Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Connecticut College’s annual spring music festival returns May 2, with a stacked lineup of national and local acts.
The air on Temple Green carried more than just the warmth of an unusually sunny April 15. Students sprawled across the lawn, buzzing with speculation: hints had been circulating for days that Floralia’s headliner would be a female pop star, and at 6 p.m., the Student Activities Council made it official via Instagram. This year’s headliner is Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Daya.
The Pittsburgh-area native, born Grace Martine Tandon, broke onto the scene in 2015 with her self-titled debut EP and the fan-favorite single “Hide Away.” But it was her feature on The Chainsmokers’ smash “Don’t Let Me Down” that made her a household name, the collaboration earned a Diamond certification from the RIAA and a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. Known for her blend of dance-pop, soulful R&B, and electronic-leaning production, Daya channels pure emotion into alternately anthemic and intimate genre-breaking bangers, having evolved both artistically and personally over nearly a decade of releases.
The announcement comes as Daya is actively on tour. Her Til Every Petal Drops Tour kicked off April 18, making stops in Nashville, Chicago, Columbus, Toronto, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C. The tour supports her sophomore album ‘Til Every Petal Drops, released October 10, her first full-length record in nine years, which she has described as her most personal project to date, exploring endurance, devotion, and the desperation to hold onto fleeting relationships. Conn students can expect a set steeped in that emotional range, from the euphoric highs of her electronic collaborations to the more introspective textures of her newer work.
Student reaction on Instagram was, to put it charitably, mixed. The comments section became a microcosm of generational pop culture: a Simpsons “Who is that?” meme sat alongside defenders of the pick declaring “2026 is the new 2016 confirmed”, a nod to Daya’s commercial peak during that era. Whether you had “Hide Away” on repeat in middle school or are discovering her now, the set promises to be a moment.
Daya won’t be carrying the day alone. The full Floralia lineup is one of the more eclectic in recent memory, spanning hip-hop, indie pop, Latin music, rock, and everything in between.
Philadelphia rapper and singer Armani White, whose 2022 viral single “Billie Eilish” peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a remix featuring Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, and N.O.R.E., is among the supporting acts. The track’s TikTok explosion led to a Def Jam Recordings deal and one of the more memorable festival moments of recent years, when Billie Eilish herself brought White onstage at Osheaga in Montreal to perform the song bearing her name.
Also on the bill is Nep, the 23-year-old indie-pop songwriter who splits her time between Los Angeles and Daytona, and has been building a cult following through sharp, confessional lyrics and winking self-awareness. Her debut album Noelle, released last fall, weaves together indie pop, alt-rock, and folk across 12 tracks rooted in heartbreak, late nights, and a nostalgia straight out of a coming-of-age film. Think diary entries set to fuzzy guitar, the kind of music that sounds like it was written specifically about your situationship.
Nashville-born singer-songwriter and bassist Carmen Dianne rounds out the national lineup with her brand of roots-forward songwriting, while FM Collective brings their bilingual Latin sound to the festival stage.
Then, there’s what might be Floralia’s most delightfully unexpected booking: Connecticut College’s own Chris Colbath, Ph.D., Director of the Academic Resource Center, will be taking the stage as bassist for the band Caracara. The band, whose sound has been described as heavy, crushing, and transcendent in equal measure, offers proof that Conn’s faculty harbors more than office hours.
Rounding out an already full day: local band Autobody; student group Briza Azul, who perform bilingual covers and originals; The Venture, featuring Sophia Wulsin ‘26, guitarist Philip Chau, and Anna Moore; Conn’s own Adrian Mata ‘26; the 400 Blue Grass Unit; and Big Time Gush!, returning to the Floralia stage following their widely celebrated performance at Wig and Candle’s Halloween Rocky Horror drag show.
Floralia takes place Saturday, May 2, 2026. There is a mandatory information meeting on Wednesday, April 29th, where general admission bracelets will be distributed along with essential safety information. No one will be admitted to Floralia without a bracelet, so mark your calendars, get to that meeting, and get ready for a day of music.
