A How-To Guide To SITG's Epic Virtual Festival Splendour XR

If you are anything like us here at Music Feeds then your music festival withdrawals are probably at an all-time high right now. Thankfully, sweet relief is mere days away in the form of Splendour XR. An innovative, limited-edition virtual festival experience unlike any other our kind has known before, Splendour XR will beam genuine exclusive performances from a STACKED lineup of local and international megastars straight to your screen of choice.

With sets from The Killers, Charlie XCX, Khalid, Vance Joy, Chvrches, Denzel Curry, Duke Dumont, Tash Sultana, The Avalanches, Masked Wolf, Of Monsters And Men, Russ Millions, Jungle, Band Of Horses, What So Not, Phoebe Bridgers, Little Simz, Hot Dub Time Machine, Aurora + many, many more, Splendour XR would be worth the paltry price of admission for the video streams alone but the digital fest doesn’t just offer the chance to watch live sets with your friends, oh no, it invites you to experience them in extended reality.

Thanks to a collaboration with VR game-changers Sansar, Splendour XR offers the chance to recreate the authentic festival experience by creating a virtual version of yourself and going on a wander through an imaginatively embellished but faithful recreation of IRL Splendour’s Byron Bay site.

For those with a gaming PC or VR headset, you can even meet up with your virtual friends along the way and partake in any number of musical and non-musical adventures. As with IRL Splendour, the choice is all yours. Want to start the day with Yoga at the Global Village? You can! Want to fill your brain with some knowledge at the Splendour Forum? You can! Want to drop the kids off at Little Splendour, so you can get back to doing things you’ll one day warn them not to do? Yep, you can do that too!

After months and months of having literally nothing to do, all of this room for activities sounds pretty awesome, but it also sounds a bit hectic, and potentially a little overwhelming. Never fear though we’ve done you all a favour and knocked together this handy little explainer to help make Splendour XR your ideal festival experience, extended!

WHEN + WHERE + HOW IS SPLENDOUR XR TAKING PLACE?

When: SplendourXR runs from 12pm – 2am on both Saturday 24 July and Sunday 25 July. All performances will remain available to ticket holders on VOD for 7 days after the festival.

Where: Thanks to the innovators at SANSAR, Splendour XR will take place wherever you (+ your festival crew) have access to a gaming PC, mobile, browser or VR device. That’s right there’s no need to stack the car with camping gear. (Although living room or backyard tent setups could surely only add to the experience, you do you.)

How: Access to Splendour XR will be via the SANSAR website.

Note: To get the full Splendour XR experience, you’ll need to make sure you have access to a compatible device. All device and system specifications can be found here.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WHEN I ARRIVE?

Once you enter Splendour XR you’ll have access to an imaginative recreation of the IRL Splendour In The Grass festival site. You can stroll through the festival site and explore the XR world along the way or you can teleport your way from stage to stage to watch your favourite artists as they’re beamed into virtual space.

Head to the lovingly recreated Amphitheatre, Mix Up and GW McLennan music stages – to name a few – and watch live performances from an array of multiple camera angles to select from. It’ll be the choose-your-own-adventure festival of your dreams.

Check out this in world preview to get your virtual taste buds tingling:

If you’re accessing the festival via gaming PC or VR headset, you’ll even be able to create a fully customisable avatar of yourself, providing a world-first fully immersive extended reality experience. Details on how that all works can be found here.

If you don’t have a gaming PC or VR headset, don’t despair though, Splendour XR will still be a dazzling extended reality experience the likes of which you’ve never seen before.

SOUNDS DOPE, WHO IS PLAYING + WHEN?

The full lineup for Splendour XR is STACKED with local and international talent, the list for which can be found at the bottom of the article, but Saturday highlights are set to come from headliner Khalid, Chvrches, Denzel Curry, Duke Dumont, Tash Sultana, Masked Wolf, Phoebe Bridgers, Little Simz, AURORA and more with Sunday bringing the hits from The Killers, Charli XCX, Vance Joy, The Avalanches, Of Monsters and Men, plus, again, so many more. Peep official set times right here.

All performances are exclusive to Splendour XR and are shot with multiple cameras and VR capabilities, enabling you to experience the closest thing to being at a show in person.

IS IT JUST MUSIC?

One of the things that makes Splendour in the Grass so special each year is the totality of the combined music and cultural experience. Splendour XR keeps this in mind by offering the full Splendour experience in extended reality, meaning that alongside the stellar musical lineup, you’ll also be able to feed your brain at the Splendour Forum, pop into the Comedy Tent to catch some lols, experience the Global Village, have a dance in the Tipi Forest, pick up some merch or verch (digital merch) and even indulge in an iconic Strummer Cocktail.

They’ve even thought of the children, with Little Splendour providing a safe, dedicated digital space, full of kid-friendly interactive activities that’ll have the little ones loving it, while you’re off in another virtual realm living your best life. There’ll even be a live info booth and virtual medical centre, in case you need assistance.

I’M SOLD, HOW DO I GET TICKETS + WHAT PACKAGE OPTIONS ARE THERE?

Tickets are available for a single day or both days now, with package options available for groups of friends wanting to experience it together. Party packages including weekend event passes, wristbands, Splendour tumblers, event posters and more are also available to help bring the festival vibes to your Splendour XR viewing party!

Check the tickets website for all details.

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Splendour XR 2021 Full Lineup

Saturday, 24th July

Khalid
CHVRCHES
Denzel Curry
Duke Dumont
Tash Sultana
Masked Wolf
Russ Millions
Band Of Horses
Little Simz
Violent Soho
Aurora
Phoebe Bridgers
Vera Blue
Pink Sweat$
Client Liaison
Griff
Pond
Tayla Parx
Dune Rats
Methyl Ethel
The Chats
Triple One
Cat & Calmell
King Stingray
The Southern River Band

Sunday, 25th July

The Killers
Charli XCX
Vance Joy
The Avalanches
Of Monsters And Men
Kaytranada
Black Pumas
Hot Dub Time Machine
Millennium Parade
The Jungle Giants
Ocean Alley
Jungle
What So Not
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Sinéad Harnett
Holly Humberstone
Spacey Jane
Crooked Colours
Amyl And The Sniffers
Wafia
Aviva
The Snuts
Band-maid
Ziggy Ramo
Gretta Ray