A huge virtual reality festival from Glastonbury’s Shangri-La team is happening this weekend
Users will be able to navigate their way through four stages of music via PC, VR or mobile app (iOS and Android), diving onto dancefloors, discovering secret headliners, and wandering into art performances.
An enormous, interactive virtual reality dance music event is streaming across the globe this weekend.
The team behind Glastonbury’s legendary Shangri-La, in partnership with VRJAM and Sansar, have announced the launch of Lost Horizon – the world’s largest VR music and arts festival.
Taking place on July 3 and 4, Lost Horizon features an line-up of superstar DJs, underground acts and visual artists – with proceeds going to The Big Issue and Amnesty International.
Users will be able to navigate their way through four stages of music via PC, VR or mobile app (iOS and Android), diving onto dancefloors, discovering secret headliners, and wandering into art performances.
Guests can even interact with fellow festival attendees as they explore the site.
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Alan Fitzpatrick, Carl Cox, Eats Everything, Fatboy Slim, Francesco Mami, Jamie Jones, John Digweed, Mella Dee, Nastia, Pete Tong, Sasha, Seth Troxler and Skream will all feature on the bill, among many others.
The SHITV (Shangri-La International Television) stage will be showing films, documentaries, theatre, live art, comedy, animation and talks, along with a special Nomad stage featuring artists from 24hr Garage Girls, Amen4Tekno Records, Born on Road, Critical Records, Hospitality, Hold Tight Records, Kaotic Kartel, Run Tings Records and UnCommon Records.
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More than 200 visual art pieces will also be on display at the festival, whilst Design Manchester has curated an exhibition around the main music stage.
Further billboard art based on the Lost Horizon artwork will be contributed by Manchester’s Instruct Studio, which created Lost Horizon’s brand, campaign and website.
Creative Director, Kaye Dunnings, 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 woman 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.
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“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.”
Sheri Bryant, President of Sansar, added: “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.”
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Lost Horizon tickets are free but if you can afford to contribute, you can purchase a ‘premium’ ticket with proceeds going to charities.
Fontaines D.C. announce ANOTHER enormous Manchester gig in Heaton Park
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced yet another Manchester gig – and this time, they’re heading to Heaton Park.
A run of arena gigs went on sale this morning, including a show at the AO Arena, but tickets sold out within minutes.
And now fans who missed out will have another chance to see the Irish rockers, with a run of outdoor summer gigs next year.
Fontaines D.C. will perform at Heaton Park, along with massive venues in Newcastle, Cardiff, Glasgow and London.
Their Manchester show will take over the stage at Heaton Park the weekend before next year’s Parklife festival.
The band will play Heaton Park on Saturday 3 July 2027, as part of a huge run of outdoor headline shows across the UK.
They’ll kick off the UK leg at Blackweir Fields in Cardiff on Tuesday 29 June, before heading to Newcastle’s St James’ Park on Thursday 1 July.
After Manchester, they’ll head to Glasgow Green on Tuesday 6 July, before bringing the run to a close at London Stadium on Friday 9 July.
And if that wasn’t enough, the band will also play two huge shows at Slane Castle in Ireland on 26 and 27 June.
It’s another major milestone for Fontaines D.C., who have rapidly gone from cult favourites to one of the biggest rock bands around.
The new outdoor dates come just hours after the band sold out their entire UK arena tour, including their Manchester show at the AO Arena on Saturday 21 November.
The Heaton Park show will also see Fontaines D.C. joined by two seriously big support acts, with Little Simz and Viagra Boys set to appear at every UK outdoor date.
It’s set to be a particularly busy period for the band, who are currently gearing up to release their fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber.
The record is due to arrive on 16 October 2026 via XL Recordings, following the release of lead single Marianne.
The album follows 2024’s critically acclaimed Romance, which reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and helped propel the band even further into the mainstream.
Fontaines D.C. have also just headlined Reading & Leeds Festival, another sign of just how far they’ve come since forming in Dublin.
And now they’re preparing to take on some of the UK’s biggest outdoor stages yet.
Fontaines D.C. 2027 UK dates in full
Tuesday 29 June – Blackweir Fields, Cardiff
Thursday 1 July – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Saturday 3 July – Heaton Park, Manchester
Tuesday 6 July – Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Friday 9 July – London Stadium, London
Tickets for the new outdoor dates go on presale at 10am on Tuesday 8 September, with general sale opening at 10am on Thursday 10 September HERE.
Elbow announce three very intimate shows in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Elbow have announced a three-night Manchester residency, and they’ll be playing a much more intimate venue than their usual.
The Bury-formed rock legends have announced a run of ‘very special’ intimate gigs to celebrate 25 years of their debut studio album, Asleep In The Back.
Elbow frontman Guy Garvey has said the band want it to be a ‘time machine night’ for both them and their fans.
Last time Elbow played a hometown gig, it was an enormous outdoor summer show at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester.
And the time before that, they were opening the UK’s largest indoor arena, the Co-op Live (admittedly, they weren’t supposed to open the venue, but its opening got delayed to land on the date of their gig).
So to see them play to a crowd of just 1,500 people is not an occurrence we’re likely to see again for a while.
Elbow have just announced three intimate Manchester gigs, performing at the O2 Ritz this November.
They’ll perform their debut, Asleep In The Back, in its entirety, along with selected B-sides and rarities.
Speaking of the announcement, Guy Garvey said: “It’s fascinating for us to revisit the atmosphere we created, and the Ritz feels like the perfect setting to capture that atmosphere.
“A time machine night for us and for the fans. See you there.”
Elbow will perform at O2 Ritz Manchester on Friday 20, Saturday 21, and Sunday 22 November.
Tickets will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 4 September HERE, with an artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 2 September.
The Manc -
30th June 2020 
