Refik Anadol, David OReilly and Ash Thorp to Join The Chainsmokers and The Kid LAROI for World’s First NFT Art & Music Festival March 18-19 at AREA15

NFTs serve as artist-level access and centerpiece to multisensory art, light and sound experience

Web3 company Afterparty revealed today the full lineup for its inaugural and world’s first NFT Art & Music Festival boasting 20 standout NFT artists, including Refik Anadol, David OReilly, Ash Thorp, Yulia Shur and Tyloord, and 24 musical acts, including The Chainsmokers, The Kid LAROI, SOFI TUKKER, Bob Moses, Gryffin, LANY, TOKiMONSTA and Zack Bia.

NFTs will unlock access to the festival where they will also be the centerpiece to this two-day immersion of digital art, sound, light and space. Human-scale 4K and 8K displays will transform NFT art from digital thumbnails to multisensory gallery showings crowned by mainstage performances and live DJs. Afterparty has chosen AREA15, Las Vegas’ immersive event and entertainment district located minutes from the Strip, as the backdrop for this multi-venue indoor and outdoor experience.

Afterparty’s NFTs double as digital art and the keys to entering and experiencing the festival. There are two types of NFT-gated “ways in,” each of which offers its own level of access to the festival and many more exclusive Afterparty events:

1. Own a Utopian NFT or purchase a Utopian MintPass on OpenSea. This grants artist-level festival access, including “Utopian Only” areas, the ability to attend the festival for at least five years, and guest list priority spots for future creator and Afterparty NFT drops plus pop-up events at Art Basel, NFT.NYC and more. Utopian holders also receive a free Afterparty Guardian NFT, the company’s second generation drop coming soon, which gives them Afterparty Festival Passes to the next Vegas event in 2023, the Afterparty NFT Art & Music Festival coming to Los Angeles Fall 2022 and more. Afterparty will cover all gas fees.
2. Purchase an Afterparty Festival Pass on OpenSea. This unlocks access to the festival and a spot on the guestlist for the Afterparty Guardian Collection, which gives them Afterparty Festival Passes to the next Vegas event in 2023 and the Afterparty NFT Art & Music Festival coming to Los Angeles this Fall 2022 and more.

All Afterparty NFTs are completely unique and live on the Ethereum blockchain forever. Sia, Nile Rodgers, Heidi Klum, JustMaiko and jxdn were among the first creators to live-mint Afterparty NFTs at a secret location in the Hollywood Hills. Over 300 musicians, artists and creators have joined them.

David Fields, Afterparty co-founder and CEO: “As the creator economy booms, artists and musicians are continuing to realize the value NFTs hold far beyond their ETH market floor–they are the perfect superfan technology to facilitate more direct connections. We’re so excited that half of our Utopian holders will be either performing or attending the festival–it represents how much they value the Afterparty experience and their commitment to this incredibly vibrant and growing Web3 community.”

Nate Mohler, NFT artist and Afterparty festival co-creative director: “We are experiencing an art renaissance that’s finally earning new media artists the recognition they deserve in the fine art world. By using new digital tools to ask the ‘big’ questions that make art so profoundly impactful, these creatives are crafting works for the emotional response, the rise, the curiosity–they are trailblazing a new and more meaningful era in art. ‘Sculpting Time, Illumination of Being,’ the gallery show we’re curating for the festival, will immerse you in the minds of luminaries such as David Oreilly, Refik Anadol, Smearballs, Ash Thorp and other outstanding talents.”

NFT artist Alec Maassen joins Nate Mohler as co-creative director for the NFT art program. Both artists will also be showcasing their art at the festival. Former Life is Beautiful partner, Ryan Doherty, and former Kaaboo executive, Chris Racan, are the festival’s production partners. The festival lineup includes:

Chris Racan, former Kaaboo executive and Afterparty festival production partner: “The early intersection of art and technology inspired my life-long career in festival production and has come full circle with the unique merging of NFTs and music–it’s unimaginably profound and undoubtedly the future. The production caliber and Afterparty team represents 21st century visionaries, risk takers and creators who have embraced the IRL potential of Web3. The time is now for digital art, especially in the form of NFTs, to take center stage–the token-gated experiences we’re producing with Afterparty is a revolutionary first step.”

Ryan Doherty, former Life is Beautiful partner and Afterparty festival production partner: “NFT art deserves to be seen and celebrated through an experience that is just as innovative as the NFT art itself. We’re creating a festival that captures that energy and enthusiasm that fits into a future-ready environment that emphasizes the impact these pieces have on the viewer.”

To learn more about Afterparty and its inaugural NFT Art & Music Festival, visit Afterparty.com. To become a Utopian holder, visit opensea.io/collection/afterparty-utopians. To purchase a Utopian MintPass, visit opensea.io/collection/afterparty-mintpass. To purchase an NFT Festival Pass, visit opensea.io/collection/afterparty-festival-pass.