The Joshua Tree Music Festival heads back to the high desert for its 21st fall edition, Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11, 2026. It is four nights of camping and three-plus days of music, workshops, and kid activities at the Joshua Tree Lake Campground, a privately owned 40-acre site in the Mojave with views toward the national park.
JTMF runs twice a year, every May and October, and has been going since April 2003. Its lineups lean toward artists who are not household names yet, mixing funk, soul, global dance music, folk, and electronic sets. Everything below comes from the festival’s site and its official ticketing page as of September 28, 2026.
The quick version
| When | Thursday, October 8 to Sunday, October 11, 2026 (checkout Monday, October 12, by 11 a.m.) |
| Where | Joshua Tree Lake Campground, 2601 Sunfair Road, Joshua Tree, CA 92252 |
| Music | 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, plus a silent disco Friday and Saturday nights |
| Ages | All ages; kids 4 and under free |
| Tickets | All Weekend pass $333.05 (Tier 4, fees included) through Afton Tickets |
| Camping | Walk-in tent camping included with every ticket |
| Re-entry | Yes, with a wristband and an all-weekend vehicle pass |
| Payment | Bring cash; there are ATMs, but they sometimes run out |
| Official site | joshuatreemusicfestival.com |
Who’s playing
The festival says acts alternate between stages in one area, so the music is continuous and you do not have to run between sets. Here is the posted lineup by day. The festival notes that the lineup and schedule can change.
Thursday, October 8
Phreeborn, the Nigerian-born singer now based in Santa Cruz, plus Youth Medium and Nina Sol. Thursday is also the cheapest day to attend.
Friday, October 9
Cure for Paranoia, the Dallas alternative hip-hop group; Elias Alexander, who mixes bagpipes, fiddle, and live looping with house beats; Evan Hatfield, who plays sitar over electronic grooves; plus Mystical Joyride, We Them Grays, The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, AC Sapphire, TRISHES, Mel Fine, Rags Rosenberg, The Sunkissed Girls, Ding Dong, The Disco Shaman Is Real, RHYTHMX, and DJ Shuffles.
Saturday, October 10
Acido Pantera, the Bogotá duo that fuses Colombian gaita and marimba rhythms with electronics; Southern Avenue, the Grammy-nominated Memphis soul and blues band; Jimetta Rose and the VOC, a Los Angeles soul and jazz choir that gathers weekly in Leimert Park; Future Joy; Dogo du Togo; Bad Snacks; Parker Ainsworth; Groovement; Jesus Gonzalez; Coyote Theater; Manila Vanilla; Shanell Grey; and Sir Kaydian.
Sunday, October 11
The Breaks, a New Orleans-rooted organ trio of guitarist Eddie Roberts, drummer Stanton Moore, and organist Robert Walter; The Dirty Texans, brothers Danny and Johnny Kongos, who flip old-time and country recordings into live house music; plus Bicicletas Por La Paz, Stephanie Anne Johnson, King Madre, KATZROAR, August Lee Stevens, Donald Glaude, DJ Sensi, Strong Tea, and DJ Buck Mild.
Beyond the music
- Playshops: More than 100 movement, mindfulness, and merriment workshops, with yoga on a shaded stage.
- Healing Oasis: More than a dozen bodyworkers offering massages.
- Late Night Headphone House: A silent disco on Friday and Saturday nights that, per the festival, runs until nearly sunrise.
- Visual art: Installations around the lake and the music bowl, plus a world market and food vendors.
- Themed spaces: The site lists the Positive Vibration Station, Queer Salon, Sanctuary, Nowhere Found Lounge, and Astro Mojo Dojo.
Tickets
Tickets are sold through Afton Tickets, which uses all-in pricing, so the listed price includes fees and taxes. These were the prices on September 28, 2026, with the All Weekend pass on Tier 4. Tiers go up as they sell.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| All Weekend (4-day) pass | $333.05 |
| Super Supporter 4-day pass | $570.98 |
| 4-day Junior (ages 11 to 17) | $93.37 |
| 4-day Kid (ages 5 to 10) | $61.48 |
| Ages 4 and under | Free |
| Thursday only | $61.48 |
| Friday only | $138.38 |
| Saturday only | $138.38 |
| Sunday only | $93.37 |
| Junior single day (ages 11 to 17) | $50.56 |
| Kid single day (ages 5 to 10) | $28.73 |
| Wednesday Early Entry pass | $72.15 |
- Camping is included. Every ticket includes walk-in tent camping: you park in the day lot and carry your gear in. Single-day tickets cover that night’s camping, and you need to leave or upgrade by 10 a.m. the next morning.
- Vehicles cost extra. A weekend day-lot parking pass is $39.64, and a single-day parking pass is $23.27 (no ins and outs). To keep a car or van at your campsite, a Vehicle Camping Pass is $192.46 under 20 feet or $268.16 for 20 feet and over.
- Early entry on Wednesday requires an Early Entry pass for each person, bought in advance. Kids 17 and under with an adult do not need one.
- No refunds, but you can transfer a ticket to another name through your Afton account.
Weekend math
Buying Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday separately adds up to $431.61, almost $100 more than the $333.05 All Weekend pass. If you are coming for two or more of the big days, price out the pass first.
Getting there
The festival says the drive is paved all the way to the parking lot. It is about 50 minutes from Palm Springs, 2.5 hours from Los Angeles, and 3 hours from San Diego.
- From Joshua Tree: From Park Boulevard, go east on Highway 62 for 4 miles and turn left on Sunfair Road.
- From Twentynine Palms: Go 11 miles on Highway 62 from Adobe Road and turn right on Sunfair.
- Then: The site is 5 miles down Sunfair Road on the right. Watch for wildlife, and note the 4 mph speed limit once you are inside.
- Carpool: The festival runs a ride-share board, the Ricky Ride page, for drivers and riders.
Gate and box office hours
- Wednesday: 2 to 8 p.m. (Early Entry pass required)
- Thursday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (no ticket sales after 6 p.m.)
If you arrive outside these hours without a wristband, you will not get in until the box office reopens. Have your barcoded ticket and photo ID ready.
What to bring
- Photo ID for check-in.
- Refillable water bottles. Free well water is available on site.
- Shade, and real stakes to hold it down. The festival calls rebar or similar crucial, and staff may ask you to drop shade structures in high wind.
- Sunscreen, hats, and umbrellas.
- Cash. ATMs are on site but can run dry.
- Food, if you like. There are food vendors on site, and the nearest stores and restaurants are about 8 miles away.
- Alcohol, within reason. A reasonable amount in plastic bottles or cans for personal use is allowed. No glass and no kegs.
- A reusable cup. The festival runs a reusable cup program and encourages you to bring your own.
What to leave at home
- Pets. Only service dogs are allowed, and they must be checked in at the Box Office. Emotional support, therapy, and companion animals are not permitted.
- Glass containers.
- Fire toys, fireworks, charcoal grills, and open flames. White gas and propane stoves are fine, and so are glow toys.
- Drones, unless you have written permission.
- DSLRs and cameras with detachable lenses, unless you have media credentials. Tripods and selfie sticks are also out.
- Weapons and illegal drugs.
Bringing kids
JTMF leans hard into being family friendly. Kidsville runs crafts, puppet shows, yoga for little ones, ASL story time, and rides on the festival’s Love Boat. Families can camp in Family Camp, in the northwest corner of the campground, which is a quiet zone after dark (and, as the festival warns, noisy in the morning). Junior and kid tickets are discounted, and kids 4 and under get in free.
Staying safe
Medical staff are on site 24 hours a day, next to the Rangers and DanceSafe in the campground. The Rangers wear golden yellow shirts, and a Safety Team trained in de-escalation is available around the clock. The festival also works with REES for online reporting of unwanted sexual behavior.
Not camping?
The festival lists air-conditioned Cozy Camper trailers and glamping cabins on site, reserved RV sites with hookups, and offsite options including AutoCamp Joshua Tree and lodging in Twentynine Palms. Reserved RV sites book up far ahead, and the ticketing page says it is already taking reservations for 2027.
Still to come
The festival has not posted accessibility information beyond its service animal policy. Contact the festival through its website with specific needs. Daily set times go on the site’s 3D Map and Schedule page and on posted INFO signs around the grounds, since JTMF no longer prints programs. The 824 Journal will update this guide as more is released.
Looking ahead: the ticketing page lists 2027 dates of May 13 to 16 for the spring festival and October 7 to 10 for the fall edition.
Sources
- Joshua Tree Music Festival, official site
- JTMF: The Music, October 2026 (lineup and days)
- JTMF: Festival and Campground Info (directions, gate hours, re-entry, what to bring, pets, photo policy)
- Afton Tickets: Joshua Tree Music Festival, October 8 to 11, 2026 (prices, passes, music hours, 2027 dates)
- JTMF: About (history and venue)
- JTMF: Kidsville
- JTMF: Safety and Sustainability
- JTMF: RVs, Trailers, Glamping, and Offsite Lodging
Featured photo: Toglenn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
