Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has turned her first music festival into a US$20 million fundraising effort for women’s causes, with the singer’s Daisy Chain Fields drawing 45,000 fans to Great Park in Irvine, California this past Aug 29.
The festival initially raised $10 million for 10 non-profit organisations before philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced an additional $10 million contribution through her organisation, Pivotal, doubling the total.
The beneficiaries are Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood.
Rather than keeping philanthropy separate from the entertainment, 23-year-old Rodrigo incorporated it throughout the festival. The Daisy Chain Reaction philanthropy village gave visitors the opportunity to meet representatives from the organisations and learn more about their work, spanning reproductive health, maternal care, economic security, legal advocacy and gender equality.
Art was another central part of the experience. At the entrance, visitors encountered Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree, an interactive installation that invited festivalgoers to write their wishes on tags and attach them to its branches. The festival also featured work by the Guerrilla Girls and artist Jenny Holzer.
The music lineup reflected Rodrigo’s interest in connecting generations of women artists. Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Stevie Nicks, The Breeders and Santigold were among the performers, with Rodrigo closing the festival alongside a series of special guests.
The festival was inspired in part by Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, the groundbreaking touring festival she co-founded in 1997 to spotlight women in music at a time when female artists were often underrepresented on festival bills.
Lilith Fair went on to become one of the most successful touring festivals of its era, and its influence was evident in Rodrigo’s decision to build Daisy Chain Fields around an all-women lineup and a wider mission of solidarity. McLachlan, who was among the festival’s performers, joined Rodrigo onstage for ‘Building a Mystery’ and ‘Angel’.
All of the performers waived their fees, allowing more of the festival’s proceeds to go towards its charitable partners.
For Rodrigo, Daisy Chain Fields represents an expansion of her activism beyond the traditional concert stage. After one day, the festival had combined pop music, visual art and advocacy into a single platform, working to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide.