CRSSD's Spring 2025 Festival Marks Decade of Dance Music Devotion in San Diego

As dusk settled over San Diego’s Waterfront Park on Sunday, the sky darkened and a light, unrelenting rain began to fall. Instead of sending festivalgoers scattering, however, instead it transformed the dancefloor into groove-soaked spectacle.

It was a fitting scene for the 10th edition of CRSSD Festival‘s spring showcase, which has not only endured, but flourished as a cornerstone of stateside electronic music culture on the West Coast.

Over the last decade, techno and house have moved from the fringes of the festival circuit to the center of global dance music culture. But CRSSD’s success hasn’t come from following the crowd. Instead, its identity is built on sharp, intentional curation, favoring artistry over hype. This year’s lineup embodied that philosophy, seamlessly blending pioneers and rising talents alike.

Justice.

Keiki Lani-Knudsen

Few acts illustrate that balance better than Justice. The iconic French duo, whose Hyperdrama tour has been selling out international arenas, took the Ocean View stage on Saturday night, delivering a dazzling symphony of distortion, disco and maximalist electro against the backdrop of the Pacific.

CRSSD’s heart beats in the underground, and this year, that sentiment manifested in the form of Green Velvet, a surprise last-minute addition to the lineup. The Chicago house music legend felt like a natural fit for a festival that thrives on carefully curated selections, adding another layer of authenticity to a weekend that celebrated the genre’s origins.

Sunday’s programming leaned into techno’s darker, more relentless side, culminating in a feverish b2b set from Nicole Moudaber and EDM.com Class of 2023 star Anfisa Letyago at the City Steps stage. Their performance was a masterclass in momentum, each kickdrum landing in a rhythmic storm that mirrored the rain falling over the crowd.

Meanwhile, Poolside offered contrast, their breezy, sun-drenched house beats soundtracking a picture-perfect San Diego afternoon. If Moudaber and Letyago’s set was a sprint to the finish line, Poolside was a deep exhale, reminding “America’s Finest City” that CRSSD’s magic lies in a balanced blend of intensity and euphoria.

And at its heart, CRSSD is built on community, the kind of festival where a shared love for a four-on-the-floor beat is enough to form a bond. That spirit was never more evident than on Sunday night, when Kavinsky closed out the festival with a sweeping set that spanned synthwave and cinematic electronic music.

A decade in, the festival has proven that it is an institution. And in a world where dance music continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, CRSSD remains exactly what it’s always been: a place where the music matters most.