Tahoe Live is heading back to Palisades Tahoe for its fourth edition, and the festival is bringing its most genre-spanning lineup to date. Set for December 11-13 at 6,200 feet in California’s Sierra Nevada, the three-day winter destination festival will feature GRiZ, Knock2, Chris Lake and T-Pain performing under his electronic alias Teddy Pain, alongside Madeon, Walker & Royce, Noizu, YDG, Mary Droppinz, Daniel Allan, WINK x nikko and KHODA LEON.
The festival sold out all three days in 2025, and founder Dustin Esson and his team used the past year to widen the musical scope beyond the bass-heavy lineup that defined last year’s edition. The 2026 booking leans into house, bass, melodic electronic and crossover sounds, while holding onto the format that’s made Tahoe Live stand out from the rest of the winter festival circuit — one stage, three days, zero set conflicts.
That single-stage setup means no schedule conflicts and no torn allegiances between artists you want to catch. Everyone in attendance experiences the same lineup together, which has become as much a part of the festival’s identity as the mountain backdrop itself.
GRiZ is one of the bigger stories on this year’s bill. The Detroit-born, Colorado-based producer made his Bay Area comeback last November with two sold-out headline shows at San Francisco’s Cow Palace, and outside of a GRiZTRONICS b2b set with Subtronics at Outside Lands, he hasn’t played another solo Northern California date since. Tahoe Live will mark his next one.
“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,” GRiZ told Billboard. “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.”
Knock2 brings a similar homecoming element to the mountain. The San Diego-born producer has become one of the more in-demand names in electronic music over the past few years, yet he’s stayed selective about playing shows in his home state. Outside of Niteharts, Tahoe Live is shaping up to be one of the rare chances California fans get to see him locally.
On the house side, Chris Lake anchors the lineup as one of the genre’s defining figures right now, with a fanbase that runs deep throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. His booking signals just how far Tahoe Live is pushing past its bass-heavy roots.
Then there’s T-Pain showing up as Teddy Pain, arguably the most unexpected addition to the bill. The multi-platinum vocalist and producer has been developing his electronic alias for a few years now, and dropping him into a lineup next to GRiZ, Knock2 and Chris Lake makes for one of the weekend’s more interesting crossover moments.
Rounding out the bill is Madeon, whose cinematic productions and live show have built him a dedicated global following, plus Walker & Royce bringing their house and groove sensibilities, and rising names YDG, Mary Droppinz, Daniel Allan, WINK x nikko and KHODA LEON.
A Mountain-Base Festival Built Around Ski Culture
The location remains as much a part of the pitch as the lineup. Tahoe Live sits at the base of Palisades Tahoe, surrounded by Sierra Nevada peaks that climb past 9,000 feet, with the main stage just steps from the ski lifts. Lodging, dining and apres-ski options in The Village are all within walking distance of the festival grounds.
Fans can ski or snowboard all day and walk straight down to the stage once the sun starts to drop. After dark, the production — lights, lasers, large-scale visuals — plays off the alpine setting, turning the surrounding mountains into part of the show.
“We really wanted this year’s lineup to reflect where Tahoe Live is going,” said Dustin Esson, CEO and founder of Tahoe Live. “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.”
Esson grew up around ski culture and has spent years producing events in mountain markets, and that background shows in how the festival positions itself — not just as a stop on the winter festival calendar, but as a full getaway built around skiing, snowboarding, mountain scenery and music.
Tahoe Live launched in 2022 as a two-day event headlined by Steve Aoki, Louis The Child and Whethan. It moved to Palisades Tahoe in 2023 with REZZ and DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) leading the way, then grew to roughly 15,000 attendees across two days in 2024 with Diplo, RL Grime, Loud Luxury, Disco Lines and Boogie T. Last year marked the first three-day edition, bringing in Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, Alison Wonderland, LSZEE, DJ Diesel, San Holo, PEEKABOO and Jessica Audiffred.
That 2025 edition also proved just how far Tahoe Live’s reach has grown — attendees traveled from 48 states, and lodging in The Village sold out well ahead of the festival.
Tickets for Tahoe Live 2026 go on sale Thursday, September 17 at 10 a.m. PST through the festival’s official site.
