Breakaway – Allianz Field – St. Paul MN – June 26th-27th 2026

Breakaway Minnesota at Allianz Field was not my first musical festival but it was my first time shooting one. With festivals the lineup can be great but the day can still go down hill fast! Getting in, finding water, moving between stages, bathrooms and food lines,  it all factors in to how the festival experience goes. I’m glad to say that Breakaway had no issues and was one of my top festival experiences!

Entry was pretty smooth both days. A few lanes had small lines but nothing looked terrible and the split between GA/VIP and Premium/VIP entrances seemed to help a lot. Inside, the main stage and The L.A.B. stage were on opposite sides and gave the grounds a nice flow. I like that it was only two stages because sometimes festivals with too many stages can run into issues like conflicting set times and walking between all the stages can make the day feel even longer. At Breakaway it was easy to move around and get from stage to stage without feeling like you were marching forever and although it was packed, there was never an issue navigating the crowd between stages, even right before/after sets.

The main stage setup was better than I expected! GA still had good majority of the front barricade so it didn’t feel like the regular crowd got pushed to the side just to sell VIP tickets. VIP still had plenty of the front barricade real-estate also and had a nice side angle from the stage with more space. For once I got the appeal of upgrading to the VIP tickets. I usually don’t think VIP is worth it but at Breakaway I think it might be! You had plenty of room to move around and could still get close to the stage/front barricade. You got the full festival atmosphere without being packed into it which was nice, especially for Subtronics and Zedd! There wasn’t a bad view anywhere at the festival either! Even by the food area you could still see the main stage well and the food lines never looked too bad the handful of times I walked by. Bathrooms were better than expected, with only a couple minutes of waiting. Water lines were the one rough spot I noticed, but that was mostly when the heat was still hanging around and once clouds came in and temps cooled, the line seemed to settle a bit.The sound was amazing anywhere you went on the grounds and even outside the venue walking up, which is probably the reason for the 10:30 cutoff, for most EDM shows the main act doesn’t even go on until at least midnight most times. The L.A.B. stage held its own also! Once you were near the stage, the Main Stage didn’t wash out everything, and people could hangout on the turf while catching smaller sets. The Silent Disco, located on the opposite side of the festival grounds from the main stage, is a staple at music festivals and what I liked about Breakaway’s version was it was a local DJ showcase! Having local DJ’s play the silent disco was clearly a great call because it was pretty full every time I walked by!

Day 1 leaned more house, bass, and DNB heavy. Some of the highlights from day 1 were Roddy Lima’s set at The L.A.B. stage, bringing a tech-house club feel that was a nice contrast to the main stage. Sub Focus gave the Main Stage a noticeable lift in energy with his DNB set and later back at the L.A.B. stage, D.O.D. kept things bright and upbeat, and I would not be surprised if he ends up on the Main Stage next time! Subtronics, coming off a huge set earlier in the year at Coachella, closed out the day exactly how you expect! He brough huge visuals, heavy drops, and talking to other fans at the festival, his sets are made for outdoors, and after it was over, I agreed with them!

Day 2 was more on the heavier bass and dubstep side, but it still had enough variety for everyone, especially with Zedd ending the night! Some of the highlights of day 2 were Levity, who brought more of a younger, party energy to the main stage. Adventure Club was one of the sets I was looking forward to prior and they did not disappoint! Adventure Club was the perfect set to close out The L.A.B. stage. KNOCK2 came in with a strong last set before Zedd! KNOCK2 brought more bounce and movement than a straight house set and really kept the momentum of the day going and prepped the crowd perfectly for Zedd’s set to come.

Zedd was the right set to end the weekend with. He was cleaner and more polished than the heavier sets prior, but that’s what makes Zedd so fun to see live. He has enough songs that even casual EDM fans end up knowing. I don’t think there was a single person in the crowd who hasn’t heard Clarity or The Middle. For me though the visuals were the best part of the set! I haven’t been to that many EDM shows, but Zedd’s closing set at Breakway will go down as my favorite visually so far! The visual were sharp and never looked cluttered and all flowed well with the music. I had heard earlier that fireworks might not happen because of wind but we got lucky and Zedd was able to close out the weekend with a bang!

Breakaway has been coming to Minnesota for a while now and I already know I won’t be missing next year! No matter the lineup, this is one of the festivals you get tickets to early and attend every year!