We Are Never Moving on from Movin’ On 2026

After Penn State’s Met Gala (VALLEY Launch), Movin’ On brought Coachella to State College (sans the cost and desert heat) for their annual music festival. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of all the artists, outfits and activities from Friday!

Tourin’ Stateside

This year’s lineup sparked a lot of online attention due to Zara Larsson’s recent rise in popularity with the “Symphony” dolphin meme and her album “Midnight Sun.” Although she has been playing at a few college festivals, including Yale and the University of Delaware, the announcement still shocked Penn State students.

Many fans of the artists in the lineup posted about traveling to go to the free festival as it was open to anyone 18 or older with a valid government ID, sparking online discussion between Penn State students and concert-lovers about how open to the public Movin’ On should be.

Artists and Activities

In celebration of the release of her new album “Girls Trip,” Zara’s record label set up a beachy Midnight Sun Pop-Up tent for fans to take pictures and get spray tans. The new album features collaborative remixes of her songs from her album “Midnight Sun” with different female artists like PinkPantheress, Tyla and Shakira. 

After winning Movin’ On’s “Battle,” Amelia and Sequoia kicked off the festival with their set, featuring their original songs. The Student Programming Association (SPA) brought activities like face paint and hair tinsel along with the iconic Coachella-esque Ferris wheel. Most importantly, they brought Slayyyter.

Known for her 2019 hit, “Daddy AF,” which was featured in “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and “Anora,” the up-and-coming hyper-pop princess opened her set with “DANCE…” from her latest album “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.” 

A group of festival-goers in the front donned white fluffy bunny ears, emulating Slayyter’s iconic look from her different music videos like “CRANK” and “$T. LOSER.” Her set included visuals from the movie “Uptown Girls” for her song “BRITTANY MURPHY.”

Despite the rain, the crowd danced and cheered for her closer “BEAT UP CHANEL$.” Anyone who didn’t know Slayyyter before her performance definitely went home, opened Spotify and CRANKED her music.

As the night started to cool down, That Mexican OT brought the heat with his set. After a slow country-like acapella opening, the bass boosted in for an energetic performance. Along with his own songs, including “Need That,” the Texas-based rapper played “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus.

As the sun finally set, the stage was set up for The Dare’s performance. Initially appearing more like a backstage look, the stage was crowded with many different light setups that could flood a stadium.

A few fans of The Dare braved the muddy IM Fields with suits. He played songs from his latest album “What’s Wrong With New York?” including “Perfume.” Before closing out with his viral hit “Girls,” The Dare played “Guess” by Charli xcx, which he produced for her deluxe “BRAT” album. 

A Never-ending Midnight Sun

Zara Larsson performed at the perfect time for students to power through finals and kick off summer. The energy didn’t slow down after she opened with “Midnight Sun.” The set list included all her hits like “Never Forget You,” “Ain’t My Fault” and of course, “Lush Life.”

For “Lush Life,” Larsson brought up a fan named Sean who was painted blue (to match the dolphins in her tour imagery) to dance with her. Larsson spray-painted a white t-shirt for him that says “We Are Penn State” at his request.

Although many fans ended up covering their sparkly outfits with ponchos, the massive crowd of students and other attendees proved that Penn State’s passion for live music is weatherproof. 

Larsson closed out her set with “Symphony,” the song that started it all with her iconic rebrand. The crowd sang their hearts out before trekking home across the swampy field. 

Did you attend Movin’ On? Who was your favorite act? Let us know (and send us all your pics!) @VALLEYMag on Instagram or X!

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