In a summer saturated with massive lineups and mega-stage festivals, a brand new event is making its debut here in Colorado and it’s choosing connection over chaos.

Introducing RIAHTFest, a grassroots music and arts gathering taking place for the very first time in Westcliffe, Colorado from August 1–3. Nestled beneath some of the darkest skies in North America, this intimate festival is built on a simple but radical idea: that in order to truly connect with others, you have to start by reconnecting with yourself.

Set against the sweeping mountain views of a certified Dark Sky Community, RIAHTFest is part sonic sanctuary, part creative playground, and 100% community-driven. It’s not about giant headliners or flashy sponsorships, it’s about building a space where artists, healers, dancers, and deep listeners can come together in celebration, reflection, and transformation.

Birthed from a collective vision and powered by Radical Sound Systems, the weekend will feature immersive visual art, soulful DJ sets from underground talent, wellness workshops, movement practices, late-night fires, and more. Whether you’re dropping into a sunrise meditation, losing yourself in a bass-heavy set, or just stargazing with new friends, RIAHTFest is an open invitation to return to what matters.

This year’s theme, “Come Home to Yourself,” sets the tone for the experience. And from the moment you step onto the land, it’s clear this isn’t just another weekend of partying but rather a carefully crafted portal for presence, play, and purpose.

From underground DJs to late-night rituals, sound baths to sunrise dancing, RIAHTFest is shaping up to be one of Colorado’s most unique additions to the festival scene and a reminder that the best things in life are still built with love, intention, and a little bit of wild magic.

We caught up with the festival’s founder, Mariah Chere, to talk about the inspiration behind this brand-new gathering, what attendees can expect in year one, and how RIAHT is a call to show up fully. Check out our conversation below!

[Rooster]: RIAHTFest is about to debut its second edition this summer. What inspired you to create this festival, and what was the spark that made you finally say, “Let’s do it”? 

[Mariah]: Once I started meeting some of the most talented, creative, and heart-centered people, many of whom have become my best friends, I knew I wanted to create something that celebrated them. I kept thinking, the world needs to see this. I’ve always been passionate about bringing people together, and music and art are some of the most powerful ways to connect, heal, and build community. 

In a lot of ways, this festival is a natural extension of what I already do, I run a marketing agency, but at the end of the day, I’m really just a professional hype girl. I love spotlighting people, helping them shine, and creating platforms for their gifts to be seen. RIAHTFest is that on a larger scale. The moment I realized I had all these incredible people in my life, I thought: why not create the space to bring them, and others, together in celebration? That was the spark. 

The name RIAHT already carries so much personality and purpose. What does it mean to you, and how does it reflect the soul of the event? 

RIAH has always been my nickname, and when I started DJing, I added the “T” for a little flair, it just felt right. Over time, the name began to take on more meaning, especially when I thought about the word riot. One of my favorite interpretations is the phrase “a riot of color”, a vibrant, wild, joyful explosion of beauty and life. That’s the essence we’re channeling at R!AHTFest. 

This isn’t a riot in the traditional sense, it’s a reimagined one. It’s a celebration of creativity, connection, and conscious community. R!AHTFest is designed to feel like a vibrant tapestry of sound, color, healing, and human connection. A home away from home where you’re free to be your full self, to grow, to rest, to dance, and to reconnect to what really matters. 

At its core, the name reflects our mission: to cultivate a space where music, art, and togetherness awaken the spirit and inspire lasting transformation. It’s playful, powerful, and deeply personal, just like the festival itself. 

There are so many festivals out there but RIAHTFest promises something more intentional, intimate, and rooted in underground community. What sets it apart from more mainstream events? 

RIAHTFest isn’t built for mass consumption, it’s built for connection. We’re intentionally keeping it intimate so we can cultivate a sense of real community where everyone feels seen and valued. There’s no VIP section or separation, we’re all in it together, camping together, sharing meals, dancing under the same stars, and building something real. 

We’re uplifting local and underground talent, healers, artists, musicians, and visionaries, who deserve the spotlight not because they’re trending, but because their work is soul-led. These are people creating from the heart, and we want to honor that.

RIAHTFest is less about spectacle and more about soul. It’s a space where strangers become chosen family, where creativity is medicine, and where the focus isn’t on bigger or more popular, it’s on deeper, slower, and more meaningful. 

This year’s theme, “Come Home to Yourself,” feels especially powerful for a first-year gathering. Why did you choose it, and how does it inform the energy of the weekend? 

This theme came straight from my own journey. After navigating personal grief and major life shifts, I found myself in a space where I needed to return to my roots, my intuition, and my truth. “Come Home to Yourself” is about that inward return, and we’ve designed every part of the weekend to support that. It’s about remembering who you are when the noise fades away. 

Tell us about the curation process for the lineup, both musical and otherwise. What kind of artists, healers, and facilitators did you want to spotlight? 

I was incredibly intentional with our curation. I chose artists and facilitators not just because of their talent, but because of the energy they carry. We’ve got DJs who know how to move a crowd and hold sacred space. We’ve got sound healers, movement leaders, intuitive readers, and visual artists who are all passionate about co-creating something meaningful. Everyone involved believes in the power of community and creativity as medicine. 

With everything from workshops to immersive art to late-night fires, RIAHTFest feels like more than a party, it feels like a journey. What kind of experience are you hoping to create for attendees? 

I want people to feel like they stepped into another world, one where they can truly breathe, connect, and explore. The weekend is designed like a soft arc: you arrive, you settle, you explore, you release, you dance, and you integrate. Whether it’s through a sunrise sound bath or a spontaneous jam session around the fire, the goal is to leave you more whole than when you arrived. 

Westcliffe is a gorgeous and lesser-known spot, and being a Dark Sky Community adds another layer of magic. Why was this the perfect place to bring RIAHTFest to life? 

Westcliffe is pure magic. The stars alone are worth the trip, it’s one of the few places where you can actually see the Milky Way with the naked eye. The land feels sacred, open, and peaceful. It’s removed just enough from the chaos of the city to help people drop in and reconnect with something deeper. 

When we found Agape Valley Campground, it felt like divine alignment. The owners share our values, and their intentionality shows up in every corner of the space, even the campsites are named after different forms of love: Eros, Pragma, Philautia, and Xenia. That energy, of love in all its forms, is woven into the land. 

The campground itself is like a mini Electric Forest, with towering trees that hum with life and natural spring water spigots throughout, grounding you in something pure and elemental. The

land has power all over it. We knew right away: this is the place. A place where healing, creativity, and connection could flow naturally. 

What’s been the most rewarding (or surprising) part of building a first-year festival from the ground up? 

The most rewarding part has been watching this vision pull the right people in, volunteers, artists, vendors, attendees. Everyone involved has shown up with heart, and the synchronicities have been wild. People I barely knew at the start have become some of my closest friends, and I’ve seen that same kind of connection spark between others, on planning calls, at craft nights, in group chats and late-night brainstorms. It’s like the energy of RIAHTFest has been building its own community before we even set foot on the land. 

Some of the most beautiful bonds I’ve witnessed didn’t form on a dance floor, they were made while painting signs for directions, troubleshooting logistics, or dreaming together running around the land. Watching people come alive in their gifts, and then turn around and cheer each other on? That’s the real magic. 

The surprising part? Probably how much work it takes to bring something like this to life, physically, emotionally, spiritually. But it’s all felt aligned. And when something is truly aligned, the work becomes a kind of devotion. Every long night, every little detail, it’s all been worth it. 

What do you hope people feel when they leave RIAHTFest for the first time? 

I hope they feel seen, nourished, and inspired, and like they came home to themselves. I want people to feel radically free to be who they are, without masks or expectations. That kind of deep acceptance can be life-changing. 

More than anything, I want them to leave with full hearts, new friendships, and a renewed sense of connection, to themselves, to nature, and to something bigger. If just one person goes home and takes a step toward a more honest, creative, or aligned life because of something they experienced here, then we did our job. RIAHTFest is more than a moment, it’s a reminder that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling you can always come back to.