Book More Women Calls Out Gender Inequity On Festival Lineups, Launches New Action-Focused Chapter

Book More Women

In 2025, female and nonbinary representation on major U.S. festival lineups was the lowest it’s been since 2021. Book More Women is calling out talent buyers.

Since its launch in 2018, the nonprofit arts service organization has wielded social media to shed light on widespread gender inequity in festival lineups. As music fans come face-to-face with the group’s lineup posts on social media—famously edited to include only acts with female and nonbinary members—the gap becomes impossible to ignore.

According to Book More Women’s 2025 Progress Report, acts with women or nonbinary members comprised just over 37% of the lineups at nine of last year’s biggest U.S. festivals. Decreasing for the second consecutive year, it’s the lowest percentage of women and nonbinary acts seen on major festival lineups in the last four years. 

Count all 2,038 musicians person-by-person, and less than 22% of the performers booked at last year’s major U.S. multi-genre festivals were women. Across all 42 festivals analyzed, 18% of musicians booked were women and 1% were nonbinary.

That’s why Book More Women is moving from awareness to action. A week before the start of Women’s History Month, founder Abbey Carbonneau announced the group’s relaunch as a fiscally sponsored project of the nonprofit tech company Fractured Atlas, allowing Book More Women to collect donations to further its mission and launch new programs that effect real change.

Read on to see the gender diversity data for your favorite festivals, and how Book More Women is making a difference.

Dance Music Lags Behind

Gender inequity in music isn’t limited to a particular genre or scene. But U.S. electronic festivals consistently fall behind the pace compared to multi-genre events. 

Though there are leaders in the space, like Project GLOW and Lightning in a Bottle, no other dance-specific festival for which Book More Women data is available has booked a lineup with more than 30% women or non-binary artists in the last three years.

Accountability

Some festivals are partnering directly with Book More Women to ensure they reach gender diversity goals on future lineups through the organization’s “BOOKED” Accountability Program. 

Events such as Lightning in a Bottle and Boise’s Treefort Music Fest have become 2026 partners for change and are working with Book More Women to set measurable goals and track progress toward increasing their representation of women and nonbinary musicians in 2027.

The next chapter

Now operating as a fiscally sponsored project of the nonprofit tech company Fractured Atlas, Book More Women is moving from awareness to action in 2026. 

The new designation allows the organization to collect donations to further its mission, and support projects such as the festival partnership program, a podcast “exploring industry systems, power, and access in music, original research on representation in festivals, and educational resources and workshops.

Book More Women’s first crowdfunding round ends tomorrow. To find more data or donate, visit bookmorewomen.com.

The Data

2026 Festivals So Far, According to Book More Women Data
Data is only publicly available for certain festivals.

FestivalLocation% Women & Nonbinary Artists
All Things GoToronto, ON77.3%
HinterlandSaint Charles, IA65.4%
Lightning in a BottleBuena Vista Lake, CA35.9%
LollapaloozaChicago, IL31.7%
Governors BallNew York, NY30.3%
CoachellaIndio, CA27.3%
BonnarooManchester, TN19.8%
StagecoachIndio, CA13%
VELDToronto, ON12.3%

2025 Festivals, According to Book More Women Data
Data is only publicly available for certain festivals.

FestivalLocation% Women & Nonbinary Artists
Lightning in a BottleBuena Vista Lake, CA43.9%
HinterlandSaint Charles, IA41.2%
Project GLOWWashington, D.C.31.1%
Governors BallNew York, NY31%
OsheagaMontreal, QC29.8%
Outside LandsSan Francisco, CA27.7%
LollapaloozaChicago, IL27%
CoachellaIndio, CA25.3%
Austin City LimitsAustin, TX24.5%
StagecoachIndio, CA21.9%
Ubbi DubbiDallas-Ft. Worth, TX21.2%
BottlerockNapa, CA20.8%
EDC Las VegasLas Vegas, NV18.9%
EscapadeOttawa, ON18.8%
BonnarooManchester, TN18.6%
UltraMiami, FL14.4%
WonderfrontSan Diego, CA14%
BeachLifeRedondo Beach, CA12.2%
Lost In DreamsLos Angeles, CA10.8%
Rolling LoudLos Angeles, CA10.4%
SLANDER pres. StarbaseLake Perris, CA6.5%
Vans Warped Tour D.C.Washington, D.C.5.5%
When We Were YoungLas Vegas, NV3.5%

2024 Festivals, According to Book More Women Data
Data is only publicly available for certain festivals.

FestivalLocation% Women & Nonbinary Artists
All Things GoToronto, ON90.9%
Capitol Hill Block PartySeattle, WA47.1%
Lightning in a BottleBuena Vista Lake, CA39.8%
HinterlandSaint Charles, IA38.9%
OsheagaMontreal, QC36.1%
HangoutGulf Shores, AL33.8%
LollapaloozaChicago, IL31.3%
BumbershootSeattle, WA30%
Austin City LimitsAustin, TX28.5%
Outside LandsSan Francisco, CA28.3%
Bass CoastMeritt, BC28.2%
Governors BallNew York, NY27.4%
FVDED in the ParkSurrey, BC25.8%
BottlerockNapa, CA22.8%
StagecoachIndio, CA22.1%
Project GLOWWashington, D.C.21.5%
Ubbi DubbiDallas-Ft. Worth, TX20.8%
BonnarooManchester, TN19.3%
HARD SummerLos Angeles, CA18.3%
EDC Las VegasLas Vegas, NV18.3%
Beyond Wonderland SoCalSan Bernardino, CA16.3%
EDC OrlandoOrlando, FL15.4%
CRSSDSan Diego, CA15.3%
Electric ForestRothbury, MI14.9%
North CoastBridgeview, IL14.9%
HulaweenLive Oak, FL14.2%
Lost In DreamsLos Angeles, CA13.2%
BeachLifeRedondo Beach, CA12.3%
Solshine ReverieChillicothe, IL8.6%
EscapadeOttawa, ON8.3%
WonderfrontSan Diego, CA7.4%
VELDToronto, ON1.7%

All data according to Book More Women.

Featured image courtesy: Lollapalooza. Credit: Taylor Regulski.

Author