The Up in the Sky Music Festival lineup for August 2026 was announced on March 3, and its second-year program is a departure from the first.
In 2025, electronic trio Rüfüs Du Sol, country singer Kacey Musgraves and indie band Glass Animals headlined the festival.
But this year’s lineup tells a different story. All headliners, including DJ John Summit, Empire of the Sun, Polo and Pan, Dom Dolla and Parcels are electronic-adjacent.
David Goldberg of Belly Up Presents said that they conducted a survey after last year’s festival, and found that attendees wanted more electronic music.
“Certainly, there was a lot of demand from attendees last year on having dance headliners,” he said. “Every year is different. You basically wipe the slate clean, and you start over one year to the next. You try to create an atmosphere — a vibe — and you try to program based off of that.”
Goldberg said the survey played a small part in deciding who to book. Other factors also came into play, like who was available and the overall atmosphere he was trying to curate.
He also said that just because this year is heavy on electronic music does not mean next year will be.
When approving the festival’s permit last year, Pitkin County commissioners were worried that the new event would bring more of the same music to Aspen.
For commissioner Greg Poschman, he is not concerned with the music anymore, but he is worried about the effects on the city.
“I think we need to pay attention to it because it is something with potentially huge impact,” he said.
“But, honestly, I think that they're doing it right. They did it right last year, and I think we're going to assume they'll do it right again this year.”
Despite the concerns, commissioners recently approved a three year contract for Up in the Sky.
Belly Up Presents, which puts on Up in the Sky, also produces February’s EDM–focused Palm Tree Music Festival. The company made it clear to commissioners, though, that Up in the Sky would be different.
This year’s festival will have two stages at the base of Buttermilk Mountain, allowing Belly Up to book almost double the number of artists than last year.
Other performers that are not electronic-adjacent include R&B, soul, rock and jazz musician Leon Thomas, indie pop band Passion Pit and indie rock duo Good Neighbours.
“There's certainly an intentional design as to how it all flows and fits together at the same time,” Goldberg said.
“We love introducing people to artists that they may not know. So, it's not really just stuck in one lane. Diversity is an important piece to us.”
Of the 18 performances this year, only five are DJ sets; the rest will be live performances.
There is one new local addition to this year’s festival: afternoon performances by Aspen Music Festival and School students. President and CEO Alan Fletcher said he was excited to introduce orchestral music to the crowd.
“So, our concept is that approximately 18,000 mostly very young people are going to be here for EDM, and all of a sudden, probably for the first time in their lives, they're going to hear a live symphonic program,” Fletcher said.
According to Fletcher, the partnership came together in the week leading up to Up in the Sky’s lineup announcement.
For Goldberg, an Aspen local, he said the addition was about recognizing a part of his community.
“My kids are growing up here. This is home,” he said. “So, anything that we can do to give back to that community, to provide entertainment for that community, is something that is very obviously important to us.”
Up in the Sky will take place on Aug. 7 and 8 at Buttermilk Mountain.
