CORE Los Angeles Enriches LA's Dance/Electronic Events Circuit [Review]

What happens when two of the world’s largest dance/electronic event promoters collaborate in Los Angeles? The US debut of CORE – one of dance music’s most unique events of the year, both in the LA circuit and stateside.

Presented in partnership with Insomniac, CORE unfolded with a striking sense of intimacy despite drawing 30,000 attendees to LA State Historic Park from May 2-3 – so much so that it almost felt underrated. Though rare among the many festivals that have set up shop at the 32-acre urban site adjacent to Chinatown – from Zedd in the Park to earlier editions of HARD Summer – this atmosphere isn’t foreign to CORE, which evolved from a Tomorrowland stage into a standalone event series rooted in nature, connection, and meticulously curated house and techno.

Since launching as a traveling experience at Zamna Tulum in 2023, CORE has grown slowly but steadily beyond its home base in Boom, Belgium, where it remains one of the integral stages of Tomorrowland's flagship festival. Following installments in Medellín in 2024 and 2025, CORE also headed north to Alpe d’Huez, France, for Tomorrowland Winter before winding its way to Itu for Tomorrowland Brasil. The spinoff’s 2026 tour builds on its rapidly expanding global footprint through its third edition in Medellín, its US debut in LA, and its first-ever installment in Australia later this fall, representing a massive step forward for the series already slated to return to LA in 2027. 

While the venue for CORE LA’s sequel is still to be announced, LA State Historic Park proved a natural fit for its debut, seamlessly accommodating 26 artists across three stages and thousands of fans with ample room to spare, even during its most-anticipated sets. In addition to easing navigability, the venue’s spaciousness helped shape the airy, laidback atmosphere that has long defined the CORE stage and its standalone event series.

Programming unfolded across three stages – CORE (mainstage), Mano, and Origo – that brought the series’ signature earthy, sculptural production to life through organic textures that contrasted with LA’s industrial skyline. Standing nearly 56 feet high and 100 feet wide, CORE’s eponymous stage elevated the spectacle with nature-inspired maximalism, including 14 water fountains, 14 water geysers, 22 bubble smoke machines, and 45 fog machines. 

Still, CORE’s greatest strength may have been its lineup – a cross-section of global house and techno talent that further enriched LA’s already-thriving scene. In addition to hosting high-profile acts like Four Tet, Eric Prydz, and ARTBAT, the event welcomed several artists who play in Southern California and the US less frequently than many of their peers, including Dixon, Nina Kraviz, Malugi, EMILIJA, and Oscar and the Wolf. 

In a dance/electronic events circuit as developed, diverse, and diffuse as LA’s, producing a festival that feels fresh and functions well in the city’s landscape is a challenge. Together, Insomniac and Tomorrowland delivered on the ambitious vision set for CORE’s US debut with a fluidity uncommon for first-time large-scale events, though not unexpected from two of the scene’s most prominent promoters. As their second collaboration in the US following last summer’s UNITY residency at Sphere, CORE LA reflects the distinct dimension Insomniac and Tomorrowland bring to the American dance/electronic market, setting appropriately high expectations for its encore.

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