The two-day celebration will feature over 200 pieces of art and live performances from 50-plus musical artists.
Those who’ve had the pleasure of attending the legendary Glastonbury Festival may be familiar with the bizarre Shangri-La experience, a portion of the annual music and performance arts festival dedicated to shining a spotlight on progressive culture and encouraging activism.
With this years festivities cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, event organizers today announced that this year’s Shangri-La celebration will be moving to a virtual format in the form of Lost Horizon, a two-day celebration featuring over 200 pieces of art from 60-plus creators and live performances from over 50 musical acts.
Beginning July 3rd, attendees can sign into VR social platform Sansar via their computer, mobile device, or compatible VR headset and immerse themselves in a virtual fiesta complete with past Shangri-La attractions such as the Gas Tower, Freedom, and SHITV stages. There’s also the new “Nomad” stage, an area dedicated entirely to UK culture and drum-n-bass music.
Performing on these oddly-crafted platforms will be an eclectic lineup of superstar DJs and underground acts, including Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Skream, and over 50 other established artists. Lost Horizon will also serve as the debut for Sansar’s new mobile platform, allowing smartphone users to hop between different angles of each stage. In between sets attendees can peruse through a massive selection of custom artwork featured in a virtual art exhibition helmed by graphic design legend Malcolm Garrett of Design Manchester.
“Now more than ever, fans are looking beyond traditional live shows to connect with the artists they love,” said Sheri Bryant, President of Sansar, in an official release. “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 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. We’re at the vanguard of something truly incredible, and we couldn’t be more excited to turn this page.”
“Our mission is to pioneer new ways of sharing culture and creating a global community that we feel defines us and our ethos,”added Kaye Dunnings, Creative Director at Shangri-La and Lost Horizon. “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.”
Developed by Sansar in partnership with VR Jam, Lost Horizon will take place July 3rd – 4th via the Sansar VR social platform, available free via SteamVR. Tickets are available for purchase here; all proceeds from the virtual art exhibit will be donated to The Big Issue and Amnesty International.
Image Credit: Sansar, VR Jam
