Desert Hearts Festival is headed back to the majestic Playa Ponderosa in Northern Arizona for its 2025 edition, unfolding July 3–7 with a full-force celebration of underground dance culture, community, and nonstop music. Teaming once again with longtime creative collaborators Walter Productions, the beloved boutique gathering reaffirms its mission with a single-stage format, immersive art, and an unmatched sense of vibe.
After a successful debut at the new forested home last summer, Desert Hearts continues to evolve while staying true to its West Coast roots — offering an intimate, music-first festival experience in a landscape that feels both wild and sacred.
“I’ll put Desert Hearts Festival up against any party in the world. Nothing touches the vibe we’ve created. It’s 72 hours of non-stop house, techno and love on one stage, one vibe, in the great outdoors. And that’s not even counting the Thursday ‘Welcome Home’ party,” shares co-founder Mikey Lion. “We’ve built this independently for over a decade, with heart, intention and the best community on Earth. It’s more than a party. It’s a movement.”
The 2025 lineup features a potent mix of legendary selectors, rising stars, and core Desert Hearts family members. Highlights include house music icon Justin Martin, genre-bending favorite Destructo, and Mark Farina, the pioneer of Mushroom Jazz. Joining them are tech house staple Kyle Walker, breakout force Omnom, Berlin-based innovator Andreas Henneberg, and groove master Omri. Festival favorites The Sponges and buzzworthy newcomer Ranger Trucco round out the heavy hitters.
True to its roots, Desert Hearts also shines a spotlight on longtime family and label regulars: bass-driven tastemaker Mary Droppinz, Burning Man mainstay Tara Brooks, the genre-fluid vibes of atish, and Mi Domina founder Nala, alongside a B2B set from DJ Minx and Kevin Knapp, who bring their Detroit-meets-tech-house energy to the forest floor.
Fans can expect genre-defying sounds from a mix of global and regional talent including Beth Lydi, Casti, Disco Zombie, Drew Dapps, Evan Casey, Kellen James, Ladell Ransom b2b Frank Terry, Peter Blick, Sean Watson, SoundSlurp, Sprout, and Wes Light — all of whom will help shape the sonic palette of this year’s edition.
And of course, the beating heart of the event will be the signature sets from the Desert Hearts crew themselves — Mikey Lion, Lee Reynolds, Marbs, and Porky — culminating in the iconic Desert Hearts Crew closing set, a sacred tradition of collective release and family reunion.
The festival’s signature “one-stage, one-vibe” format returns, surrounded by a ring of theme camps, interactive art, and fire-breathing sculptures that turn the stage area into a 360° sensory world. Situated at 7,000 feet elevation in the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest, the private setting feels tailor-made for deep connection, wild expression, and dancefloor liberation.
This year’s offerings include a return of beloved theme camps like Pile Palace, known for its lush lounge space and free drinks, and the Dreamscape Collective Art Gallery, where visionary art meets communal tea time. Attendees can also engage with spiritual practices and healing workshops at the Healing Sanctuary, or get lost in the kinetic creativity of the Walter Theme Camp and art car arena.
The collaboration with Walter Productions remains central to Desert Hearts’ identity. With over a decade of creative synergy that began on the Burning Man playa, Walter has become a force in Southwest culture, known for awe-inspiring art cars like the iconic ‘Walter’ VW bus-turned-firetruck, and for shaping Arizona nightlife through venues like Walter Where?House, Walter Studios, and Walter Station Brewery. Their contributions extend into the nonprofit world through The Walter Hive, a space for youth arts and innovation.
This lineup reveal follows the announcement of the indepeDANCE Pass, a $599 general admission ticket offering access to Desert Hearts Festival, Same Same But Different, Northern Nights Music Festival, and Joshua Tree Music Festival — a bold collective effort to resist the growing corporate consolidation of the festival scene.
Now more than ever, Desert Hearts Festival stands as a beacon for independent spirit, radical creativity, and community-rooted celebration. For those chasing soul-filled sets, euphoric dancefloor moments, and late-night magic under the stars, 2025 is the time to step into the circle.
Desert Hearts Festival 2025 returns July 3–7 to Playa Ponderosa, Arizona.
