Union Park in Chicago This Labor Day Weekend
September 4 – 7, 2026
General Ticket On Sale – Friday, March 13 at 12PM CT
Chicago’s premier house and techno celebration is about to get bigger. ARC Music Festival has revealed its 2026 lineup and a major upgrade: the event is expanding to four full days, running Labor Day Weekend from September 4th through the 7th. Organized by Auris Presents, the city’s dominant force in large-scale events, ARC has grown into something far beyond a festival — it’s become a global pilgrimage for lovers of electronic music, rooted firmly in the city that gave house music to the world.
That connection to Chicago isn’t just marketing. House music was born here, forged in the underground on a foundation of joy, radical inclusivity, and community. ARC exists as both a celebration and a continuation of that legacy, a space where the genre’s elders, contemporaries, and next generation all share the same dancefloor. And in 2026, that dancefloor is going to be bigger and louder than ever before.
The decision to expand wasn’t taken lightly. As ARC Co-Founder and Lead Talent Buyer John Curley put it, the festival has always struggled with one enviable problem — too much talent and too little time. “Just as we hit our stride, the weekend is over, and we never want the music to stop,” he explained. The fourth day isn’t just extra programming; according to Curley, it signals the beginning of an entirely new era for the festival.
The 2026 lineup is nothing short of staggering. Anyma brings his futuristic sonic architecture to the top of the bill, joined by legendary electronic act Underworld, whose influence on the genre stretches back decades. Global crowd favorite Michael Bibi, Chicago dance icon Honey Dijon, and hard techno’s reigning high priestess Sara Landry round out the headlining tier with remarkable range. Further down the bill, the energy only builds — Brazilian powerhouse Mochakk, the meteoric Mau P, drum and bass stalwarts Chase & Status, and the globe-spanning pairing of Vintage Culture back-to-back with Damian Lazarus all promise to be unmissable moments.
One of ARC’s most beloved traditions is its carefully curated back-to-back sets, and 2026 delivers some genuinely thrilling combinations. Detroit Love — the coalition of Carl Craig, Moodymann, and Stacey Pullen — represents one of electronic music’s most storied cities showing up in full force. Chicago’s own The Blessed Madonna goes back-to-back with Lil’ Louis in what promises to be a deeply nostalgic and electric pairing. Green Velvet teams up with Josh Baker, while Tiga links with Brunello for a veteran-meets-new-school collision.
The contemporary house music contingent is equally strong. British tech-house hitmaker Cloonee, Brazilian rhythm driver Beltran, and rave revivalists Prospa are all on the bill, joined by Ben Sterling back-to-back with Dennis Cruz, MEDUZA back-to-back with GENESI, and the newly formed AFTER MIDNIGHT — the collaborative alias of Matroda and San Pacho. Walker & Royce paired with VNSSA, veteran Chicago house producer Mike Dunn, local acid and dark dance riser Azzecca, bass house talent Odd Mob, and exciting new pairings Max Dean back-to-back with Luke Dean and Omar+ back-to-back with Obskür all add further depth to what is already an extraordinary slate.
For those who like their music harder and darker, ARC hasn’t forgotten you. Nicole Moudaber, Paco Osuna, and Dubfire converge in a three-way back-to-back set that alone is worth the price of admission. French powerhouse Nico Moreno, the enigmatic I Hate Models, and Italian hard techno duo 999999999 bring serious edge to the proceedings. Deep house devotees will find their fix through vinyl purists Héctor Oaks back-to-back with Quest, Amsterdam tastemaker KI/KI, Berlin’s DAX J performing live, and the melodic pairings of Kevin de Vries with Chris Avantgarde and Korolova with Kasia.
ARC also continues to serve as a launchpad for artists pushing the sound into entirely new directions. Nia Archives back-to-back with X CLUB. and DJ Heartstring back-to-back with BAUGRUPPE90 represent the underground’s restless forward momentum, while DJ Gigola paired with Skin On Skin and high-energy experimentalist MCR-T bring genuine unpredictability to the weekend. Latin-rooted duo INVT, jazz-flavored deep house act Chaos in the CBD, and the high-BPM euphoria of salute round out a lineup with something for virtually every corner of the electronic music world.
The festival’s four-stage setup returns with fresh energy. The massive Grid, the sun-drenched tree-lined Expansions, and the raw, concrete-edged Area 909 all make their comeback — and joining them for the first time is an entirely new stage called The Midway. Named in tribute to Chicago’s historic Midway Plaisance, with nods to Midway International Airport and the architectural heritage of the original Midway Gardens, the new stage is designed to evoke the feeling of an international terminal, celebrating house music’s journey from Chicago’s underground clubs to dancefloors across the entire globe.
Beyond the main festival grounds, ARC After Dark returns for five consecutive nights, running Thursday through Monday — with a full Monday night slate added thanks to the expanded format. The afterparty series has always been a beast of its own: in 2025, it stretched across 13 venues, 35 parties, and featured more than 120 artists. In 2026, expect that same intensity, with festival artists appearing alongside special guests, surprise sets, exclusive back-to-backs, artist aliases, and label takeovers. ARC After Dark remains available exclusively to ARC pass holders, making those wristbands more valuable than ever.
4-Day, 3-Day, and Single Day passes go on sale on Friday, March 13 at 12PM CT at arcmusicfestival.com.
ARC Music Festival 2026 Lineup (A-Z)
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Adrián Mills B2B Fumi B2B Serafina
AFTER MIDNIGHT (Matroda x San Pacho)
Anna B2B Traumer
Anyma
Azzecca
Bad Boombox B2B mischluft
Banchan
Beltran
Biscits
The Blessed Madonna B2B Lil’ Louis
???? ????? B2B Hiroko Yamamura
Brutalismus 3000
bullet tooth
Bushbaby
camoufly
canary yellow
Carl Craig
Carlita B2B WhoMadeWho
Chaos In The CBD
Chase & Status
Chris Avantgarde B2B Kevin de Vries
Chris Stussy
Cloonee
Colette
Dabura B2B Anna Maria
DAX J live
Dayhota
Dennis Cruz B2B Ben Sterling
Derrick Carter
Discip B2B Roddy Lima
DJ Gigola B2B Skin On Skin
DJ HEARTSTRING B2B BAUGRIPPE90
DJ Heather
DJ Hyperactive B2B Lindsey Herbert
DJ Lady D
Dunes of Dawn
Eli & Fur B2B Cristoph
Flores Negras
Frechette
Green Velvet B2B Josh Baker
Héctor Oaks B2B Quest
Honey Dijon
Hotpretty
IDEMI
I Hate Models
INVT
Jamback B2B Marsolo
JJ Illgen B2B Janesita
Josh Baker
Joy Orbison B2B Ben UFO
KI/KI
Kirk
KLOUD
Korolova B2B Kasia
Laurence Guy B2B Monty Kiddo
Live From Earth (Stage Takeover)
Locklead B2B Sally C
LuSiD
Luuk Van Dijk B2B Sidney Charles
M3RCH
Madeline
Mau P
Max Dean B2B Luke Dean
MCR-T
MEDUZA B2B GENESI
MICHAEL BIBI
Mike Dunn
MOCHAKK
Moodymann
Muffy
Nia Archives B2B X CLUB.
Nick C
Nico Moreno
Nicole Moudaber B2B Paco Osuna B2B Dubfire
Notre Dame
Odd Mob
OGUZ
Omar+ B2B Obskür
OOGIE B2B PHIVES
Pegassi
pluko DJ Set
Prospa
Rika B
r00bies4ever
salute
Sam Alfred B2B Club Angel
Sara Landry presents ETERNALISM
Silva Bumpa
Silvie Loto B2B KinAhau
Son of Son
Stacey Pullen
Swimming Paul
Tiga B2B Brunello
Très Mortimer B2B Cole Knight
Underworld
Vintage Culture B2B Damian Lazarus
Virago
Walker & Royce B2B VNSSA
Will Clarke
ZULAN
10cust
