What to know | Philly's Century-Old Fort Throws a Séance Rave: Making Time ∞ Enlists Kim Gordon, Theo Parrish
The key details: The sixth edition of Making Time ∞ took over Philadelphia's historic Fort Mifflin, with founder Dave P. booking Kim Gordon, Theo Parrish, and Bradford Cox—back onstage for the first time in seven years. As always, a psychic was brought in beforehand to say hello to the fort's resident spirits.
Before the festival kicked off, organizers did something that had nothing to do with sound systems or stage lighting: they brought in a "psychic expert" to greet the ghosts haunting the fort. This isn't some marketing gimmick dressed up as folklore—it's an annual ritual for Making Time ∞, and what sets this festival apart from every other one like it.
The sixth edition of Making Time ∞ (pronounced "Making Time Forever") in 2026 was held at Fort Mifflin, a historic military fortification next to Philadelphia International Airport. The fort served as a battleground during the American Revolutionary War and was later used as a military prison during the Civil War. Founder Dave P. currently sits on Fort Mifflin's board and describes himself as having a "deep connection" to the site. Since 2023, the Making Time team has re-sodded the grounds and continued maintaining the historic landmark—including tending to its resident "ghosts."
"The psychic expert comes and communicates with the spirits, lets them know what's going on, and that we're here with good intentions," Dave P. said of the pre-festival ritual. "They tell the spirits we're here to do good things for this fort. I feel like they're having a great time and they appreciate what we're doing." He also mentioned that the site keeps a log of "unexplained phenomena," which includes multiple sightings of a "green orb."
As for the lineup: Kim Gordon brought her new punky digi-trap live show, vinyl DJ Theo Parrish played a marathon three-hour set, and Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox took the stage under his solo project Atlas Sound for the first time in seven years. Dave P. said this year he "dug deeper into the underground," continuing the festival's commitment to live bands while also bringing in ear—a group previously featured in a documentary by The FADER—to perform their hardcore folktronica on The Lot Radio stage. Philly-based noise-pop act They Are Gutting A Body of Water got a hometown hero's welcome on the Majestic stage. Local acts Jeff Zeigler and Zillas on Acid, along with selectors Cubby and Jewelsea, further showcased the depth of Philadelphia's underground scene.
Making Time ∞'s 2025 edition sold out all three days, and now, heading into its sixth year, the festival has carved out a solid place on the global map of electronic and experimental music events—putting it in the same league as Sustain Release in New York's Catskills, Horst Festival outside Brussels, and New Jersey's Dripping. What they all have in common: a lineup curated precisely enough to bring together the crowd that spends the whole day lost in hazy techno and the crowd that spends every night deep-diving obscure Bandcamp finds—all under one roof.
