Lorde, Turnstile and a $1,000 Ticket: Inside FORM Arcosanti’s High-Stakes 2026 Return
The 2,000-capacity indie festival happens this weekend (Oct. 9-11) in the Arizona desert. "For it to continue, it has to be on another level,” says founder Zach Tetreault.
Two years ago, heat waves plagued the FORM Arcosanti festival, with temperatures soaring to 108 degrees during its inaugural weekend in October. Founding organizer Zach Tetreault described the conditions as "really, really hard," noting the festival's remote location in the Sonoran Desert required significant water resources and led to numerous medical emergencies due to dehydration.
Despite the challenges, FORM continued to attract notable artists like PinkPantheress, Thundercat, James Blake, Skrillex, and Four Tet. The festival's return in 2024, after a hiatus since 2019, came with heightened expectations and a more ambitious lineup, including Lorde, Geese, Turnstile, and others. This year, Tetreault has doubled ticket prices to $1,000 to sustain the festival's operations, facing criticism from long-time attendees who argue that the price increase makes the event inaccessible.
Despite these challenges, the festival's organizers are optimistic about FORM 2026, citing improvements in food and beverage offerings, expanded water refill stations, and the introduction of car camping, all aimed at enhancing the overall experience.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
