Nuclear Missile Silo Becomes Festival Venue in Roswell, New Mexico
A Cold War-era nuclear missile silo in Roswell, New Mexico, has been repurposed to host a unique three-day festival called Atomika this November. The event aims to bring together scientists, artists, and explorers.
The Twistflower Nuclear Missile Silo, a remnant of the Cold War located over 100 feet underground in Roswell, New Mexico, will reopen in November not for its original purpose, but as the venue for a three-day festival named Atomika. Organizers describe the event as a convergence of scientists, artists, and explorers, featuring "immersive art, deep inquiry, and powerful music."
Festival founder Nik Halik, who also owns a significant portion of underground nuclear bunkers across the U.S., envisions the silo as a "ritual site for interstellar imagination." He aims to repurpose the facility, originally built for destruction, into a space that fosters community and shared ideas. Halik contrasts this with what he sees as a trend toward superficiality in modern festivals, seeking to create a more authentic and intimate gathering.
The repurposing project involved renovating the silo's above-ground launch control center into a conference area and installing a large laser at the silo's base for sky projection. The site, built in 1961 and decommissioned in 1965, was purchased by Halik in 2017 from Bob Lazar, known for his claims regarding Area 51. The silo once housed a missile capable of reaching Moscow and was placed at DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Atomika's lineup includes musicians, astronauts, and physicists. Halik believes that in an era dominated by the attention economy, there is a growing demand for "reality economy" experiences focusing on off-grid, analog communication. The festival runs from November 6-8, with tickets starting at $545.