✓ Ended

Unison Festival 2026

Music, workshop and ceremony festival on the Animas River at Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, New Mexico, held September 10–14, 2026

📅 September 10–14, 2026📍 Aztec, New Mexico, United States🏟 Tico Time River Resort🎵 Electronic · Bass · Downtempo
This edition has ended. Unison Festival 2026 took place on September 10–14, 2026, at Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, New Mexico. The 2027 dates have not been announced yet; the official site has email and text sign-ups for festival updates.
This edition has ended
September 10–14, 2026
📅
Date
September 10–14, 2026
📍
Location
Aztec, New Mexico, United States
⛺
Camping
Yes
💰
Price
$$
👥
Size
Boutique
🎵
Genre
Electronic

What is Unison Festival 2026?

Unison Festival is a music, workshop and ceremony gathering at Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, New Mexico, on the Animas River about 20 minutes south of Durango, Colorado. The 2026 edition ran from Thursday, September 10 to Monday, September 14. Gates opened at 2 pm on Thursday, the opening ceremony and land acknowledgement began at 5 pm that evening, music and festivities ran from Thursday through Sunday night, and the closing ceremony took place at 10 am on Monday. The festival's lineup archive goes back to 2021, and its first rule asks everyone to treat each other with Peace, Love, Unity, Respect and Responsibility (PLURR).

The official 2026 lineup named 70 artists across five music areas: the Main Stage, the Pavilion Dance Temple, the Beach Stage, the Salamander Stage and the Sacred Fire. The Polish Ambassador closed the Main Stage on Saturday and Mike Love on Sunday, with Skysia, Yaima, SOOHAN, COFRESI, High Step Society and Liquid Bloom also on the Main Stage. Late nights belonged to the Pavilion Dance Temple, with sets from Swomp, Lowcation and CØNTRA, and to the Beach Stage, where the Saturday-night schedule closed with a 7–8 am sunrise set by Lighthawk.

Music was only part of the program. Each morning from Friday to Sunday opened with a cacao ceremony at the Pavilion Dance Temple, followed by ecstatic dance. Workshop zones included the Xanadu Yoga Shala, the Women's Village, the Sacred Masculine Lodge, the Rainbow Lightning Kid's Village and the Permaculture Guild, and the festival also had live painters, performance artists, a nightly tea lounge, a daily open mic at the Salamander Stage and a Sanctuary tent for peer support. The venue itself covers 74 acres of riverside land with ponds, beaches and water slides, and paddleboards, tubes and kayaks were free to use.

Artists & Performers

  • The Polish AmbassadorMain Stage · Saturday
  • Mike LoveMain Stage · Sunday
  • SkysiaMain Stage · Friday
  • YaimaMain Stage · Sunday
  • DJ Taz RashidMain Stage · Sunday
  • Danny Musengo (Gone Gone Beyond)Main Stage · Sunday; Songwriters In the Round · Saturday
  • Liquid BloomMain Stage · Friday; sound healing at Xanadu Yoga Shala · Saturday
  • CØNTRAPavilion Dance Temple · Saturday
  • High Step SocietyMain Stage · Saturday
  • COFRESIMain Stage · Friday
  • Paul IzakMain Stage · Sunday; Sacred Fire · Saturday
  • Scott NiceMain Stage · Saturday
  • SOOHANMain Stage · Friday
  • Living LightBeach Stage · Sunday
  • RoniitPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday
  • LVDYSacred Fire · Friday
  • LowcationPavilion Dance Temple · Saturday
  • SwompPavilion Dance Temple · Saturday
  • Def-IMain Stage · Saturday
  • KiyoshiSalamander Stage · Saturday
  • Temple Step ProjectPavilion Dance Temple · Friday (Ecstatic Dance)
  • Elias AlexanderMain Stage · Saturday
  • IyakuhMain Stage · Friday; sound healing at Xanadu Yoga Shala · Sunday
  • BioMigrantMain Stage · Friday
  • Ryan HerrPavilion Dance Temple · Sunday (Ecstatic Dance)
  • The Emmitt SistersSalamander Stage · Saturday
  • Bonnie MedicineSacred Fire · Thursday & Sunday
  • Toy BoxPavilion Dance Temple · Saturday
  • Entangled MindPavilion Dance Temple · Friday
  • SerpentisPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday
  • Share The LightBeach Stage · Saturday
  • DTOBeach Stage · Saturday
  • MayestraSalamander Stage · Saturday; Songwriters In the Round · Saturday
  • MoondropPavilion Dance Temple · Friday
  • CALAGNABeach Stage · Saturday
  • StöikPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday
  • Spaceship EarthBeach Stage · Sunday
  • Soleil FayeSalamander Stage · Friday
  • Johnny BuffaloPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday (DJ set)
  • Blank BSalamander Stage · Friday
  • NizhóníBeach Stage · Friday
  • Bless!tBeach Stage · Friday
  • AvataraPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday
  • LisonthedrumsBeach Stage · Friday
  • DeladyPavilion Dance Temple · Saturday (Ecstatic Dance)
  • Amaruka SolSalamander Stage · Sunday
  • MirajaBeach Stage · Sunday
  • REDFOOTBeach Stage · Saturday
  • Sara ToneSalamander Stage · Friday; Songwriters In the Round · Saturday
  • CodeStarPavilion Dance Temple · Thursday
  • Salamander CollectiveSalamander Stage · Friday; Salamander Collective Jam · Saturday
  • AlkemizerBeach Stage · Sunday
  • EMPRESSPavilion Dance Temple · Friday
  • Boundless FrequenciesBeach Stage · Saturday
  • Danny BalgooyenBeach Stage · Friday
  • SILKWORMBeach Stage · Saturday
  • B47ANCEBeach Stage · Saturday
  • Liquid GoldBeach Stage · Saturday
  • Truth's PlayhouseSalamander Stage · Sunday
  • DJ LoO HoOBeach Stage · Friday
  • mzTreeBeach Stage · Sunday
  • TUFABeach Stage · Saturday
  • SeventhDensityBeach Stage · Saturday
  • LighthawkBeach Stage · Saturday (sunrise set)
  • Joshua BearBeach Stage · Friday
  • The FrizBeach Stage · Friday
  • EnchantmentBeach Stage · Saturday
  • SunsiahSacred Fire · Thursday
  • DobaraeBeach Stage · Friday
  • Sisters of the One DrumMain Stage · Friday

Festival Essentials

📅
2026 DatesThursday, September 10 to Monday, September 14, 2026. Gates opened at 2 pm Thursday, and everyone had to be on the road by 2 pm Monday.
📍
VenueTico Time River Resort, 20 Road 2050, Aztec, New Mexico, on the Animas River off US Hwy 550
👨‍👩‍👧
Age RuleFamily-friendly, with children and teens welcome. In 2026, kids 12 and under needed a discounted child ticket and ages 13 to 17 a discounted teen ticket; children had to be supervised at all times.
⛺
CampingYes. The 2026 4-Day GA pass included walk-in camping, with a free gear shuttle from GA parking. The ticket shop also listed car camping, RV/Crew Camp sites, glamping, tiny homes and a Sober Camp.
🎶
StagesMain Stage, Pavilion Dance Temple, Beach Stage, Salamander Stage and the Sacred Fire, plus sound healings at the Xanadu Yoga Shala
🧘
Beyond the MusicMorning cacao ceremonies, daily ecstatic dance, yoga, workshops, a kids' village, live art, swimming and paddleboarding
🗓️
SchedulesThe music and workshop schedules were published on the official site, and the festival said printed schedules would be posted at each activity zone.
🔜
Next EditionThe 2027 dates have not been announced yet. The official site has email and text sign-ups for updates.

Travel & Planning Guide

Tico Time River Resort sits at 20 Road 2050 in Aztec, New Mexico, off US Hwy 550 on the Animas River; the festival describes it as about 20 minutes south of Durango, Colorado. For anyone flying in, the festival points to Durango Airport (DRO), which it says is only 20 minutes from the venue, and it calls Uber a great way to get to the site. For carpools, the festival sends people to its Facebook group, "Unison Fam", which has a pinned carpooling thread.

In 2026 every vehicle needed a parking, car camping or RV pass, and the festival asked attendees to carpool. GA campers walked in to the Magical Forest camping area, about a 15-minute walk from GA parking, and a free shuttle carried camping gear only (wagons were not provided, but you could bring your own). Camp spots were first come, first served, and there was no way to save a car camping spot for friends: cars had to arrive together, unless the crew booked an RV/Crew Camp site, where multiple cars could arrive at different times.

Timing mattered. In 2026 the festival told attendees not to arrive before gates opened at 2 pm Thursday or outside box office hours (Thursday 2 pm to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday 10 am to 8 pm), and to sign the Tico Time waiver in advance to avoid a 30 to 60 minute wait at the gate. Check the official site for 2027 arrival details once they are announced.

What to Know Before You Go

🌦️
Pack for Sun, Heat and Monsoon Rain

The festival's own forecast for September on the Animas River: sunny days in the high 80s to low 90s and nights around 60. It is high desert, so it warned of intense sun, thunderstorms and high winds, told attendees to plan for rain with a rain jacket and a waterproof tent, and ran rain or shine.

🚫
Know the Agreements

No dogs or pets (only ADA service animals; emotional support animals do not count), no glass on what the festival calls a barefoot beach, no fireworks, no weapons and no renegade sound systems. Camping areas were quiet zones from 11 pm to 9 am, and in 2026 a fire ban meant no fires or fire spinning by attendees; propane stoves were OK.

🛟
Bring Life Jackets for Kids

There are no lifeguards at Tico Time. Paddleboards, tubes and kayaks were free to use on the ponds, first come, first served, but not in the river. The festival says the river is usually mellow in September but can change after rain in the mountains.

💧
Bring Bottles and Big Jugs

All water spigots on site are potable city water, and the Salamander, Pavilion and Main Stages had filters. Bring your own bottle and large jugs for camp. Ice, coffee and snacks were sold at the Tico Café next to the Salamander Stage, and the festival told attendees to bring a card or cash for the food trucks and vendors.

💛
Know Where to Find Help

In 2026 First Aid was in the shack on the western (highway) side of the bridge, and the Sanctuary tent for peer support and integration was behind the Main Stage near the river. Sanctuary is free and open to every attendee, whether or not you are in crisis.

🍃
Come in Clarity

The festival encourages everyone to show up in clarity and sobriety. Alcohol stays at your campsite, not in the concert bowl, food court or performance areas, and the 2026 ticket shop offered a Sober Camp, a drug- and alcohol-free area with open recovery meetings.

Frequently Asked Questions

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