Article by: Sam Wolloch
With most holidays now in the rearview, it is time to turn our attention to the New Year’s festivities ahead — and for many in The Valley that means Decadence Arizona. This year’s edition, Ancient Future, will also mark the festival’s debut at Phoenix Raceway. Event organizer Relentless Beats promises an all-new layout for maximum entertainment.
There will be three tent structures and four total stages hosting some of the best artists in the industry over the two-day music festival. Doors open at 5 pm both days with the first musical acts scheduled for 6 pm. Day 1 concludes at 2 am and Day 2 runs an extra hour until 3 am. For more information, Relentless Beats has built a useful mobile app, complete with the freshly released schedule, a helpful FAQ, and a soon-to-be-revealed map of the raceway setup.
Speaking of the lineup, Louis The Child and Walker & Royce are the two main choices playing as the ball drops on 2022, and the dubstep prodigy Subtronics is shaping up to be the most scheduled artist by attendees for his NYE Opening Sequence at 7:10 pm. Other notable names dropping the beats at Decadence include Flume, Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, Fisher and Liquid Stranger. Don’t sleep on the Arizona locals either — Brett Ortiz gets the party started at Grand Palace on the 30th, while Ekonovah begins festivities on the 31st at Royal Ballroom.
Besides all the amazing artists, there are plenty of awesome activities and activations lined up by Relentless Beats to enrich the experience. Britt Zec will lead a shuffle studio to help fans improve their fancy footwork, and there will be tarot readings by Sarah. Moon Lvnding will be on hand selling a wide variety of rave essentials and an assortment of food vendors will be slinging tasty treats. Perhaps the most inventive and exciting development for Ancient Future will be two massive dodgeball games set to start at 5:30 and 9:30 on both days.
Be aware of the clear bag policy in place — with the exception of hydropacks with a clear water bladder — as well as the ban on festival totems. Decadence is also a cash-free event, so make sure you have a credit or debit card for all on-site purchases, including artist and festival merchandise. If all this sounds too good to miss, be sure to grab tickets to attend the premiere New Year’s festival in Arizona before the final price increase at midnight Thursday.
