The Phoenix area has played host to many awesome events in recent years, and it just successfully added the Lost Lake Festival to the roster after this past weekend of music, art, food and fun.
The festival was set up within Steele Indian School Park — running from Oct. 20 to 22 — with three stages for musicians to play from, a diverse range of local restaurants serving up food and, of course, drinks from breweries far and wide.
Each of the three days of the festival were well attended, bringing in a diverse range of music fans who were stoked to see musicians and bands like Noname, Chance, The Rapper, Playboy Manbaby, Muna, Lil Yachty, Huey Lewis & The News, The Killers, Major Lazer, Odesza — the list goes on.
Lost Lake Festival was organized by Superfly, the group behind well-known festivals like Bonnaroo, which is hosted in Tennessee, and Outside Lands, a city festival in San Francisco’s Golden gate Park. Superfly used its might and experience in organizing Lost Lake Festival, as the festival’s inaugural happening seemed as though it was just another well-established event Phoenix concert-goers are accustomed too.
Volunteers were ever-present, picking up trash before, during and after acts. Police officers and security could be seen almost everywhere, your ticket doubled as a light rail pass and local artists, culinary masters, musicians and more were involved with the organization of the festival from start to finish.
And, if you’ve been attending many of the local shows here, you’d be happy to see many familiar faces on the festival grounds, as volunteers, performers and fans. The Lost Lake Festival, like many of the Downtown Phoenix events in recent years, felt like a true part of the community.
And this community is no stranger to festivals. The area has been hosting events like Viva PHX and the McDowell Mountain Music Festival for years now, bringing in thousands of music fans each year. And during the large sporting events, like the Super Bowl and the Final Four, big headlining bands would come to the city to play large, free shows.
The music at the Lost Lake Festival was the primary reason for many in attendance. The range of acts present seemed tailored to draw in a diverse range of music lovers and fans into one gathering space.
And thematically, the musicians fit a varying range of feelings and vibes, appeasing those who want chill music and those who are down to get the party started.
On Friday, The Pixies rocked out on stage, playing their classics mixed in with new tracks. Then afterwards fans were treated to an amazing and uplifting performance by Chance, The Rapper. Saturday was filled with many great artists on stage, but the day was leading to two amazing groups: The Roots and The Killers. Both of them played spirited shows, filled with lots of energy and passion that was seen from the performers and the instruments they jammed on.
And on Sunday, it was all dance. People got their hips and legs moving to the tunes of Major Lazer and Odesza, apong other, which both played hype-filled shows that made you wish the weekend wasn’t coming to an end.
It was apparent, upon walking on the festival grounds for a guided media tour before the festival start, and during the actual festival, that a lot of love and care went into the design of this festival. Visual art was setup throughout the grounds by Walter Productions, which created large buses for photo opportunities.. Other art installations, included a metallic hummingbird and an amazing pyro-technic display set-up on the lake, where the festival got its name.
There was plenty to do if you were left waiting around for your must-see band too. The festival had many food options, which was curated by local culinary star Chris Bianco. Bianco said that many of the options were chosen to focus in on making sure dietary needs were met, and so that you could walk around with your food.
Walter Productions had also set up a game area, where folks were able to play croquet, Ping Pong and Jenga.
There was also a Nectar of the Gods section set up on the grounds. This area had Tequila and Mezcal drinks, along with flights and information about what you’re drinking and the creative process on how these drinks were made. If you weren’t interested in food and drink during Lost Lake, there was also a marketplace, which featured many awesome festival must-haves and art.
