a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology
a three day & night festival for music Art Technology

the experience

2023 Venues

Two traditional stages anchor the festival alongside a series of unconventional settings, designed in collaboration with some of the most exciting visual artists and architects working today.

Drag Me To The Disco
A barn transformed into a disco madhouse of discovery, inclusivity and play by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari's TOILETPAPER Magazine. From daily disco get-downs, world live music, vinyl funk sets, and a drag host, this will be a place to feast your eyes.
Next Door / Nova Heat
A multi-roomed full immersive installation and structure created by New York based artists Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe. Enter the dystopian reality of this duos universe via a secret entrance. The most intimate venue onsite, it will include a mix of honky tonk jam bands and local acts. When you find this speakeasy, it will be hard to leave…
Bizarre Bazaar
The Bizarre Bazaar will be a maze of uniquely curated retail, food, and beverage vendors. A space for discovery and curiosity, ranging from performance stands, limited edition artist collaborations, unusual workshops, quirky concept shops, strange and wonderful objects and collectibles, local vendors and pop-ups and festival merch. Our aim is also to make the Bizarre Bazaar a platform for local artisanal artists and food vendors alike.
The RØDE House
A new take on The Cube from 2022, this state-of-the-art live music and performance space sits within the Momentary and will host a series of experimental sonic programming. Presented alongside the revolutionary audio system d&b Soundscape, this venue will be home to an eclectic mix of local and international talent.
Fermentation Hall
This unique black-box theater inside the Momentary will house our rotating video art program including works by Ragnar Kjartansson, Jon Rafman and Jeremy Deller. Decked with the revolutionary audio system d&b Soundscape, get ready to immerse yourself in this special venue that is named in honor of the museum’s cheese factory heritage.

2023 Art Experiences

We bring renowned artists from all over the globe to create unique art experiences. Learn more about the artists confirmed for this year below or check out our 2022 Art Experiences.

Guerrilla Girls
The anonymous artist-activist group will present a new large-scale installation, The Art of Behaving Badly, exposing gender and ethnic bias and corruption in art, film, politics, and pop culture, including their iconic, interactive wall work the Guerrilla Girls' Complaints Department.
JR's Inside Out Project
JR's Inside Out Project
JR is a French artist who has the largest art gallery in the world by exhibiting freely in the streets. Using his own artistic practice as inspiration, JR created the Inside Out Project - a participatory art platform that helps communities worldwide make a statement by displaying large-scale black and white portraits in public spaces. The Inside Out Photobooth will be at the festival, inviting everyone to take their portrait and see it pasted in a large mural that will come to life throughout the weekend.
Ragnar Kjartansson x The National
180 Studios presents ‘A Lot of Sorrow’ (2013-14), a video work by contemporary Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and American rock band The National, on view in the Fermentation Hall. The band is found playing their song Sorrow repeatedly for six hours at MoMA PS1.
Jon Rafman
180 Studios presents ‘Minor Daemon’ (2022), a new film of a computer-generated fever-dream universe by Canadian artist and filmmaker Jon Rafman, on view in the Fermentation Hall.
Jeremy Deller
The Modern Institute presents two video works by British conceptual artist Jeremy Deller on display in the Fermentation Hall. ‘Everybody in the Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984-1992’ (2018) revisits the socio-political history of the ‘Second Summer of Love’, taking us through rare and unseen archive footage as he illustrates his telling of the cultural movement. Deller and Nick Abraham’s 2006 documentary, ‘Our Hobby is Depeche Mode’ tells a story of resolute faith and devoted fandom; a bizarre, funny, sad and often touching reflection on how people intimately embrace and appropriate pop culture in their own lives.
Danielle Hatch
Local Arkansas artist Danielle Hatch will transform and dress FORMAT’s onsite bars using colorful textiles that reference domestic interiors. In collaboration with composer Amos Cochran, Hatch will present ALL THE SOARINGS OF MY MIND BEGIN IN MY BLOOD, a performance piece that ritualizes and reconnects audiences to the physical and psychological journeys of female ancestors.
ISTANBUL'74 FLAGS FOR FUTURE
Taking inspiration from the unifying power of art, Istanbul’74 brings to FORMAT: ‘Flags for Future’ - a sustainable art project launched featuring 28 limited-edition artist flags made from upcycled plastic waste, meant as a canvas for unity, collective thought and artistic expression.
Esrawe + Cadena
Los Trompos
Design firm Esrawe + Cadena’s ‘Los Trompos’ is a seating installation that functions as both artwork and rotating platform, each sculpture acting as a gathering place for relaxation, social interaction and entertainment.
Atelier Sisu
Award winning Sydney-based Atelier Sisu is led by Peruvian sculptor and industrial designer Renzo B. Larriviere and architectural designer and artist Zara Pasfield. ‘Evanescent’ is a larger-than-life bubble artwork standing at nearly 30 feet tall, inviting viewers to walk through the structures which are iridescent in the daylight and illuminated in darkness.
Assume Vivid Astro Focus
Alias behind the collective made up of Eli Subrack and Christope Hamaide-Pierson - return to FORMAT with their adult playground of sorts - providing an interactive oasis of colors and shapes that encourages the audience towards playfulness, respite, and inclusivity.
Marinella Senatore
‘We Rise By Lifting Others, Dance First Think Later’, 2022
The eye-catching light sculpture by multidisciplinary artist Marinella Senatore, ‘We Rise By Lifting Others’ will be returning to FORMAT this year. Her work explores community engagement and breaking free from social constructs, whilst exploring a dialogue between history and popular culture.
TOILETPAPER MAGAZINE
A barn transformed into a disco madhouse of discovery, inclusivity and play by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari's TOILETPAPER Magazine. From daily disco get-downs, world live music, vinyl funk sets, and a drag host, this will be a place to feast your eyes.
JONAH FREEMAN & JUSTIN LOWE
A multi-roomed full immersive installation and structure created by New York based artists Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe. Enter the dystopian reality of this duos universe via a secret entrance. The most intimate venue onsite, it will include a mix of honky tonk jam bands and local acts. When you find this speakeasy, it will be hard to leave...
Zach Springer
The Wheelway
Congrats to Zach Springer for being selected to design the 2023 FORMAT Festival Gateway! "The Wheelway" intertwines our community's love for biking, creativity, and technology, creating a memorable and inviting first touchpoint for festival attendees. The blend of interactive kinetic design, engaging light installation, and meaningful tribute to our local biking culture ensures an unforgettable introduction to FORMAT Festival 2023.

2023 partners