Fill the festival-shaped hole in your life with these live, virtual alternatives – including a VR version of Glastonbury’s Shangri-La.
Watching classic festival reruns on TV is a fine way to spend your pandemic-hit weekend, they also lack something crucial – the live, interactive thrill of real-world music carnivals. So we’ve rounded up the next best thing – the best virtual festivals that are taking place across digital fields this summer.
Of course, nothing can quite replace watching your favorite artists playing al fresco, before forgetting where you pitched your tent. But a new wave of virtual festivals, headlined by a VR version of Glastonbury’s Shangri-La, are promising to bring a taste of the real thing to your living room.
We’re not just talking streaming recorded Glastonbury sets online here – to qualify as a ‘virtual festival’, it needs to offer a live element for those special, fleeting festival moments, plus some form of interactive fun or the ability to meet up with friends.
That’s something all of the virtual festivals below offer in different ways – all you need is a web browser or app, and in some cases a ticket, to join the party. Kicking things off is Pride Inside, followed by the one that promises to go closest to recreating a real-life Glastonbury – particularly if you own an VR headset…
June is Pride month, and sadly events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community have been canceled around the world owing to the pandemic. Want to get involved in a virtual alternative? Pride Inside may be the best option for you.
It’s set to offer a variety of « innovative,360 degree environments » where you’ll be able to wander through festival grounds and watch performances. You’ll also be able to experience it with up to nine other friends.
Artists performing over the two day event include Betty Who, Vincint and The Aces. Plus, it’s set to host a variety of RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants – in fact, there will be 16 ex-contestants appearing over the two days.
The whole thing is made in partnership with Amazon Prime Video, so we’re hoping the tech is well produced. This is unlikely to feel as energizing as a real life Pride parade, but it may sadly be the closest you can get to that experience in 2020.
Go to the Pride Inside website
Fancy wandering down to Glastonbury’s legendary south-east corner for some off-piste frolics and stellar DJ sets? The real Shangri-La is doesn’t exist this year, of course, so its designers have built a virtual one instead.
