Goldrush Music Festival takes over Rawhide Western Town near Chandler on Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12, 2026, with gates opening at 6 p.m. both nights and music running until 2 a.m. The festival's Midnight Riders late-night stages feature Deadmau5, Alesso, Martin Garrix and Griz as headliners, while afterparties run from 1:30 to 5 a.m. at the venue.
Phoenix's biggest fall EDM festival, as Phoenix New Times describes it, is strictly for people 18 and older, with VIP and Platinum admission reserved for those 21 and up. The publication's guide notes that two-day GA+ passes and two-day Platinum passes are already sold out, though single-day general admission tickets remain at $169.99, single-day GA+ at $199.99 with express entry and premium restroom access, single-day VIP at $309.99, and single-day Platinum at $549.99. Two-day general admission passes run $299 and two-day VIP passes cost $549. VIP admission includes a commemorative lanyard, premium viewing deck, and access to exclusive bars and lounges, while Platinum adds five drinks, side-stage viewing at the main stage, artist hospitality lounge access and a catered dinner, per the same report.
Who's Playing Each Night
Friday's lineup includes Deadmau5, Boogie T, Green Velvet, CID, Sullivan King, Midnight Tyrannosaurus, AC Slater and Mitis, among a long roster of acts, according to the outlet's set-time breakdown. Saturday brings Griz, Delta Heavy, Valentino Khan, Surf Mesa, Lady Faith, DJ Pauly D and Deathpact, alongside dozens more performers across the night. Boogie T headlines the Saturday afterparty, while Valentino Khan takes the stage at the Sunday afterparty, the report notes.
Tickets for all tiers are available at goldrushfestaz.com, according to the guide. A separate Goldrush Oasis pool party runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass, with tickets priced at $44.91 and DJ Pauly D headlining, the outlet reports.
Getting There and Parking Rules
Rawhide parking is free for Goldrush attendees, but overnight parking is not allowed and vehicles left on the property will be towed at the owner's expense, per Phoenix New Times. Shuttle service runs from Sunbar at 24 W. Fifth St. in Tempe to Rawhide, costing $43.91 per day or $76.86 for both days — the same pricing structure as premium parking. Shuttles to Rawhide operate from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with return shuttles to Tempe running from 12:30 to 3:30 a.m., the outlet notes.
That remote footprint is central to how the festival functions physically. Rawhide Western Town & Event Center spans more than 160 acres on Gila River Indian Community land, according to Relentless Beats, with an enclosed 48,000-square-foot pavilion for 6,000 guests and outdoor festival grounds built for up to 10,000 attendees. The same source notes that the property's position off Interstates 10 and 202 creates recurring traffic and transit bottlenecks at closing time — a logistical reality familiar to anyone who has waited for a shuttle out of Rawhide after a late set.
What You Can and Cannot Bring
Goldrush allows cellphones, lighters, sealed cigarettes, tampons, gum, lip balm, lip gloss, illuminated costumes, jewelry, sunglasses, hats, sealed sunscreen, cosmetics, disposable e-cigarettes, nicotine vaporizer pens and certified service animals, according to Phoenix New Times' guide. Attendees may also bring empty nontransparent Camelbaks with no more than two pockets, two factory-sealed water bottles of any size, clear bags or backpacks no larger than 15 by 15 by 5 inches, and small clutches no larger than 5 by 7 by 2 inches.
Banned items include illegal substances, drugs, drug paraphernalia, pets, massagers, laser pointers, eye drops, open sunscreen, glass, cans, cups, coolers, large chains, spiked jewelry, tents, large umbrellas, chairs, and outside food, beverages or alcohol, the outlet reports. Professional cameras, recording equipment, knives, firearms, pepper spray, fireworks, weapons, projectiles, Native American headdresses and festival totems are also prohibited. Afterparty tickets run $34.02 per night, according to the same guide.
A Deeper History at Rawhide
Goldrush's return to Rawhide continues a relationship stretching back nearly a decade. The inaugural Goldrush debuted in November 2017 at Rawhide as a two-day Wild West-themed event across four stages blending EDM with hip-hop, with an initial lineup that included Migos, Marshmello, Excision and Dillon Francis, according to The Nocturnal Times. Rawhide served as the promoter's flagship venue for years before a hiatus that began in 2021; Relentless Beats resumed major events there in June 2024 with a headline show by Illenium, ending that pause. Goldrush itself returned to the venue in September 2025 under the theme “The Return to the West” after a stretch that included holding the festival at Phoenix Raceway, highlighted by a joint set from Illenium and Zeds Dead, according to Dancing Astronaut.
The venue itself has a longer story. Rawhide Western Town originally opened in 1971 on 160 acres in North Scottsdale as a replica 1880s frontier outpost before relocating in 2006 to the Gila River Indian Community reservation near Chandler, according to the Scottsdale Historical Society. Commercial development in Scottsdale pushed the original tourist attraction's building facades onto tribal land, where it now anchors major regional events — including the 36th annual Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival, which permanently relocated there in March 2026 to support expanded attendance, parking and multi-weekend infrastructure, per the Phoenix New Times.
Behind the Promoter
Relentless Beats, founded in the late 1990s by Thomas Turner, produces over 400 events and festivals annually across the Southwest featuring nearly 500 unique artists, according to the company's own job listings. Turner built the operation from underground warehouse parties into what has become the region's dominant electronic dance music promoter. Beyond Goldrush, the company's Arizona portfolio includes flagship multi-day events such as Decadence AZ, PHXLIGHTS, Body Language and the Coconino Campout, according to The Festival Voice.
Turner has also expanded into brick-and-mortar nightlife. Last month, he opened Roosevelt, a 4,000-square-foot high-fidelity listening bar and club in the former FilmBar space in downtown Phoenix, featuring custom lighting and Arizona's only Funktion-One sound system. Goldrush has also had its own moment of unexpected virality: in October 2025, a festival photographer used AI software to swap DJ Dillon Francis' face for former President Barack Obama's in a photo taken at the event, drawing more than 5 million combined views, as Hoodline reported at the time.
