Moonrise Festival

Moonrise Festival was an annual electronic dance music festival held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2014 by Steez Promo, Club Glow, and Insomniac Events, it ran for eight editions before going on indefinite hiatus after the 2023 edition. At its peak, the two-day festival drew over 30,000 attendees per day across four stages, featuring headliners like Tiësto, Zedd, Kaskade, Bassnectar, and Above & Beyond.

How Moonrise Festival Worked

Moonrise took place over two days each August at Pimlico Race Course, the historic horse racing track in northwest Baltimore. The venue accommodated up to 30,000 attendees with three main stages and one smaller stage. The festival ran from 11 AM to 11 PM each day, with after-parties hosted at nearby Club Glow venues (Echostage and Soundcheck in Washington, D.C.).

The festival was organized by Steez Promo and Club Glow, with Insomniac Events joining as a partner after acquiring Club Glow in 2019. Insomniac's involvement brought bigger production budgets and access to their roster of touring electronic acts. VIP tickets for the 2023 edition started at $275 per person, a $50 increase from 2022.

Moonrise programmed a wide spectrum of electronic music: dubstep, progressive house, electro house, bass music, and trance. The lineup also included occasional hip-hop acts, following a formula established at the first edition which featured A$AP Ferg and Waka Flocka Flame alongside EDM headliners.

Real-World Example: Moonrise Festival Through the Years

The 2014 inaugural edition at Pimlico featured Kaskade, Bassnectar, and Carnage as headliners, drawing over 30,000 attendees and establishing the festival as a success after a failed 2013 attempt at Port Covington (cancelled due to permit issues). The 2015 and 2016 editions grew with headliners like The Chainsmokers, Zedd, and Tiësto.

The 2017 edition featured Zeds Dead, Pretty Lights, and Carnage. In 2018, Marshmello, Diplo, and Cashmere Cat headlined. The 2019 edition closed out the pre-pandemic era with Illenium, Excision, and Tiësto.

After skipping 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, Moonrise returned in August 2022 with Tiësto, Zedd, and Rezz. The final edition in August 2023 featured Alison Wonderland, Kaskade (redux set), GRiZ, John Summit, Above & Beyond, and Big Gigantic. VIP tier 1 tickets had increased to $275.

In March 2024, the Baltimore Department of Transportation confirmed that Moonrise would not return to Pimlico that summer. No official statement about future editions has been issued. The festival's website still displays 2023 information as of 2026.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

Moonrise was one of the few large-scale EDM festivals in the Mid-Atlantic region, giving Baltimore-based and regional electronic artists a major platform. The festival's four-stage format meant smaller stages (like the Celestial Stage) regularly featured emerging producers alongside established names.

For independent electronic artists, the Moonrise model offers lessons:

1. Regional festivals with corporate backing (Insomniac, in this case) can provide career-launching exposure. Target festivals operated by Insomniac, C3 Presents, or AEG to access their booking networks.
2. The path from small-stage slots to main-stage billing takes years of consistent touring and streaming growth. John Summit played smaller stages at regional festivals before breaking through to headliner status.
3. Baltimore and the D.C. metro area remain a strong market for electronic music. Club Glow's Echostage (34,000 square feet) continues to book major electronic acts. Building a regional following through club nights and smaller events remains a viable strategy.
4. Monitor Insomniac Events for new festival announcements and artist submission opportunities, as they may launch replacement events in the Mid-Atlantic region.
5. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track the streaming numbers that festival bookers look for when scouting talent.

If Moonrise or a successor event returns, having a strong Beatport presence, social media following, and live performance footage will be the minimum requirements for consideration.

Related Resources

• Music Festivals Directory - Explore other active electronic music festivals
• Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming growth that attracts festival bookings
• Tour Revenue Calculator - Plan your regional touring revenue
• EDC Las Vegas - The largest electronic dance music festival in North America
• Official Moonrise Festival Website