It’s that time of year again where all the headbangers are starting to prep their necks. Lost Lands Festival is upon us and boy- lemme tell you it’s a doozie this year. I would describe this festival as something like the wild west- anything goes and there are very few limitations.
The Background
Lost Lands made its debut on the festival circuit in 2017. Boasting a heavy-hitting lineup of headbangers that had everyone scrambling to purchase tickets. The event has been held at Legend Valley Campgrounds (Thornville, OH) for the past couple of years. If not familiar, these grounds are also home to several other festivals throughout the year such as Resonance (which has now moved to a new venue), as well as WorkOut and Camp Punk.
Another notable tidbit about Lost Lands is that it’s personally curated by headbanger god himself, Excision. This means that attendees are teleported to an experienced custom curated for headbangers in mind. Who wouldn’t love that?
The Venue
As previously mentioned, Legend Valley is no stranger to festivals or large amounts of camping folks. This venue has been home to tons of mention worthy festivals, one of them being Resonance before they packed up and moved shop. (Some say that it was because of Lost Lands that they moved… Hmm). So here are some facts about the venue:
- The campgrounds and the actual music venue itself are separated by the main road. This means that ALL festival-goers are required to walk across a FUNCTIONING major road if they want to enter or exit the event. Luckily, in previous years, there have always been tons of cops and a crossing guard in this particular area to ensure festival goer safety. For 2023, they’re planning on constructing a pedestrian walk-way that goes over the road to help ease the delays to cross for traffic and attendees.
- The grounds themselves are NOT flat. The area where attendees are able to set up shop is situated on several hills (imagine Camp Bisco style). So if you don’t arrive early arrival, you’ll be at the bottom of ALL the hills which results in a lot of lost lands walk through.
- This year, Lost Lands is re-routing their traffic pattern to better accommodate attendees, as well as providing new/additional entrances. This means that if you’ve attended in previous years, the way you took may not be open this year, just FYI.
- To ensure you’re going to the right place, I highly recommend trying to go in with other people that know where the entrance is. Last year, there were signs out on the road directing traffic. However, the signs took us all in the completely wrong direction.
- Outside of the music venue (which doesn’t open until noon on all three days), there are not many (if any) additional activities or experiences for attendees to stay occupied within the campgrounds until gates open. So make sure you bring some games to stay busy while you wait or start planning your Lost Lands set times plan.
- Most of the stages are set up at the bottom of the hills, so no matter where you are in the crowd, you SHOULD be able to see.
Another thing to point out about the venue/Lost Lands is that every night there are Sound Camps. These are essentially the late night stages for LL, and each stage is custom curated by individual artists, boasting their own individual experiences. All I’ll say about these here is that I saw people carrying in air mattress and cases on cases of beer…. with no security in sight.
The Vibes
Overall, I would describe this festival as the wild west. Unlike other larger festivals (like Bonnaroo and Electric Forest), Lost Lands is an 18+ event- which means you will not be seeing families and small children running around the grounds.
When looking at the overall demographics of the festival, it should be pretty clear why I feel it’s is like the wild west. Fresh high school seniors/grads, as well as college students, tend to fill this festival annually. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing (myself being in one of those categories). However, it definitely contributes to the overall vibes. Just like in college, Lost Lands is a GIANT party, 24/7. I would say that the majority of attendees spend their time drinking and partaking in other ‘ventures’ throughout the span of the mornings until they attempt to head into the venue around noon.
The Fashion
There are definitely very ‘headbanger’ vibes at this festival. Unlike at other festivals, attendees are a sea of black and dark colors. Girls tend to trade their leg wraps and fluffy ears for leather harnesses and studded jewelry. The fashion at this festival really speaks to me more than other festivals. Everyone just looks so fierce!
(The pictures below are not mine. The beautiful ladies they belong to are linked to each picture, as well as their insta handles at the tops! Make sure you go show them some love!)
Inside The Venue
At some festivals, no matter where you are, things are crammed so tight with people you can’t move. Even in the back. Lost Lands is definitely a place where each headbanger has its own dancing space, whether in the front or the back. The other thing that really stood out was that they have several vendors (with what I would say have better prices than other festivals). Last year they even had this awesome protein, coffee shake deal that was outstanding. Oh.. And did I mention that there are giant fucking dinosaurs… EVERYWHERE.
The Music
Obviously, saving the best for last. The music at Lost Lands, some would argue, is like no other. The lineup alone is what brings people from far and wide to attend this event. The Lost Lands lineup is full of heavy bass music, ranging through a variety of different subgenres of Dubstep. Of course, there are artists on the lineup that have attended annually (looking at you Illenium, Ganja White Night and Rusko). If anything, this festival will leave your bass meter busted.
