The team behind Glastonbury’s Shangri-La has partnered with VRJAM and Sansar to announce Lost Horizon, the world’s largest music and arts festival in virtual reality.
Set for July 3-4, the festival, held in collaboration with Orca Sound Project and Beatport, features a line up of DJs, underground acts and visual artists, raising money for The Big Issue and Amnesty International. Artists will include Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Pete Tong, Sasha, Seth Troxler, Frank Turner and Eats Everything.
The interactive, multi-stage event will be streamed live and direct via Beatport and Twitch, and via partner and artist Facebook, YouTube and Twitch accounts.
Our mission is to pioneer new ways of sharing culture and creating a global community that we feel defines us and our ethos
Kaye Dunnings
Lost Horizon
Kaye Dunnings, creative director, said: "Shangri-La has brought many world firsts since its creation in 2008, from the first to use video mapping in a festival environment and an immersive storyline, to the first women only space or Heavy Metal area at a mainstream festival, incorporating creativity at its core and as a direct response to the world we live in.
"Our mission is to pioneer new ways of sharing culture and creating a global community that we feel defines us and our ethos. We need unity more than ever right now, in an industry that is falling away in front of us. By creating a digital platform to experience art and music in a new way, we are at the forefront of defining the next generation of live entertainment and creative communities as we know them."
The Nomad stage has been created for the 30th anniversary of the Traveller’s field that came before Shangri-La and will include artists such as 24hr Garage Girls, Amen4Tekno Records, Born on Road, Critical Records, Hospitality, Hold Tight Records, Kaotic Kartel, Run Tings Records, UnCommon Records.
Lost Horizon will feature computer-generated avatars and green screen ‘hologram’ performances. Lost Horizon is created using Sansar, Wookey Technologies’ platform for virtual live events. Mobile users will be able to toggle between different vantage points within the virtual world, whereas virtual reality and PC users will be able to move around inside the space, chat and interact with other festival goers.
It will also feature over 200 visual art pieces, curated by ShangrilART on the ongoing theme of human connection. Showcased on the towering billboards that surround the Freedom Stage will be a new exhibition co-curated by graphic designer Malcolm Garrett with Lost Horizon and Shangri-La creative director Kaye Dunnings. T
Sheri Bryant, president of Sansar, said: "Now more than ever, fans are looking beyond traditional live shows to connect with the artists they love. They’re online, they’re savvy about streaming, they’re eager to experience music unconstrained by where they live, and there’s a clear demand for events that transcend old boundaries.’
"With Shangri-La presents: Lost Horizon, we’re delivering the music festival of the future: deeply immersive, fully online, accessible to anyone and anywhere with a PC or phone at their disposal. Shangri-La presents: Lost Horizon exists at the vanguard of something truly incredible, and we couldn’t be more excited to turn this page.
"The future of live events is virtual and we’re incredibly excited to be bringing it to fruition."
Donations to the charities will be made via the VR and streaming platforms, plus www.losthorizonfestival.com
Tickets to experience Lost Horizon in VR orPC desktop are available now at www.sansar.com/losthorizon. Fans can also sign up for the free Lost Horizon mobile app that will empower them to see inside the virtual world of Lost Horizon using nothing more than their phone, by subscribing at www.losthorizonfestival.com
