Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Olivia Rodrigo featured in 'Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,' a story of the all-female music fest
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LOS ANGELES — In ABC News Studios’ latest documentary feature, “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story,” uncover the history of the groundbreaking all-female-led music festival, Lilith Fair.

Founded by Sarah McLachlan, Lilith Fair took place between the summers of 1997 and 1999, featuring some of the biggest artists of the time.

“Promoters said, ‘You can’t put two women on the same bill, people won’t come.’ That’s complete bullsh*t, and it put a huge fire under my butt to prove them wrong,” McLachlan explains in the trailer.

Featuring artists who performed at the festival, like Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Paula Cole, Jewel, Ma, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls and Emmylou Harris, the documentary also highlights a new generation of artists, including Olivia Rodrigo and Brandi Carlile.

“I was in disbelief that I’d never heard of it before,” says Rodrigo about the festival.

Along with interviews with artists, fans and festival organizers, “Lilith Fair” draws from more than 600 hours of never-before-seen archival footage, celebrating the festival’s impact, while confronting the backlash that tried to diminish it.

In an interview with the Associated Press, McLachlan shared her sentiments about Lilith Fair’s impact.

Sarah McLachlan opens up about Lilith Fair, the groundbreaking music festival that paved the way for female musicians decades down the line in “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story.”

“And now I look at, you know, artists like Brandi Carlile who are constantly championing women, Taylor Swift, having women open up for her (like) Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius and having, you know, like- There’s all these bands that, you know, are working together and supporting other women. I love that, and I feel like, you know, maybe we had a small, small hand in that,” she said.

“Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story” begins streaming September 21 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

It is inspired by the 2019 article “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair” from Vanity Fair and Epic Magazine, written by Jessica Hopper with Sasha Geffen and Jenn Pelly. It’s directed by Ally Pankiw and produced by Dan Levy’s Not A Real Production Company and Elevation Pictures for ABC News Studios.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News Studios, Hulu, Disney+ and this ABC station.

Copyright © 2025 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.

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