The Top 5 Moments Of Levitate Music Festival 2026
Another year in the books. Levitate Music Festival's 14th birthday brought another two full days of music, art, and community back to the Fairgrounds. Between a Saturday dancing-in-the-rain bonanza that rolled into one of the most legendary sets in festival history with Alanis, a beautiful Sunday had spirits soaring, and a few surprises along the way, this year's Festival was one for the ages.
So if you were in the crowd or you weren't, here are five moments from Levitate Music Festival 2026 we'll be looking back fondly on. Can't wait to see you all next year!
Saturday was for the girls
On Saturday the Main Stoke Stage hit a first ever for Levitate: the girls took over and made it their own.
From New England native Bebe Stockwell kicking off the day, Larkin Poe's slide guitar tearing through the first raindrops, Sammy Rae & The Friends turning the field into one big dance floor in the pouring rain, to global alt-rock icon Alanis Morissette closing it out, it was an incredibly special day. Saturday's lineup was truly a celebration of extraordinary women whose music has inspired generations and continues to move people around the world.
shark attack on stoke stage with the elovaters
Massachusetts-based and long time Levitate friends, The Elovaters, took Sunday on for what might have been their biggest set yet. There were sharks in the water...the boys brought out some special guests and ripped into a set of old classics and some new favorites from Shark Belly Motel on a beautiful Sunday that will be in the memory books for quite some time.
Caamp's beautiful sunday send off
Caamp's official bio is "beautiful noise", and after 2 days of music, art and community through the sun and the rain, their set was heaven sent to soothe the soul. One of the most special Sunday sets ever -
it's like raaaiiinnnn...on a saturday
No Festival fan is going to be deterred by a little drizzle...Saturday put that to the test, and Alanis Morissette turned it into the moment of the weekend in a way that was quite ironic. The poncho-packed crowd leaned into the cause, letting it rip in the rain and making some of the best memories possible. It was just another reminder that sometimes the rain (whether from the sky or in life) just makes for a better story.
more emerging art + music than ever before
After an unreal response from creators across the country and beyond, collecting over 1000+ applications, we were proud to introduce this year’s Emerging Artist Showcase and take the program to the next level! Featuring six Songwriters and eleven Visual Artists who took over the Soul Stage and filled the first ever, larger-than-life art gallery, we were stoked to fill the weekend with more emerging art/music than ever before
At the core of it all is a simple belief: the two most meaningful things that we can offer emerging creators are time and space. Through the Songwriter Of The Year and Artist Of The Year contests, the Levitate Foundation provides artists with the resources to create, the room to grow, and a platform to share their work with thousands of like-minded people. On top of taking the stage at Levitate Music Festival, all winners will also receive dedicated grants to pursue their craft - recording albums, furthering education, and expanding their skills.
Fourteen years in, and the Festival still finds new ways to surprise us all (even our staff!), and above all, remind us of the beautiful community that we are so blessed to be a part of. We're already counting down to next year. We'll see you all so soon we can almost taste it!
