Eleven Bands, One Pool: Oracle Arts Nonprofit Turns Its Swimming Hole Into a Music Festival
For one Saturday in September, the pool at Rancho Linda Vista will do double duty as a swimming hole and a concert venue.
The Summer Pool Festival SPF26 arrives Saturday, September 5, bringing eleven bands and three DJs to the historic artist ranch for ten straight hours of music, noon until 10 p.m. Tickets are $20, children under 13 free. The pool stays open the entire time, with a lifeguard on duty.
The festival is a joint production of the nonprofit Wilson Barn, the Rancho Linda Vista artist community, and Phoenix artist-run label Music Sounds Records. All proceeds go to RLV OracleArt, the 501(c)(3) that operates the Wilson Barn, funding artist residencies, its barn concert series, and preservation of its historic buildings and land. It is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, and the first event of its scale any of the partners has attempted.
The lineup leans on the Arizona independent music scene and spans a wide stylistic range — pop, rock, folk, blues, alt-country, cumbia, Chicano soul, and rap. Two acts come from within a few miles of the venue: Effren, from San Manuel, and Collective Soup, from Oracle itself. Los Angeles cumbia outfit Lxs Cochinxs headline, with Sam Blasucci co-headlining and Detroit alt-rock group Neu Blume before them. Several artists have prior ties to the ranch — the trio Myr recorded their debut EP out of a 2025 residency there.
“This lineup mostly contains artists who have some connection to the ranch,” said Francis Kelly, a director of RLV OracleArt and co-owner of Music Sounds Records, “but we’re thrilled to feature some newcomers, like Sam Blasucci and Lxs Cochinxs from LA, and Effren from right next door in San Manuel.”
Rancho Linda Vista was founded in 1968 by artists affiliated with the University of Arizona, who bought a former cattle and dude ranch in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains and turned it into a living arts community. It has housed artists, musicians, and writers ever since. The Wilson Barn, which RLV OracleArt has run as a gallery and event space for 20 years, anchors the public side of that work.
“We kept the ticket price low on purpose to make it as accessible as possible for the local residents,” said Nico Paco, a director of RLV OracleArt and a resident of the ranch. “Every dollar will go directly back into artist programs and the upkeep of the land and historic buildings.”
Where: Rancho Linda Vista, 1955 W. Linda Vista Rd., Oracle, AZ 85623
When: Saturday, September 5, noon to 10 p.m.
Admission: $20 at wilsonbarnarts.org/spf. All ages; children under 13 free. On-site camping $50.
Riot Grill serves food all day and water is free. Outside food and alcohol are permitted in cans or plastic, no glass, and attendees pack out what they bring. No pets. The grounds are unpaved and not ADA compliant; contact info@wilsonbarnarts.org with accessibility needs. Volunteers get free admission: volunteer@wilsonbarnarts.org.