Winter Music Conference is back, and its 36th edition is shaping up to be one of the most expansive in the event’s storied history. Running Tuesday, March 24 through Thursday, March 26, 2026 at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel in Downtown Miami, WMC has unveiled its Second Wave of Programming — and the additions are substantial. New artist speakers, fresh panel topics, fully revealed pool party lineups, and a brand-new networking mixer are among the highlights, building on a first wave that already set a strong foundation for what promises to be a landmark year for the world’s longest-running electronic music conference.
Three Days Poolside with Beatport Live
One of the most anticipated elements of WMC 2026 is its official three-day pool party series, produced in partnership with Beatport Live and hosted on the EPIC Hotel’s pool deck overlooking Biscayne Bay. With sound provided by L-Acoustics and additional support from AlphaTheta and FEVER, the series pairs celebrated labels with carefully chosen lineups that reflect the breadth of contemporary house and techno culture.
Tuesday, March 24 kicks things off with an opening party curated by Mood Child, the imprint co-helmed by Sirus Hood and Manda Moor. The showcase brings together DJ Sneak, Manda Moor, Sirus Hood, Jean Pierre, and Ms. Mada for a night rooted in underground house. Wednesday, March 25 shifts the focus to Rekids and its 20th anniversary — a milestone celebrated with a lineup that reads like a who’s who of the genre’s most respected figures: Danny Tenaglia, Radio Slave b2b DJ Minx, Doc Martin b2b Tal Fussman, and Anja Schneider b2b William Kiss. Thursday, March 26 closes the series with a collaborative showcase from Hot Creations — the label founded by Jamie Jones and Lee Foss — alongside Three Six Zero Recordings, with the full lineup set to be announced in the coming weeks. Pool party access is included with the WMC Pro Badge, and limited individual tickets are available through DICE.
Worth highlighting separately is the technology powering the sound across all three days. L-Acoustics DJ is a first-of-its-kind spatial audio system built specifically for DJ performance. Using machine learning, it separates audio in real time into individual components — drums, bass, vocals, and more — and routes them through a multi-channel spatial mix engine, allowing DJs to create three-dimensional sound that moves throughout a venue. DJs can either select a preset and let the system manage spatial movement or take full manual control over each element. The system works with any existing DJ setup without disrupting workflow, and WMC 2026 will feature dedicated pool deck showcases and demos for attendees to experience it firsthand.
Speakers, Panels, and Workshops
WMC 2026 continues to develop its two-track programming format — WMC // INDUSTRY and WMC // CREATORS — designed to serve everyone from label executives and platform founders to independent producers and emerging artists. The Second Wave brings a significant expansion to the speaker roster, adding a strong mix of artist voices and industry heavyweights.
On the artist side, Sara Landry, Radio Slave, DJ Minx, Junior Sanchez, Arielle Free, Lizzy Jane, OOKAY, Alleycvt, Sippy, Sandflower Dyson, and Eli from Soulclap are among the newly confirmed participants. They’ll be joined by a wide range of industry leaders representing companies and organizations including SoundCloud, StubHub, Palm Tree Records, Ultra Records, Dirtybird, Bandsintown, mau5trap, SoundOn at TikTok, Interscope, Helix Records, HE.SHE.THEY, and the Bye Bye Plastic Foundation, among others. These new additions join a previously announced group of speakers from Beatport, Create Music Group, The Circuit Group, Prodigy Artists, L-Acoustics, and the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM), making for one of the most well-rounded conference lineups WMC has assembled in recent memory.
Panel discussions will dig into some of the most pressing conversations in electronic music right now — AI’s influence on creativity and copyright, the future of spatial audio, sustainability in club culture, fan ownership and monetization models, cross-cultural collaboration, and the shifting dynamics of the global touring landscape. Alongside the panels, WMC’s workshop track continues to grow with two newly added sessions: a SoundOn powered by TikTok workshop, and “Zen and the Art of DJing: Balancing Craft and Creativity,” a hands-on session featuring Sydney Blu, Junior Sanchez, and Doc Martin.
Getting Connected: The A&R Lounge and New Networking Mixer
For artists looking to get their music in front of the right people, WMC 2026 offers two dedicated opportunities. The A&R Pop-Up Lounge, presented in partnership with Label Radar, brings together a curated group of respected dance music imprints — Balance Music, Brobot Records, Create Music Group (whose roster includes mau5trap, Monstercat, !K7, and Cr2 Records), Dirtybird, Dirty Workz, Experts Only, Spinnin’ Records, and Ultra Records — in a direct-access setting where badge holders can schedule time slots, hand over USB demos, and make genuine connections with label representatives.
New for 2026 is the SoundOn at TikTok Presents – Indie Label and Industry Mixer, a structured tabletop networking session introduced specifically to bridge the gap between emerging artists and key players across the independent music ecosystem. The format is deliberately conversational rather than formal — think face-to-face meetings with label executives, digital distribution professionals, and WMC brand partners, with space to share demos, talk creative direction, and explore release strategy in a relaxed, collaborative environment. The goal is straightforward: real relationships, built in real time.
WMC 2026 takes place March 24–26 at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel in Downtown Miami.
