Bentonville festival combines music, art and technology

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A new music festival is coming to Bentonville Friday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 25, and it’s promising to change the status quo.

Organizers say the FORMAT festival is about breaking away from the norm, so its combining live music with art and technology.

One example of this concept is an art installment called ‘Nova Heat’, where you enter through porta potties and walk through artwork to get to the stage. Another includes what’s called ‘The Cube’, a multi-level, 4D music experience.

Art is woven throughout each of the many places to listen to music and most of it is being built on-site.

If you are heading to the FORMAT Festival make sure to take a look at the free shuttle rides and transportation offered by the festival since parking is not allowed on the grounds. Another thing to note is what you can and can’t bring inside, which you can find more information on that here.

FORMAT organizers are also taking a look at safety around the weekend’s events and say to locate a member of the security team or festival staff if you need any assistance or see anything that concerns you while there. On-site security and emergency medical staff will be available at the festival.

FORFAMT’s producer, Elizabeth Edelman, said when choosing the festival’s location they were inspired by how welcoming the people of Northwest Arkansas were to the idea.

“Our intention with the show is to democratize art and bring it outside of the traditional spaces that you will see in galleries or museums, and we felt that there was already a strong belief in that here in Northwest Arkansas,” said Edelman.

The festival is bringing in big name performers, but is aiming to keep its focus on local musicians and vendors as well. You can take a look at the weekend’s lineup here.

Edelman said they hope the festival is here to stay and that over time it’ll be something Northwest Arkansans feel proud to have here in their backyard.