Area 406 Festival in Kalispell, Montana celebrated its third year with an impressive multi-genre lineup featuring NERO, PhaseOne, and Au5.
When it comes to destinations for an electronic music festival, Northwest Montana probably doesn’t come to mind. However, a team of passionate event producers from the area have now brought headlining DJs to Area 406 Festival in Kalispell, MT for three years in a row.
After starting as a one-day event in 2021, Area 406 expanded to two days in 2022 and continued to expand in 2023. Taking place at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, the festival includes three stages, camping, and other amenities in a comfortable event space.
The 2023 Area 406 Festival lineup was headlined by PhaseOne and NERO. Other acts included Ahee, Au5, and Megan Hamilton, as well as local favorites like MT Souls, Deddshot, and Heathen.
Area 406 Festival combines the vibe of a local festival with larger names that play events around the world.
The festival includes one indoor stage with festival-level production and two outdoor stages featuring electronic music artists as well as some hip-hop acts and live music. Area 406 also hosts several merchandise vendors and local food and beverage trucks, setting the vibe for an EDM festival with a hometown feel.
The campgrounds are just outside the venue and include in-and-out access to the area’s grocery stores and restaurants. The Flathead Valley area also includes plenty of nature area and outdoor activities, as Glacier National Park is just a short drive away.
The lineup at Area 406 Festival 2023 mostly leaned towards bass music, with some of the genre’s more popular names making appearances.
NERO has been one of the pioneers of dubstep since the genre’s initial rise in popularity, while PhaseOne and Ahee have both opened for Excision multiple times. Au5 is known for his highly creative music and online music production tutorials. Megan Hamilton has a funky bass vibe and has collaborated with artists like Defunk. DJ Dan is a house music legend dating back to the early nineties, but he unfortunately had to cancel last-minute due to an injury.
The rest of the lineup has a little bit of everything, including hip-hop artists and other live bands from the area. Some of our favorites are Abnorml, Deddshot, Jaak, MT Souls, Mai Kai, Heathen, and Nick Ferrington, all of which will likely return to perform again next year.
The fan experience at Area 406 Festival is similar to any other camping festival on a smaller scale.
The festival has both one-day and two-day tickets available, all of which were reasonably priced around $100 or less. Attendees have the option of staying offsite or purchasing an additional camping pass and spending the weekend at the Fairgrounds.
The festivities got started each day in the early afternoon and continued through the late nights. One of the stages converts into a silent disco after dark, while the main stage has encores and special guests perform after the festival unofficially ends at midnight.
All of the artists delivered at Area 406, with some of our favorites being Nero, Au5, Megan Hamilton, and PhaseOne.
Area 406 provided a solid selection of electronic music in a region that rarely sees shows of this size. The event continues to grow every year. 2023 had significantly more attendees than the previous year and provided a memorable experience that will keep people coming back.
We’ve attended Area 406 Festival for the last two years, and we plan on returning again next summer.
It’s a nice change of pace from large scale events in big cities, and it has a unique vibe with good music and friendly attendees. Instead of going to the same festivals in the same places every year, it’s always a good idea to travel somewhere new and explore independent events like Area 406 Festival.
Brought to life by a passionate crew that was raised in Montana and now based in cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Area 406 is poised to keep building momentum as the premier destination festival in the Flathead Valley region. We’ll keep you posted on next year, as we look forward to returning for another extraterrestrial weekend at Area 406 Festival.
Story: @michael__premier
Photos: @aundreamariephotography & @litomotif
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One response to “Area 406 Establishes Itself as Montana’s #1 EDM Festival”
This was my 1st time attending the Area 406 festival and not only did I have a great time, I was super impressed by the DJ’s and vendors as well. Such a friendly, upbeat vibe, what the EDM community stands for and what larger festivals seem to be losing a bit of. I connected with Nick Ferrington via social media when he was still located in the Flathead Valley and when connecting local DJ’s with him and the Area 406 Festival. I then met him in person at edc Las Vegas and can say that although he’s relocated to Las Vegas to work for Insomniac Events (which shows his own calibre of talent), he remains as genuine as Montanans get and commited to the continued growth of the EDM scene in Montana by bringing in major headliners.
Keep your eyes open, because I don’t see Area 406 going anywhere but up. People would be wise to get their tickets early next year!