Lost Lands Endured the Worst Weather in its History

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Despite unprecedented rainfall and challenging conditions, Lost Lands 2026 proved why headbangers continue to flock to Legend Valley.

Dinosaurs. Dubstep. Crater. Becky. Mention these keywords to any headbanger, and they’ll automatically know that you’re talking about Lost Lands, Excision’s bass wonderland in Thornville, Ohio. Since 2017, the superstar DJ has grown his festival to be the premier destination for dubstep in the US. While that genre reigns supreme there, fans can also find plenty of riddim, trap, drum and bass, melodic bass, and sprinkles of hardstyle or house even if they look harder.

From September 18-20, Legend Valley transformed into a prehistoric dominion, ruled by the plethora of dinosaurs that roamed its grounds. Whether or not you were into the sounds of hard-hitting bass, it was evident that something special was circulating at the venue from the moment you set foot in it.

While I may not be the basshead that I was six to ten years ago, I’ve always been curious about Lost Lands. Every friend who’s attended has spoken highly of the place, from the magic that lies within to the insane production Excision always has up his sleeve. After some serious convincing from my rave fam to join them this year in Forest Camping, along with my inner desire to finally cross Lost Lands off my bucket list and satisfy my inner basshead, I decided to pull the trigger on Lost Lands 2026.

Forest Camping at Lost Lands is a vibe, but it’s not for the weak.

While I’ve camped at festivals like Electric Forest, Coachella, and EDC Las Vegas, Lost Lands was a different beast, namely due to the terrain. Both the campgrounds and venue have multiple hills to traverse across anything but pavement, and the rain and mud added an extra layer of difficulty to get around. I seriously recommend wearing hiking boots if you want to be comfortable. Ladies, leave the platforms at home.

Regardless, camping in the forest under the trees was an absolute vibe, and it provided much-needed shade from the sun. You’re able to pitch your tent anywhere and take up as much space as you need, within reason. If you opt for Forest Camping, be sure to bring a wagon with you to haul your belongings into that area as you won’t be camping next to your car. Also, bring tapestries or other markers to place along your campsite and the main path so you can easily spot where you are. Forest Camping was about a 15 minute walk from the festival entrance.

A few friends and I arrived to the campgrounds in the early hours of Friday morning after a 35-minute Uber ride from Columbus Airport. We met up with the rest of our group, who had been there since Wednesday.

They had already set up most of our camp, opting to enjoy the many pre-parties at The Grove, The Crater, and the Prehistoric Stage before the festival even began. What followed would be the first of many rainstorms and weather delays throughout the weekend, but as seasoned ravers, we rolled with the punches. We paused setting up the rest of our camp as a torrential rainstorm rolled through, and we had no choice but to settle into our tents and wait until daylight.

Legend Valley received three times more rain than the normal amount for this time of year, creating chaotic scenes.

Cars got stuck in mud and needed to be towed out. Tents and walkways flooded. Attendees slipped and slid down muddy hills. The venue got evacuated. These were a few of the sights that plagued Lost Lands this year, and you either made the best of a crappy situation, or it overwhelmed you. While I definitely picked the worst year weather wise to finally attend Lost Lands, it took a team effort to raise spirits and keep campsites intact. The rave community really pulled through whenever a fellow fan was struggling, and that in itself was beautiful to see.

Regarding the venue and how Lost Lands handled the weather, I do think that more precautions could have been taken. It had been raining for weeks already in Thornville, with the forecast showing scattered showers and thunderstorms during the festival weekend. With the ground soft and riddled with mud, perhaps more gravel could have been laid down before attendees arrived to make walking easier and prevent cars from getting stuck. Getting in and out of Forest Camping itself required careful stepping. A staff member positioned at the Forest Camping entrance told me on Friday morning that he was working on getting plywood to lay down there; it never arrived throughout the weekend.

Excision’s team did actively work throughout the weekend to improve conditions as best they could. They laid out more gravel around the main festival entrance to cover up the mud and drained standing water from certain camping areas. They also covered the costs of towing cars out of the mud and provided real-time updates on social media and the Lost Lands app for attendees. Excision is known for making things right at his festivals and working to resolve issues for current and future editions. It’s how he continues to earn fans’ loyalty.

Seeing the Prehistoric Stage in person after watching the Couchlands livestream year after year was breathtaking.

After a rain-filled night and muddy morning, my group finished setting up camp and headed in for day one, basking in the mainstage’s massive footprint. The Prehistoric Stage came to life even more at night, with multicolored pyro, lasers, fireworks, and a drone show captivating the audience. The renowned PK Sound system enveloped you at the mainstage, along with at The Crater and Wompy Woods, with virtually no sound bleed between stages.

Wompy Woods could be considered Lost Lands’ second mainstage, with its sheer size fitting the bill. The Crater beckoned with its 360-degree slew of lasers and surprise sets after midnight. The festival’s smaller stages, Subsidia Stage, Forest Stage, and Raptor Alley, were located near the back of the venue, each packing their own punch as well. If you were lucky, you’d stumble upon the infamous “red door” into a secret stage, where Excision performed a surprise b3b set this year.

Regardless of which stage you were at, wearing ear plugs was an absolute necessity. I often felt the bass vibrating my body and rattling my ear drums, so I made sure to always have my ear protection on hand. Luckily, Excision provides high-fidelity ear plugs with each official ticket purchase.

Every artist on the lineup gave their absolute all for each performance, with surprise sets added into the mix.

Headliners like Leveltronics (Subtronics b2b Level Up), Levity, and the debut of ALLDAT (Crankdat b2b ALLEYCVT) stunned with bass-fueled remixes and dynamic rhythms that kept headbangers glued to the stage. Excision’s three sets throughout the weekend were each special in their own way, too. His solo set on the first night featured a variety of sounds ranging from drum and bass to hard techno. Excision’s Detox Set on Sunday at Wompy Woods was a welcome change of pace, and an electric back-to-back performance with Space Laces at Prehistoric Stage closed out the weekend.

A few other standout artists for me included Jkyl & Hyde, Ravenscoon, Richard Finger, Seven Lions, and IVORY, along with Eptic b2b LYNY. Surprise back-to-back sets at The Crater after midnight were always fun to catch as it was always anyone’s guess as to who would hop on the decks next. I caught half of Mersiv b2b Seth David on Saturday night in the middle of The Crater and had too much fun reveling in all the lasers surrounding me. Feelings were mixed, though, over The Crater’s new design this year and its outer walls being removed.

While Lost Lands caters heavily to dubstep fans, I appreciated the variety within the bass spectrum on the lineup.

Through headbanging, vibing, and high knees-ing my way across the various bass subgenres of Lost Lands, I found my heart to lie more with the laidback, wubby, and even grimy sounds. Artists like Ganja White Night, Liquid Stranger, Distinct Motive, and Austeria were more of a fit for my current tastes than the super aggressive tearout I’d often hear from other artists. I found that my tastes have changed, and I’m not the same basshead I used to be when first getting into the dance music scene ten years ago — and that’s to be expected.

Some nights, I opted to dive fully into being a riddim rat, embracing the feral energy around me. Another night, I switched up the pace with a dose of drum and bass. Unfortunately, Wax Motif and Stumpi’s sets were cancelled when the festival was evacuated at the end of day three, so I couldn’t get my much-desired house music fix. Still, my point is that there’s opportunities to experiment with different genres while at Lost Lands; if you need a breather, just head to the next stage over, and see what’s playing.

While ravers made it through the muddy weekend with multiple rain delays and evacuations, Sunday night took a heavy hit.

After coming off a high from Excision b2b Space Laces and the festival’s closing ceremony, Lost Lands was evacuated around 11:40pm while the sound camps were just getting started. This would be the last time that festivalgoers would be in the venue for 2026, as a rapidly moving thunderstorm ensured that gates would not reopen. Complaints about how this evacuation was handled would make up the bulk of attendees’ gripes with the festival this year.

As far as I’m aware, the entirety of the festival attempted to exit through the festival’s narrow main gates all at once, when other exits should have been opened for crowd flow. At one point, we heard through fellow attendees in the crowd that the tunnel to get to camping had been flooded; we were on our own to get back to camp via a different route. I feel especially bad for members of the ADA community, as I heard stories the next day of attendees with limited mobility stranded in the festival without a way to leave or navigate through the mud as medical could not get to them.

Those who waited in line for the shuttles also had it rough, with many waiting hours in the rain, thunder, and lightning as the buses were backed up along the road and could not get in or out of the pickup lot. It was a lot of “hurry up and wait” as festivalgoers rushed to get out of the venue and seek shelter from the storm, only to be caught in the open for hours. Artists weren’t spared, with several posting that they could not get a ride out of the area, either.

I hope to see many changes next year in case of further inclement weather, like better-trained staff, posted signage with important updates for those who don’t have cell service to access the Lost Lands app, clear communications over loud speakers on where exactly to go when evacuating, and starting any evacuations with ample time to leave. While Saturday’s midday evacuation was well-timed ahead of the storm, Sunday’s began too late, likely in an effort to finish out Excision’s final set and the closing ceremony celebration. Fans looking to voice their opinions should fill out the annual Lost Lands After Survey, which will be hitting email inboxes soon.

Given the harsh weather that bombarded Legend Valley, Excision’s team worked relentlessly to make improvements during the festival and communicate via social media and the Lost Lands app, with attendees boosting each other’s morale.

We took what was given to us and made the most out of our situation. While I do think that the event organizers could have prepared better for the storms, a record-breaking amount of rain pelted the grounds. I saw ravers dancing their hearts out, spreading PLUR, and helping each other where needed. Sometimes, that’s all you can do in moments like these.

While bass music in general isn’t my particular cup of tea anymore, I genuinely had an exhilarating time at the festival. The dinosaurs around the venue immersed me in the prehistoric theme, and Lost Lands has one of the most PLUR-oriented crowds I’ve encountered. There was room to dance, endless trinket-trading opportunities, plenty of good vibes maneuvering through crowds, and some of the best sets I’ve heard in bass music. If you’re a dubstep or riddim fan in particular, there’s no doubt that you must attend Lost Lands at the next chance you get.

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