Breakaway Haunted Fest 2026 returns across six US cities for Halloween weekend with presale now live ahead of April 14 ticket onsale

Breakaway today announced the return of Haunted Fest for 2026, with the Halloween weekend event series set to take place across six US markets, including first-time stops in Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC. Presale registration is now open, with general on sale scheduled for April 14 at 10 AM ET. Breakaway Haunted Fest 2026 expands its multi-city approach with events confirmed across Columbus, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Cincinnati, St. Petersburg, and Atlanta, continuing its focus on bringing electronic music events to both core and emerging markets during one of the busiest weekends of the year.

A Multi-City Format That Continues to Expand

The rollout of Breakaway Haunted Fest 2026 stands out because it takes place across multiple US cities during the same weekend, keeping the concept consistent while allowing each location to operate on its own terms. Instead of focusing on one destination, the series moves across key markets, giving fans access without needing to travel.

For 2026, that structure becomes clearer when looking at how each stop is arranged. One-night events take place in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Charleston, while Cincinnati, St. Petersburg, and Atlanta host two-night runs across October 30 and 31. The venues also point to how each city is approached, from outdoor locations like KEMBA Live! Outdoor and Stage AE Outdoor to larger spaces such as Piedmont Park and St. Pete Pier, where extended schedules and higher capacity come into play. This split between single-night and multi-day formats allows each market to operate at a scale that fits its crowd, keeping the experience consistent without forcing the same setup everywhere.

Halloween Weekend Still Drives Demand

The timing of Haunted Fest continues to play a major role in how the series performs across the US, with Halloween weekend already carrying strong demand for nightlife and electronic music events. Placing the event within that window means the audience is already there, which supports turnout across multiple cities at the same time.

Past editions give a clearer sense of how that demand translates into the overall experience across different locations. Artists such as Disclosure, Rezz, CRANKDAT, and Levity have appeared on previous lineups, showing a mix of established names and newer acts without relying on a single headline booking to carry the weekend. That balance allows each stop to appeal to a wide audience while still introducing new artists into the rotation, which becomes more important as the series expands into additional markets and maintains consistency across all six cities.

Expansion Into New Markets and What Comes Next

The addition of Atlanta and Charleston marks a shift in how Breakaway Haunted Fest 2026 continues to grow, with both cities bringing different audience profiles into the series. Atlanta already has a strong presence within the electronic music space, while Charleston gives the event an entry point into a market that has not been part of the larger Halloween festival circuit in the same way, which adds more range to the overall rollout.

With lineups still to be announced, attention now shifts toward how each city will be curated and whether the artist selection will follow a shared structure or vary across locations. Based on previous editions and the wider Breakaway schedule, each stop is likely to include a mix of established electronic acts and newer names, keeping the direction consistent while still adapting to local audiences. For now, the focus remains on access, with Haunted Fest 2026 tickets tied to a presale registration phase ahead of the April 14 general on sale, where demand typically builds quickly, especially for cities hosting two-night runs and venues with limited capacity. More details and presale access are available through the official Haunted Fest 2026 page, where updates are expected as the rollout continues.

Spotify Data Reveals 2010s EDM Dominates Coachella 2026 Playlists, with tracks like “Clarity” and “Lean On” leading fan-curated selections

Spotify’s latest data, based on more than 340,000 user-generated Coachella playlists ahead of the 2026 festival, shows how listeners are preparing for the weekend in a way that goes beyond the current lineup. Instead of focusing only on artists set to play this year, fans are adding tracks that were central to the festival’s earlier years, especially from the early and mid-2010s. Songs like Latch by Disclosure and Sam Smith, Lean On by Major Lazer, MØ, and DJ Snake, Clarity by Zedd and Foxes, and Drop The Game by Flume and Chet Faker appear consistently across these playlists. Even without most of these names appearing on the 2026 lineup, their music is still part of how people are getting into the festival mindset, linking the current edition back to a period many still associate with Coachella’s peak years.

The 2010s Tracks Fans Still Add to Coachella Playlists Before the Festival

Looking at the songs turning up most often in these Coachella playlists ahead of 2026, the pattern points back to a short but important period from 2012 to 2015, when electronic music stopped being limited to club crowds and started reaching a much wider audience. Latch by Disclosure and Sam Smith dropped in 2012 and took time to grow, first breaking through in the UK before later becoming a sleeper hit in the United States. That longer climb matters here. It was not a song that flashed and disappeared after one season. It stayed in people’s playlists, on radio, and in DJ selections long enough to become attached to that era in a lasting way. Billboard later described it as Disclosure’s breakthrough single, which helps explain why it still shows up when listeners put together festival playlists now.

@coachella 2016 ➡️ 2026 @Disclosure ♬ original sound – coachella

Clarity by Zedd and Foxes, also released in 2012, played a different role in that period because it reached both pop audiences and dance audiences at the same time. It was not just a festival favorite. It also won Best Dance Recording at the 56th GRAMMY Awards, which gave it a level of recognition few EDM tracks from that period received in the mainstream. Then in 2015, Lean On by Major Lazer, MØ, and DJ Snake pushed that crossover even further. By November that year, Billboard reported that it had become Spotify’s most-streamed song of all time, showing how strongly it connected across streaming, radio, and festival culture all at once. When listeners add those records to Coachella playlists now, they are not pulling from a random nostalgia pile. They are picking songs that marked major turning points in how electronic music reached the public.

@zedd Let’s do it again @coachella ♬ Clarity – Zedd

Drop The Game by Flume and Chet Faker, released on November 18, 2013, adds another side of that story. Unlike Clarity or Lean On, it was not driven by the same global pop exposure, but it still became one of the defining electronic releases to come out of Australia during that period. It reached No. 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart, went Platinum in Australia, and placed at No. 5 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2013. That matters because it shows this playlist trend is not only about the biggest crossover hits. Listeners are also going back to records that carried a different mood and reflected how broad the scene had become by the middle of the decade. Put together, these four tracks map out a period when electronic music was expanding in several directions at once, which is exactly why they still make sense in Coachella 2026 playlists now.

Fans Mix 2010s EDM with Current Headliners in Coachella Playlists

Looking beyond the track selections, the artist data from Spotify shows how listeners are placing different eras of Coachella side by side in the same playlists ahead of 2026. Alongside songs like Clarity or Lean On, the most added names include Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and Billie Eilish, artists who have held headline or closing positions at the festival in recent years. Their presence next to early 2010s EDM records is not accidental. It reflects how listeners combine tracks from an earlier EDM-focused period with artists who now represent the current direction of Coachella.

That combination links back to how the festival itself has shifted over time. During the early 2010s, electronic acts such as Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, and Avicii were regularly scheduled in major evening slots, with tracks like Clarity or Lean On appearing across multiple sets in the same weekend. In more recent editions, those same time slots are more often occupied by artists like The Weeknd or Billie Eilish, whose performances draw different audiences and change how the night unfolds across stages. When listeners include these artists in the same playlist, they are not separating past and present, they are arranging them in a way that reflects how they understand the festival across different years.

The way listeners approach these playlists ahead of Coachella 2026 also reflects how preparation for the festival now extends beyond simply following a lineup. With Spotify’s collaborative playlists, groups attending together can add tracks into a shared list before the weekend, which often leads to a mix that includes both 2010s EDM and current artists without one replacing the other. At the same time, prompt-based playlists give users a starting point tied directly to the lineup, using requests such as creating a playlist focused on artists they already follow alongside new names they plan to see. These features do not determine what listeners choose, but they make it easier to combine past listening habits with current plans, which helps explain why tracks like Clarity or Lean On continue to appear alongside artists performing at Coachella today.

This pattern across Spotify playlists ahead of Coachella 2026 points to something more specific than nostalgia. The continued presence of 2010s EDM is tied to how listeners remember the festival at a time when electronic music held a central role across major stages, while the inclusion of current headliners reflects how the event has expanded in recent years. When both appear in the same playlist, it is not a contrast for the sake of it, it is a way of bringing those two periods into one listening experience. As fans prepare for Coachella, these playlists become less about following a lineup and more about reconnecting with the tracks and artists they associate with the festival, which explains why songs from the 2010s continue to sit alongside today’s biggest names.

Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights 2026 Phase One lineup includes CloZee, Tape B, LP Giobbi and more for a July weekend in the California Redwoods

There are festivals, and then there are festivals that feel like a secret the scene keeps to itself. Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights has always been the latter — tucked into the Redwoods of Northern California along the Eel River, it runs on a different logic than most events its size. Community over spectacle. Discovery over familiarity. 2026 is no different.

Phase One Takes Shape

The first wave of names covers a lot of ground without losing focus. CloZee and Tape B lead the charge — two artists who operate at the intersection of bass, world music, and club culture with enough crossover appeal to anchor any main stage, but enough credibility to feel at home in the woods. Justin Martin, a Dirtybird original, brings history with him. LP Giobbi continues her run as one of the most consistent live presences in American dance music right now. GoldFish add a live dimension that few acts can match, and Ivy Lab‘s placement signals the festival isn’t staying in one lane sonically.

The deeper cuts are where it gets interesting. Todd Edwards — the New Jersey pioneer whose fingerprints are all over UK garage and French house — being on this lineup says something about the curation ethos. Will Clarke, Sacha Robotti, Gene Farris, J.Phlip, Life on Planets, and Kaleena Zanders round out a first phase that rewards people who actually pay attention to the scene. Also on the bill: Bruno Furlan, Daniel Allan, DJ Susan, Flowdan, Mindchatter, Nitepunk, Born Dirty, Christian Martin, and many more. 50+ artists are still to be announced.

The Setting Does the Work

Cook’s Valley Campground sits near the Humboldt/Mendocino County line, about 190 miles north of San Francisco. Multiple stages — Main, River, Bird Bath, Grove, Bunker — each pull a different crowd and a different energy across the weekend of July 17–19. The river is part of the experience. The Redwoods are part of the experience. This is a music festival in the Redwoods that doesn’t need to manufacture atmosphere; the location handles that.

For those who want a warm-up, CloZee and Tape B play a Road to Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights show at Napa Valley Ruins on May 30, worth noting if you’re in the Bay.

Tickets

Passes are available now at northernnights.org. GA and VIP options are live, though some camping configurations have already sold out. If you’re on the fence, history suggests this sells through before the full lineup is even out.

Stay Connected with Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights

Follow Northern Nights: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | SoundCloud

Follow Dirtybird: Instagram

Get Tickets Here