When Nordista Freeze started the retro-futuristic Space Prom in Nashville in 2018, it was just a small DIY event at a Chinese restaurant called Lucky Bamboo. The 80s-themed “reclaiming of prom” was a smash hit in its first year, but he had no idea that it would grow into an annual traveling circus.
Now in its eighth year, the concept of Space Prom has been nearly the same since its inception: Nordista Freeze is the house band, Freeze himself is the host, and local artists join the band to sing different 80s tribute songs.
“People can dress up however they want; whether it’s space, or prom, or 80s, or some combination of the three,” Freeze explains. “We dress up as well, and we play two hours worth of songs from what a lot of people say is the best era of music, and the iconic decade.”
Each year, Space Prom also has a specific overall theme that helps guide the setlist, costumes, and production design. The 2026 theme is: To Dream or Not to Dream.
Space Prom 2026 takes place across six nights in five cities:
- 1/23 – Greenville, SC – @radioroomgreenville
- 1/24 -Athens, GA • @40wattathens
- 1/30 – Charleston, SC • @music_farm
- 1/31 – Savannah, GA • @victorynorthsavannah
- 2/6 – Nashville, TN • @thebasementeast
- 2/7 – Nashville, TN • @thebasementeast
In each city, local artists from that city will join the Nordista Freeze house band.
Planning Space Prom
It is a lot of work to plan Space Prom, and Nordista Freeze doesn’t do it alone. His biggest collaborator is creative director Sam Hearn, his childhood best friend who also spent many years in the Nordista Freeze touring band.
Freeze handles assembling the lineup in each city, connecting with the local scene, and promoting the event, while Sam is responsible for making Space Prom as unique and exciting as possible.
“Sam works on that extensively, with a vigor is unfathomable to me,” Freeze says. “Everyone else on the team also puts forth songs, but it is mainly curated by by Sam. He is the one who brings the identity to the set list in a creative way.”
Sam goes through old records to find commonality in terms of lyrics and themes, and crafts a unique setlist for each year of Space Prom.
“He attended the first Space Prom and over the next couple years just became more involved,” Freeze continues. “He was in the band for years two through six, and then last year went full creative director.”
A New Show Every Year
The concept for Space Prom may be the same every year, but the show itself is completely different, with a new setlist, new costumes, and completely new theme.
“I think with 80s music a lot of people would encourage us to to go more towards the mainstream,” Freeze says. “We could repeat the same songs every year, and just play the biggest mega hits. We play songs that were popular, but we almost never repeat songs,
and the songs that we pick can be a little bit more underground or forgotten.”
This gives them a chance to reintroduce those songs to the culture through Space Prom, and educate people on the 80s era of music.
“We learn a whole new batch of music, we have whole new outfits, we have a whole new message, and we do that every single year. It is easily the hardest thing I do every year, but I feel like people can tell that we’re not a cash grab, we’re not trying to kitschy. We bring the heart, sincerity, and passion of an original music act to our 80s tribute night.”
The Space Prom Community
This level of passion from the people behind Space Prom is shared by many of the fans, including some who have been to every single Space Prom. He references band member Sunshine, who has been to every single Space Prom.
“She attended every single Space Prom from the start and was obsessed with it,” Freeze recalls. “At Space Prom 6 we had her sing a song, and she blew us away, so last year we added her to the band.”
There are more stories like that, where people involved in planning the event have been there since the beginning as fans. It’s this kind of community support and dedication that has allowed Space Prom to blossom.
Taking Space Prom on the Road
For the first few years, Space Prom was based in Nashville only, but recent editions have seen Space Prom in Savannah, Gainesville (at Flipturn’s music festival), and Athens. In 2026, Space Prom will debut in South Carolina, with dates in both Greenville and Charleston.
“I’m trying to pick cities that I’ve played a bunch, and have a thriving music and art scene that’s treated me well,” Freeze says. “Charleston has always been one of my favorite places to play, so it’s pretty exciting.”
Extra Chill has personal experience with Charleston treating Nordista Freeze well, as he headlined Extra Chill Fest in 2023, and we collaborated on a massive sold out show at The Royal American in Februrary 2020. We’re also helping to assemble the lineup for the inaugural Charleston Space Prom.
“We’ve been cautious, we don’t want to expand too fast and go under,” he continues. “We don’t really make a lot of money, if any, doing this. So we’re trying to be as careful as we can.”
Especially with a 10-piece band, a lighting crew, and a big production, Space Prom has to be careful not to overextend.
“This is definitely a passion project that has taken us to the brink many times, where we didn’t know if we could keep doing it, but people really love Space Prom.” Freeze closes, “As someone who tours around all year, it’s the reaction that people have to it, and the way it makes them feel. It seems like something worth fighting for.”
Tickets to Space Prom 2026 are on sale now. See their Instagram page for more info.
