BENTONVILLE, Ark. — FORMAT Festival returns to Bentonville for the second year in a row with plenty of new things for visitors to check out!
Friday Kicks off a three day and night festival featuring a wide array of music, technology, and art. According to their website, the event sees a “diverse range of local and globally renowned international musicians and artists, alongside emerging talent and a myriad of special performances and surprise acts.”
FORMAT Festival had previously been hosted at Sugar Creek, but in late June, officials announced a move to the Momentary and Crystal Bridges. Executive producer Elizabeth Edelman explained that it was moved due to production challenges that didn't allow them to produce the event at the level they wanted to.
“So our partners had a great idea about relocating here to the momentary,” Edelman said. “The Momentary, and Crystal Bridges have been partners of ours since day one. And it worked really well because the core ethos and vision for this festival was to merge art and music. And so we're in the perfect place to do that, and we're really excited to be a bit more accessible to everyone in the community who wants to come and check it out, and for those visiting from all over the world.”
The Momentary Green is home to the Live on the Green Series, Freshgrass Bentonville and Momentous. It's one of the many spaces being used for the festival. The land also connects the Momentary to another conveniently located destination used for the festival.
“We get to have things like the Eighth Street Market, which are right near here, to be able to offer a really incredible selection of different food and beverage. We have local vendors that are participating in our bizarre bazaar, which is our marketplace here. And yeah, just a lot of really interesting things for people to explore,” Edelman said.
“We have stages outside the museum, and we have art installations outside, but we're also using the incredible space within the museum. We have things going on in the Roadhouse and Fermentation Hall where the bizarre bazaar is taking place. On the other side of the museum just here and we have some big venues coming back that were there last year. We have dragged me into the disco in the barn, which is right behind me, as well as next door and a few others,” she added.
The move to the Momentary and Crystal Bridges also has moved the festival to a more central part of Bentonville, making it accessible for festival goers.
“We're committed to having a safe and smooth transition for anyone that's trying to come. There's two park and ride locations, one in downtown Fayetteville, one in Lowell. And then we have a parking lot. That's about 12 minutes from here that you can walk to site or take a shuttle. And then we have an amazing bike valet. So we encourage people to bike, to walk, to ride here,” Edelman explained.
Edelman encourages people to get out to the festival and experience as much as possible with tickets still available for the weekend. “We're looking for a curious audience, one that might come out here because they see a certain name on the lineup, but walk away from the weekend having experienced something really different and unique,” she said.
For anyone interested in checking it out, you can visit their website for maps, tickets, or more information on the festival.
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