It is the season of the “coming soon” festival. After Summer Camp Music Festival finally revealed its lineup a little over three months before gates open, Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival has broken a five-month silence—which many interpreted to mean the bass-leaning festival would not occur in 2026—to announce it will move to Labor Day weekend this year.

In a brief postcard addressed to the Secret Dreams Family, organizers wrote, “Some secrets are worth keeping. We’re truly sorry for the silence lately. As we turn the page into the next chapter, we invite you to join us: Labor Day weekend, September 3rd–6th, 2026. A new dream. A new reality. The old world was just the beginning.”

After debuting August 18th–20th, 2022, and returning August 17th–19th, 2023, the festival moved to the third weekend of July for 2024 and 2025 editions. Organizers seemed to allude to more changes than just the date.

“The coordinates are coming,” they teased. “The dreams are evolving. Are you ready? We are. Standby for future transmissions.”

So far, Thornville, OH’s Legend Valley has hosted every Secret Dreams. Additionally, each year’s lineup was always anchored by Tipper, with last year’s festival marking one of the enigmatic British experimental bass DJ’s final appearances before retiring from live performances later that year. In addition to Tipper headlining the festival, his management team was instrumental in creating the festival.

The Werks drummer Rob Chafin, who also booked The Werks’ longtime Werk Out Festival, talked to Live For Live Music in 2023 about the genesis of Secret Dreams.

“Dave Kriner, who was a partner in Resonance Festival, Bobby Clamage, myself, and a few other key players came together and were looking to throw a type of event that was similar to Resonance and The Werk Out Festival, a little more electronic leaning though, and to have the concept of building something around Tipper,” he explained. “A lot of credit goes to Tipper’s management for helping imagine and curate the Portal Stage, which is an incredible stage at the event with a massive video wall, designed with lasers. The Portal Stage allows the VJs to get super creative with their visuals, and I think it’s a really cool concept.”

The Portal Stage became a hallmark of Secret Dreams, creating an immersive, intimate setting for Tipper and dozens of other DJs and producers to play throughout the weekend. Even after torrential downpours battered the stage at the 2022 debut, knocking out many of its visual capabilities just hours before Tipper was due to headline the festival’s final day, they axed the cables to deliver a no-visuals, all-lasers set with a heavy focus on Tipper’s scratching capabilities. The set became one of the weekend’s most memorable and cemented a legacy of lore for the nascent festival.

Tipper — Secret Dreams — Thornville, OH — 8/20/22 — Full Video

[Video: shake n bake]

Fans can sign up on the Secret Dreams website for updates on the 2026 festival and a chance to win two free tickets.