LADYLAND 2025: UNDER THE BRIDGE AND INTO THE BEAT

July 5, 2025

10:23 am

LADYLAND 2025: UNDER THE BRIDGE AND INTO THE BEAT

Words / Phil Gomez
Polaroids / Rory Alvarez

The moment we stepped foot under the K Bridge in Brooklyn and heard Alex Chapman’s set echoing through the concrete jungle, we knew LADY LAND 2025 was already serving. A warm breeze, a beat you could feel in your chest, and that distinct, indescribable sense that something is about to happen.

The walk from the entrance to the festival grounds is always a bit nostalgic there’s something about that slow reveal of sound and style that brings back all the residual feelings from my younger festival days. That perfect mix of anticipation, and neon lights in the air.

We kicked things off the right way with a LADYGUNN fave Armana Khan on deck, spinning a set that felt like the perfect pregame potion. We met up with some friends, grabbed our beverages, and hit the ground. The crowd… GORGEOUS. Like, editorial levels of beauty and self-expression everywhere you turned.

Following the glittery herd, we were pulled into the orbit of Hercules & Love Affair’s DJ set and that’s when the magic hit: Ladyfag herself emerged, a force in full head to toe LUAR, face beat to the gods and presence turned all the way up. We tried to snap a Polaroid, but her energy was so strong the camera malfunctioned before she sashayed off into the night like a queer mirage. Iconic.

Eventually, we found our way back to The Fist Stage, where UNIIQU3 was in full command. Her set was pure adrenaline, a sweaty, sexy, pulse raising warm-up for the headliner of the night the one and only Cardi B. And let me tell you, she did not disappoint. Cardi had us screaming, and throwing it back all at once. First day was great, Cardi B def set the energy for the rest of the festival.

Day two was my favorite. Mainly because we got to have a little kiki with Pabllo Vittar in their trailer before they hit the stage. Even more beautiful in person (I don’t know how that’s possible, but here we are). I asked her which other queer, trans, Latina artists she’d love to see on future Lady Land lineups. Without missing a beat, she said,

“Urias! She’s my friend from Brazil, so dope. She’s amazing.”

We even took a moment to manifest more Lady Gaga collabs and how she’s on the hunt for love! Pabllo gave us one of the best performances of the entire weekend—hands down.

Another standout moment? Running into another favorite multitalented NYC freak Cheeky, looking beyond iconic in a full-on Lady Liberty ensemble, a true Statue of Liberation. The fashion that night was especially elevated, but how could it not be with a lineup like Eartheater, Isabella Lovestory, and FKA twigs. Before her highly anticipated closing set LadyFag passionately read Zoe Leonard‘s 1992 poem to the crowd;

“I want a dyke for president. I want a person

with aids for president and I want a fag for

vice president and I want someone with no

health insurance and I want someone who grew

up in a place where the earth is so saturated

with toxic waste that they didn’t have a

choice about getting leukemia…”

Closing out the weekend with a hauntingly beautiful, soul-stirring performance by FKA that left us breathless. We danced, we cried, we felt and in that moment, it was Pride in its purest form.

When I asked our beauty editor Rory Alvarez what was his favorite moment of the weekend,

“Pabllo Vittar, TWIGGS, and micro skirts everywhere.”

So with that, thank you for another unforgettable PRIDE homecoming. Already counting down till next year!