Electric Forest 2026 returns to Rothbury, Michigan from June 25 through June 28. Recently the organizers pulled the curtain back on the first wave of artists. What they revealed is not just a list of names. With one hundred artists revealed in a single swoop, the 2026 edition brings the type of diversity, color, and range that has become Electric Forest’s signature appeal.
What makes this festival special is never just the bookings alone. It is how each name plugging into the larger environment becomes part of the story.
This lineup continues that tradition with a blend of legends, innovators, fan favorites, and fresh talent at the edge of the next moment.
The headline reveal centers around massive draws like Illenium, Excision, Kaskade, Chris Lake, The String Cheese Incident, and a double dose of Griz, including a Chasing The Golden Hour set.
Then the festival added a never before seen set where DJ Diesel joins forces with T Pain for a bass fueled back to back that instantly became one of the most talked about moments of the entire announcement. This wave of artists represents the wide range of scenes that come together inside the Forest.
The Electric Forest 2026 announcement featured artists spanning everything from house and techno to bass, jam, indie, electronic soul, modern crossover, and global sounds that define the future. Every corner of the electronic spectrum found representation and depth.
The Core of the Electric Forest 2026 Lineup Reveals their Philosophy
Electric Forest does not simply program names for the sake of trends. The festival builds an emotional arc that harmonizes with the environment, the art installations, the people, and the unspoken language the Forest Family has shaped over more than a decade. This year, artists like Illenium, Excision, Griz, and Kaskade serve as pillars that ground the larger experience. Their sets always create moments that echo through the entire weekend, leaving fans talking about them long after they leave the Sherwood woods.
From there, the lineup stretches in new directions. Chris Lake returns with his unmistakable pulse. Purple Disco Machine promises grooves that will light up the dance floor. Ganja White Night brings their signature bass storytelling. Isoxo arrives with explosive new energy, ready to take over stages at a time when the next generation of trap and bass producers are rewriting rules. In every direction, the lineup feels curated rather than crowded.
Big Surprises and Even Bigger Moments on the Horizon
When Electric Forest announced the exclusive DJ Diesel back to back T Pain set, the internet practically melted. It is a combination nobody predicted. It is chaotic in the best way possible. It is fun. It is bold. And it speaks to the creative freedom that the festival embraces. This is the type of booking that becomes legendary before it even happens.
Other highlights include Bob Moses performing a club set, the return of LSDream, Madeon showcasing his signature magic, and Passion Pit bringing emotional color and nostalgia. The variety continues across new voices like Alleycvt, Levity, Frost Children, Midnight Generation, and Jackie Hollander. Jean Dawson adds a genre-defying perspective that blends alternative styles and rap-adjacent energy into something entirely new.
The festival also shines a spotlight on drum and bass which continues to grow in the United States. Heavy hitters like Andy C, Wilkinson, Ivy Lab, and MUZZ bring depth that fans have been asking for. This genre forward approach reflects the pulse of the culture while lifting international styles into the larger Forest ecosystem.
The Electric Forest 2026 Lineup Reflects Discovery and Evolution
Electric Forest has built a reputation for creating a world where every turn can lead to your new favorite artist. The festival welcomes rising names like Heyz, Nikita the Wicked, Magoo, Saint Ludo, and multiple emerging producers that highlight the next chapter of electronic music. This blend of established names, mid level talent, and fast rising creatives invites fans to explore instead of sticking to safe routines.
House fans will find Odd Mob, Devault, Ranger Trucco, The Sponges, and SIDEPIECE anchoring dance forward energy. Future leaning bass and movement heavy sets arrive from artists like Nitepunk, Ravenscoon, Mary Droppinz, Effin, and Sullivan King who fuses guitar driven rock enthusiasm with heavy electronic power. UK garage flavors come courtesy of MPH and Oppidan who continue to push the resurgence of that sound.
The lineup also reaches beyond dance into pop adjacent, indie, soul, and experimental artists. This includes Iniko, Inji, Night Tapes, River Tiber, Mild Minds, Sam Gellaitry, and Vandelux. Forrest veteran Dixons Violin returns with a performance that always feels like a spiritual anchor inside the woods. Each of these artists contributes to the larger narrative of exploration that defines the festival.
The Story Behind the Reveal Shows the Strength of the Electric Forest 2026 Community
One of the most heartwarming parts of the Electric Forest culture is how the lineup reveal has become a collaborative game between the organizers and the fans. Every year, playful clues start appearing across social channels. This year poems, riddles, visual hints, and audio fragments formed a multi step scavenger hunt that encouraged fans to decode the upcoming lineup.
Reddit threads flooded with theories. Group chats lit up with wild guesses and deep dives. Dedicated sleuths broke down every detail from radio stingers to forest imagery. The buildup reached its peak when EF Radio broadcast a curated program of songs from artists on the twenty twenty six lineup. Fans who listened closely cracked clues in real time. By the time the official announcement arrived, the community had already generated a level of anticipation that felt electric in its own right.
This shared excitement acts as an early spark for the Forest Family energy that will continue building until the gates open next June. Few festivals cultivate this level of interactive culture, and Electric Forest continues to turn its lineup announcement into a communal experience that fans cherish.
The Full A through Z Electric Forest 2026 Lineup
The lineup brings together a massive cross-section of electronic, bass, indie, jam, and genre-bending artists, creating a festival experience that feels intentionally diverse rather than one-note. On the electronic and dance side, the roster is stacked with global heavyweights and underground favorites alike. Chris Lake, Kaskade, Purple Disco Machine, Eli Brown, Sammy Virji, Sidepiece, Ship Wrek, D O D, Disco Lines, Odd Mob, Oppidan, and Mary Droppinz anchor the house and club-driven energy, while acts like SBTRKT performing a DJ set, Tourist, Sam Gellaitry, Madeon, Whethan, and Chris Luno bring melodic depth and emotional range to the dance floors.
Bass music fans are equally spoiled, with a lineup that spans melodic, experimental, and outright heavy. Excision, Illenium, Wooli, Kai Wachi, Sullivan King, Ganja White Night, Ravenscoon, LSDream, Sippy, Steller, Heyz, Effin, Ivy Lab, Isoxo, Nitepunk, Muzz, Riot, and DJ Diesel going back-to-back with T-Pain for a bass-driven set ensure relentless low-end pressure throughout the weekend. Special moments like Griz performing Chasing The Golden Hour add a soulful, feel-good counterbalance to the harder sets, while artists like Daily Bread, Vincent Antone, Motifv, Levity, and Probcause blur the lines between hip-hop, funk, and bass culture.
Beyond electronic music, the lineup leans heavily into live bands, indie, and alternative acts that expand the festival’s sonic identity. Passion Pit, Bob Moses performing a club set, Channel Tres, Jean Dawson, SBTRKT, Frost Children, Night Tapes, Mild Minds, Vandelux, The Flints, Midnight Generation, Rio Kosta, River Tiber, Snow Wife, Iniko, Inji, and Underscores bring indie, pop, R&B, and alternative flavors that keep the experience dynamic from start to finish. Artists like Bipolar Sunshine, Kaleena Zanders, Jackie Hollander, Wes Mills, and Hershe further round out the vocal-forward and genre-fluid side of the lineup.
Jam, psych, and experimental fans also get their moment, with acts like The String Cheese Incident, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Dogs In A Pile, Eggy, Shpongle performing live with Simon Posford, Saint Ludo, Bombargo, Couch, Saint Ludo, Dixon’s Violin, and Shima delivering immersive live performances. Meanwhile, eclectic and left-field artists such as Alleycvt, Bardo, Bricknasty, Cain Culto, Capochino, Lazswezo, LSD Clownsystem, Magoo, Nikita the Wicked, Ranger Trucco, Richard Finger, Starjunk ninety five, Stolen Gin, Supertaste, Swimming Paul, Wax Monkey, Wilkinson, and Avello ensure that discovery is baked into every stage and time slot. Taken as a whole, the Electric Forest 2026 lineup reads less like a single genre festival and more like a curated snapshot of where modern music culture is heading.
Get tickets to Electric Forest 2026 here!
