Lost in the Hills Festival 2024 Writeup
Lost in the Hills festival returned on 10th, 11th and 12th May 2024, bringing world, experimental, folk, contemporary and electronic music to the Watts Russell Arms for a third consecutive year. Curated by Creative Peaks with funding from Arts Council England, this year’s eclectic line-up was spread across two hand-built stages and featured performances from: Frankie Archer, Seaming To, Vipertime, Ilke-Ta, Anona, Raoul Vignal, S8JFOU, The Beadling, Purple Hat Mob, The Seekers, Seikou Susso, Serena Jasmine, Ruby Geddes, Fuji Speedway and J2OH.
Spanning across three days, the annual music and arts festival incites creativity in all its forms. In addition to live music performances, there were various drop-ins, jam sessions and workshops for people to get involved with, including: spoken word, nature art, wood carving, story and movement, puppet-making, percussion-making, body percussion, storytelling, creative foraging, and a community canvas for collaborative art-making.
Nestled at the bottom of a steep-sided valley in the heart of the Peak District, Lost in the Hills festival inspires people to explore the connections between art and nature through recommended local walks and an arts trail which wound its way up through the terraced gardens and into the trees behind the pub. After darkness descended over the valley, beautiful projections appeared on the pub walls, courtesy of Chris Smith, Resonant Sounds and Dubrek Studios, and Saturday night featured a captivating and seductive fire dance performance from Blazing Cascades, accompanied by live jazz dnb set from J2OH.
The weekend had a laid-back and family-friendly feel to it, with countless moments of organic creativity when groups would congregate to chat, exchange ideas and play music in nearby fields or around fire-pits. There were also eco-conscious craft-stalls, healing sessions, delicious artisan food and plenty of local ciders and ales. Camping was provided by a variety of local campsites, with different options to suit different budgets, and people could either walk to the festival along one of the recommended routes or catch the shuttle bus.
We would like to thank all of the volunteers, bar staff, photographers and stage designers who helped out across the weekend; it wouldn’t have been possible without you. And one more big thank you to everyone who came along and made it another brilliant festival! Hope to see you again at Lost in the Hills 2025!
All images courtesy of Jo Trotter
All images courtesy of Jo Trotter
All images courtesy of Jo Trotter
All images courtesy of Jo Trotter