Same Same But Different returned to the sandy shores of Lake Perris for another sun-soaked weekend that perfectly blended beach vibes, left-field bookings, and a tight-knit festival family. Set against a backdrop of lake views, colorful campgrounds, and art-filled pathways, SSBD 2025 once again embraced its signature “water-meets-dancefloor” energy — a celebration of peace, love, and pure SoCal sunshine.
From sunrise yoga to late-night bass sessions, the three-day festival experience reminded everyone why this boutique festival has become a Southern California favorite. Between the floating inflatables, barefoot dancing, and spontaneous moments of connection, Same Same But Different felt less like an event and more like a collective exhale — a weekend built on rhythm, community, and freedom.
Same Same But Different Festival 2025 Recap
Day 0
I definitely want to acknowledge how smooth and accessible the entry into the campgrounds and festival were. The employees were welcoming, friendly, and prompt. Smiles upon smiles every single day entering and exiting the campgrounds were much appreciated and kept spirits at an all time high.
For campers, the festival grounds opened up Thursday night starting with a takeover from Good Society (Instagram @goodsocietyla) to get the party started! By giving the campers the option to set up early, this allowed all of us to get the entire three day experience from Friday-Sunday and take in every moment with ease. Good Society hosted a multitude of bass artists like A Hundred Drums, PHRVA, Lumasi, and a killer b3b from Roto, Moceans, and Dvnk, to name a few that set off the weekend just right.
Day 1
We woke up and headed straight for Coconut Cove, (which served as a flow/movement focused area) starting with a community feel good groovy yoga sesh around 9am that felt like the best way to gather around, get some stretching in to prepare your body for what’s to follow, and make friends that you’ll likely spend time with the next few days– followed by an hour of breath work to set good intentions for the weekend.
For all of the flow artists, they had classes on acrobatics, acroyoga, hula-hooping, and sound baths for the next few hours so we could all spend some time in the sunshine, only steps away from the lake so you could take a dip in the water whenever you needed refreshment! Classes were offered for every level, novice to pro, so if you ever thought about getting into any of these arts, this is a great place to start as everyone is encouraging each other’s talents and welcoming to teach newcomers.
Day 1 music highlights –
KNOW GOOD is the product of two kindred spirits by both blood and bass. Cousins Tanner and Sylas Morgan are the latest in a family legacy of musicians, crafting a genre-defying sound that’s as dark and dynamic as it is unexpected. Their music pulses with low frequencies woven through pop, rock, and rap elements. Since joining forces in 2020, KNOW GOOD has created a fresh sound and their live performances blend the intensity of a DJ set with the richness of live instrumentation, incorporating drums, guitar, violin, and vocals.
Bass and Babes Takeover
Babes and Bass took over the bass stage throughout night one. The collective had multiple DJ’s that had some of the best music of the night while providing live entertainment like dancers, aerial artists, and the main attraction for any of the flow artists who dance using props like hooping, juggling, spinning, and more. It was the place to be if you wanted to stop and appreciate all of the attending flow artists who showcased their many talents.
To close out the night, Dr. Fresch, long known for his diversity through genres like house, techno, tech-house, and bass, brought his best bass face energy as he’s been performing more bass friendly sets in the recent festivals he’s headlined. Read the room, right? He knew exactly what to do and how to move the crowd as he channeled all of our bass faces with this performance.
Day 2
We started with a nice brisk morning kayak and paddleboarding session, took a dip in the lake, swam around, and chatted with everyone about our favorite moments of night 1. Then we decided to check out the Creation Station. On the lineup, we noticed there were classes for mosaic workshops, body painting, “grooves and doodles,” live painting tutorials, and professionals showcasing their personal pieces for us all to admire. A lot of these pieces were commission based as well, so if there was a piece that stood out to you, you could support these artists and take home some memorabilia.
At Same Same But Different, the community directors really focus on the idea of togetherness, so there were also a couple workshops that stood out to me– “A Guide To Being Human,” open-mic poetry, journaling, and expressive workshops to further connect us as community and
leave internally better than we came, spiritually and emotionally. This goes so much further than just a festival, these are teachings that make an impact on not only those around us, but how we can impact the generations to come.
Day 2 music highlights –
You may have heard of Boogie T. as a dub/bass artist, but he has been working on a project called Boogie T.rio, joined by Frank ‘Animal Drums’ Castro on drums and Andriu ‘Yano’ Yanovski on keyboard and synth bass– mixing reggae vibes with bass heavy beats felt like a breath of fresh air during sunset into the night. Their sound is a hybrid: funk, rock, live instrumentation (guitar, keys, drums), psychedelic/swampy vibes, with roots in dubstep and bass music.
LSZEE (LSDREAM + CloZee) delivered the perfect trippy bass set we’d highly anticipated as they were listed as the main headlines of day 2. People came to flow dance, filled with acoustic sounds, wobbly bass, and euphoric sounds that blended together seamlessly, they came, and they conquered… flawless execution.
Day 3
I have to give an honorable mention to the “BUT County Fair” – one of our favorite installations come Sunday that had us giggling and entertained all day long! Recreating the classic vibe of a state or county fair, BUT County was the place to be– corn shucking and corn on the cob eating
contests, bearded ladies, bluegrass and string bands, and circus performers. All of these activities were open to attendees to participate and encourage a little friendly competition, haha! They even had a Ms. But County, where anyone, and I mean ANYONE can compete!
Day 3 music highlights –
Surprise guests?! Crankdat made an appearance during Alleycvt’s dubstep and riddim heavy set, which was one of our personal favorites through the weekend. Alleycvt, being a somewhat newer DJ to the scene, had everyone hyped, kicking high knees, and dancing to what felt like the high voltage energy we were waiting for all weekend. As a bass heavy festival, this riddim set opening for Zeds Dead, was exactly what we needed to increase the energy.
Then… the moment I’ve been waiting for– Zeds Dead, blessing up with an appearance amidst their “Return To The Spectrum Of Intergalactic Happiness” tour, to close out the weekend as headliners that mixed deep, crowd-pleasing bangers with surprise sounds aside from their new album, knowing this crowd was specifically a little more WONKY — a picture perfect end to the weekend.
Something we want to acknowledge is that the main acts were split between two alternating stages — meaning zero overlap and zero FOMO. Attendees caught every set without missing a beat, keeping the energy and community united all weekend long, and the crowd stayed together through the festival so the community felt connected.
The atmosphere was pure festival family.
Days felt laid-back — attendees floating in the lake on inflatables — while nights pulsed with unity under art canopies and bass vibrations. SSBD remains one of those rare all-ages events where even solo attendees leave with lifelong friends. Respect and good vibes were the unspoken dress code.
