VIVA PHX is back and it’s bigger than ever. What to know about the festival’s return

VIVA PHX will return in 2026 as a six-day, multi-venue celebration of the local culture.

The festival initially returned in 2024 after a seven-year hiatus with more than 70 acts on 12 stages in venues of various sizes sprawled across the streets of downtown Phoenix before taking a beat again in 2025 to reimagine what this festival could be moving forward.

Originally launched in 2014, VIVA PHX became a cornerstone of downtown Phoenix’s cultural resurgence, national touring acts with Arizona’s most exciting local talent. The 2024 revival reaffirmed the festival’s importance to the community and inspired an even more ambitious vision: to expand across multiple days and venues, giving more space for creativity, collaboration, and discovery.

‘We learned a lot from bringing VIVA PHX back last year’

VIVA PHX Director Matt Baquet issued a statement saying, “We learned a lot from bringing VIVA PHX back last year. Phoenix’s spirit cannot be contained in one afternoon. We believe this city — and Arizona— are among the most exciting places in the world, and VIVA PHX aims to show exactly why. The idea that ‘culture happens when we’re together’, a cornerstone of VIVA’s philosophy, inspires us to keep the majority of events free and open, creating space for people to come together when the world needs it most.”

The expanded festival will feature mostly free live concerts, culinary pop-ups and restaurant collaborations, talks, art experiences and industry meetups throughout the city’s core.

A highlight of the programming for 2026 is a partnership with ASU Pop Music, whose Music Industry Career Conference (April 17–19) will offer creators and attendees the chance to expand their impact, explore career pathways and participate in forward-thinking discussions shaping the state’s creative future.

VIVA PHX 2026 festival highlights

• April 15: Opening celebration
• April 16: Cultural programming featuring talks, art exhibitions and industry meetups
• April 17–18: Free downtown concerts + ASU Pop Music Career Conference
• April 19: VIVA PHX VIP dinner and community gathering
• April 20: Closing celebration

With the support of Visit Phoenix and key partners including Crescent Ballroom, Valley Bar, Live Nation, ASU Pop Music and TENWEST, VIVA PHX aims to amplify the and cultural vibrancy of downtown Phoenix — positioning the festival as Arizona’s premier convergence of art, music, food and innovation.

Visit Phoenix Director of Marketing Steven Totten issued a statement saying, “We were motivated to support the revival of VIVA PHX, and we couldn’t be happier to nurture its ongoing growth. Since VIVA’s inception almost a decade ago, Phoenix has grown into a cultural and economic behemoth, and we need a touchstone like VIVA to reflect and celebrate that.”

Reporting by Ed Masley, Arizona Republic