The award-winning Austin-based electronic music & street art festival, ILLfest, is back for its 4th edition on February 18th & 19th, 2022 with 10k attendees each day and a new venue to call home – the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
After launching in 2016 on Baylor University’s campus as “ILLectric River”, the locally-owned breakout festival re-branded as ILLfest in 2019 and is lauded for its Texas roots, expansive collection of street art murals, masterfully curated electronic and live music lineup, and best-in-class attendee experience. Now, after being postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ILLfest is back with a fresh lineup and a new venue that boasts acres upon acres of room for live street art, locally-curated food & craft vendors, and, of course, dancing with friends.
This year’s headliners include a mind-blowing & rare B2B set featuring bass and trap producers RL Grime & Baauer closing out the show on Friday night, and EDM pioneer Kaskade playing the final set on Saturday. Kaskade’s Saturday night set will be followed by a rare and highly sought-after Kaskade “Redux Set” afterparty which DJ Times describes as “a return to his roots by delivering a barrage of infectious, hard-hitting house that he usually brings to an intimate setting”. ILLfest will be the first time in history that Texas will host both the RL Grime B2B Baauer and Kaskade Redux sets. Other artists you can look forward to include the earth-shaking and genre-defying Liquid Stranger, Valentino Khan with his festival anthem “Deep Down Low”, and a rare DJ set from the alternative duo Phantogram, among dozens of others.
Home to the only Formula 1 and MotoGP races in America, ILLfest is proud to announce the Circuit of the Americas as the new home of the February 2022 festival. Spanning over 1,500 acres, the move to COTA represents a major milestone in a landmark year for ILLfest. Despite the pandemic, the locally-owned and loved festival has grown into a 2-day event with 10k attendees per day, nearly quadrupling the attendance of the last ILLfest in 2019.
With thousands of feet of new live-painted street art murals, and the return of dozens of fan-favorite art walls from previous festivals, ILLfest will showcase a gallery of over 30 world-renown artists and muralists across the hilly landscape at COTA. Just one of many notable features is Barcelona-based street artist El Pez, who was featured in the Banksy produced 2010 documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and whose unique character design is showcased in the festival’s 2022 lineup art and branding. Alongside these talented international muralists, the best locally-curated food and craft vendors will keep you fueled for a weekend full of viewing masterful pieces of art, sharing moments with friends old and new, and enjoying electronic music again in unity under the beautiful skies of Austin, Texas.
In a world where massive corporate players book the same artists and provide the same experiences under different brand names, ILLfest producers aim to offer a unique breath of fresh air and authenticity to attendees. Despite all of the growth since its humble roots in Waco in 2016, the vision & execution remain the same: to deliver a boutique and reality-bending experience, supercharged by street art, a diverse & eclectic lineup, and obsessive attention to guest experience detail.
ILLfest is produced by ILLevated Sounds, with support from other staples in the Texas live music scene: Mark My Words Presents and Prime Nightcult, who are known for bringing dozens of artists each month to Dallas, Houston, Austin, and surrounding markets.
