(The Momentary)Everything starts out small, and there’s a special kind of joy when artists you’ve seen perform for a few people reach the point where they can play for hundreds or thousands. As Northwest Arkansas grows, We’ll get to see this happen regularly. Larger entities in the area are looking at what grassroots and DIY collectives are making happen – and it’s informing venue curation and larger festivals like Momentous.
The Momentary’s upcoming festival is set for this weekend, and features a nice mix of established acts and local artists that have brought more attention to dance, rave, and electronic music and culture in the region.
This is a great time for anyone looking to see dozens of EDM acts in the same place, get acquainted with new favorites, or discover local artists like Classic Flow – who are making things happen here year-round.
For more information on the busy lineups, I talked to Laura Newell, associate programmer for music and festivals at The Momentary.
Hi Laura, you have a lot coming up with an expanded Momentous 2024. Before we get into everything going on, what are you looking forward to the most about this year’s festival?
This year’s Momentous and Official Momentous Pre-Party have amazing lineups of EDM artists on multiple stages, lots of electro-pop music, epic DJ sets, live instruments, plenty of food, retail, rave experiences – we’ll have it all!
Let’s talk about the pre-party on Friday, March 8. What do people buying the Pre-Party Ticket Bundle get?
Our Pre-Party bundle gets you access to even more EDM! For $96 General Admission, $83 for Members, and $73 for students, you’ll be able to start off the weekend with DJs like Dombrance and François K, plus you can attend the Momentous festival on Saturday, March 9.
The Saturday March 9 Main show is a great mix of established EDM acts and local artists – who are the headliners and local acts that you are especially excited to see?
We’re excited to see them all! The festival is headlined by EDM sensations Dirtwire and Mura Masa. The lineup also includes Acid Katz, A Hundred Drums, Balkan Bump, Canabliss, Flintwick, K+Lab, Sofia Kourtesis, and Trooko. In addition to the artists from across the globe, Momentous will also feature local artists, including Classic Flow and Trippy Hippy.
Besides music, what are the art installations for the festival? Where will they be located and how do they fit into the show?
Momentous will include performance art piece Relative Intensity Noise by guest curator Rin Peisert. Relative Intensity Noise fuses the elements of sound, movement, and live action art together to produce a powerful and communal, immersive and multisensory environment for all in a full body and mind experience. Festival Goers can catch Relative Intensity Noise in the galleries throughout the Momentary.
Rabbit Hole NWA has been popping up all over lately, and you have them at Momentous? What are the food and drink options?
Rabbit Hole NWA curated a special menu for Momentous! Here’s what’s on the food menu. Fried Chicken Sando, Fried Mushroom Sando, Crispy Rice Salad , Merguez Hotdogs, Delta Hot Tamales, Taiyaki (Japanese sweet waffle filled with custard). Rabbit Hole will also be serving drinks in our Container Club.What are the lesser known events at Momentous that you hope people see?
We hope people will enjoy our Container Club, a new password-protected bar hidden inside the Momentary’s galleries. Another cool DJ set people can catch is the set by Ben Frost. Ben will play in the galleries at the Momentary. He’s a groundbreaking composer and sound designer whose work is featured in the Momentary’s current exhibition on view, Enduring Amazon.
Will Momentous be an annual event? Will the success of the festival lead to more EDM and Dance music booking at The Momentary?
Electronic dance music has a big following in our area, so we’re really responding to what our community likes. Momentous is one of the only dedicated EDM festivals in Northwest Arkansas. The Momentary is constantly working to bring ALL genres of music to Bentonville. We just announced two EDM acts for our Live on the Green Concert Series this Summer. Kaskade and deadmau5 will perform on our Green. We also had a sold-out performance in December 2023 with EDM DJs ROSSY & Mija taking the stage in the RØDE House.
Where is the best place to view a map and schedule of events?
Visit our website for a full schedule of events and more information about the artists and other offerings at Momentous.
