The creative team behind Glastonbury’s Shangri-La zone have partnered VRJAM and Sansar to create a free virtual-reality festival across 3 and 4 July.
Claiming to be the world’s largest music and arts festival in VR, Lost Horizon will feature four VR stages with a line-up of more than 50 music acts and more than 100 DJs and artists, including Fatboy Slim, Peggy Gou, Nastia and Pete Tong, produced in collaboration with Orca Sound Project and Beatport.
The virtual and mixed-reality festival can be explored via PC, VR or mobile app, and will be streamed live on Beatport and Twitch, and via partner and artists’ Facebook, YouTube and Twitch accounts.
Digital festivalgoers can explore the virtual world and interact with each other, experiencing different vantage points, such as dancefloors, hidden venue and secret gigs, with computer-generated avatars and green-screen "hologram" performances created using Sansar, the photorealistic platform for virtual live events by Wookey Technologies.
Shangri-La International Television will also be screening films, documentaries, theatre, live art, comedy, animation and talks, while 200 visual artworks, curated by ShangrilART on the theme of human connection, will mirror Shangri-La’s art gallery.
Tickets to the two-day event are free, with the audience encouraged to donate to The Big Issue and Amnesty International via the VR and streaming platforms, plus the Lost Horizon website.
Creative director Kaye Dunnings came up with the idea for the festival following the cancellation of Glastonbury’s 50th-anniversary event due to coronavirus. She said: "Shangri-La has brought many world firsts since its creation in 2008, from the first to use video mapping in a festival environment to the first 'womxn'-only space. 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.’
Sansar president Sheri Bryant added: "Now, more than ever, fans are looking beyond traditional live shows to connect with the artists they love. They are online, savvy about streaming, eager to experience music unconstrained by where they live and there’s a clear demand for events that transcend old boundaries. The future of live events is virtual and we’re incredibly excited to be bringing it to fruition."