By Arkansas Black Vitality Staff
Bentonville, Ark. — March 19, 2026 — After featuring GloRilla, John Legend, and the Wu-Tang Clan on stage in northwest Arkansas, the 2026 music season at the Momentary in Bentonville will kick off this spring with artists like 10-time GRAMMY Award nominee Wiz Khalifa, along with GRAMMY Award–winning rapper 2 Chainz and a host of other top musical talent.
The Momentary today announced its expanding slate of 2026 music programming, kicking off with the Concerts on the Momentary’s Green, where the expansive green space will transform into one of the region’s most dynamic outdoor music environments
“Spanning major festivals, outdoor concerts, indoor concerts, and a monthly electronic pop-up, the Momentary continues to attract globally recognized artists and emerging talent alike, offering audiences unparalleled live music experiences in a uniquely immersive setting,” Momentary officials said in a news release.
The Momentary, opened in February 2020 in Downtown Bentonville, is a contemporary arts and culture hub designed to spark creativity and economic vitality in Northwest Arkansas. Founded by Walmart heirs and members of the billionaire Walton family—Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton—the venue extends the vision of Crystal Bridges by offering a modern, community‑focused “living room” for music, art, food, and shared experiences.
Their philanthropic investment has also expanded access to arts education, cultural engagement, and regional enrichment, all supported by free general admission. The Momentary offers national and regional live music, visual and performing arts, an artist-in-residence program, culinary events, Onyx Coffee Lab, the Tower Bar, outdoor festival space, and more.
For the upcoming mid-April event, additional performers include Wilco (May 2), 27-time GRAMMY Award winner Alison Krauss & Union Station (May 3), Lord Huron (July 21), Death Cab for Cutie (July 25), Sierra Ferrell (August 14), Big Thief (August 19), and Chris Lake (August 29), with more to be announced.
Later during the summer season, Momentary programming will also feature Pulitzer and Grammy Award winning artist Rhiannon Giddens’ American Tunes: Lift Ev’ry Voice and Singon July 30. Joining Giddens are GRAMMY Award winners Mary Chapin Carpenter, folk and country’s highly esteemed singer-songwriter, and Mavis Staples, the legendary gospel, soul, and folk singer and civil rights activist, along with the critically acclaimed Americana-folk band Hurray for the Riff Raff.
“The program is part of Giddens’ special five-night concert series presented across the country imagined as an extension of her 2025 Juneteenth Hollywood Bowl concert in Los Angeles, joyfully celebrating the profound influence and enduring legacy of women and Black artists in shaping American folk music,” Momentary officials said.
Later this year, the Momentary’s flagship electronic music festival, Momentous, will return on November 6–7. What began as a grassroots celebration has quickly grown into the region’s premier EDM festival. Since debuting in 2022, Momentous has doubled in size, attracting global talent and supporting the local electronic music scene.
According to museum officials, the festival transforms the local Bentonville campus with world-class electronic artists, immersive visual production, and experiential programming. Previous performers include Arca, Four Tet, Flux Pavilion b2b Doctor P, Tycho, and The Polish Ambassador.
Also, COLLIDE, the monthly nightclub-style series inside the state-of-the-art RØDE House, pairs internationally acclaimed producers with Northwest Arkansas’ top local DJs for back-to-back sets that fuse global influences with hometown creativity. Upcoming performances include NASAYA b2b ford. (March 26), DOS (Random Rab b2b Lapa) (April 23), and Megan Hamilton b2b PINEO & LOEB (May 21), offering an immersive nightlife experience.
The RØDE House hosts an indoor music series featuring both national and international touring artists in an intimate setting designed for discovery and connection. Upcoming performances include Marissa Nadler (April 12), Momma (April 26), and The Beths (June 14), among others. With its cutting-edge sound system and versatile performance space, the RØDE House enables audiences to experience live music up close while further establishing the Momentary as a year-round venue for live performances.
“Through its growing slate of festivals, concerts, and immersive programming, the Momentary continues to shape the cultural landscape of Northwest Arkansas, bringing global artists and emerging voices together, while offering audiences a live music experience unlike anywhere else in the region,” officials said.
Crystal Bridges, Momentary Set Stage for Summer Anniversary Reopening With Expanded Campus
As summer approaches, the Momentary and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art are preparing to mark a major milestone with a celebratory reopening of the northwest Arkansas museum, signaling the next chapter in the institution’s evolution as one of the nation’s most ambitious cultural destinations.
The summer anniversary celebration coincides with the public debut of the museum’s expanded 134-acre campus and a sweeping reinstallation of its galleries, reinforcing Crystal Bridges’ long‑standing commitment to free access and community‑centered art experiences.
The reopening follows years of planning and construction that have transformed the Bentonville landmark into a more expansive, immersive environment designed to showcase five centuries of American art while creating new spaces for learning, gathering, and creative exchange. Museum officials have described the expansion as both a physical and philosophical renewal—one that reflects how audiences engage with art, history, and one another in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
Founded by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, Crystal Bridges was established as a nonprofit cultural institution with a mission to make American art accessible to all. Walton gifted her personal art collection to form the foundation of the museum and, along with the Walton family, donated more than 120 acres of land in downtown Bentonville for its campus.
Since opening to the public in November 2011, Crystal Bridges has welcomed more than 15 million visitors from around the world while maintaining free general admission, a core principle that continues to shape the museum’s expansion and anniversary celebration
Beyond the galleries, the summer celebration is expected to ripple across Crystal Bridges’ broader ecosystem, including programming at the Momentary, which has become a key extension of the museum’s vision for contemporary culture, music, and performance in Northwest Arkansas. Together, the two institutions continue to position Bentonville as a national arts destination while remaining grounded in accessibility, regional storytelling, and community impact, officials said.
Tickets and additional information for the summer events are available at theMomentary.org and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
(This story is courtesy of Arkansas Black Vitality, a sister publication of the Arkansas Delta Informer.)
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