fans packed Brookside at the Rose Bowl like a can of sardines—shoulder to shoulder, screaming in unison. As the lights and anticipation peaked to an all time high, all the artists came out to the stage joining 2NE1 in a powerful, emotional moment that celebrated a decade of 88rising’s boundary-pushing impact. It was a Sunday to remember—an explosive celebration of the past, present, and future of Asian music.
