By Glenn Houlihan & Violette Bray
Main photo by Elliot Tensen courtesy of Lost Woods Festival.
Masterminded by the Cedar Falls based electro-pop trio Salt Fox—Michael Rogers, Andy Fuchtman, and Jacob Pauli—Lost Woods Music Festival 2026 was another spectacular triumph. Building on the success of previous editions, the festival’s fourth year kept what made the experience so special while incorporating a dazzling array of new activities, sights, and sounds.
Greeted at the festival gates by the stylish Lost Woods Festival sign—handcrafted, of course, by Salt Fox themselves—the familiar Lost Woods magic was immediately palpable. Serenaded by the experimental jazz of Iowa City’s Jack Lion (nestled, once again, in the festival’s majestic treetop stage) we glided through the iconic flamingo pink triangle archway that led into the main festival grounds. The fun, however, begins before you can even see the main stage. Giant communal art boards, which encourage festival attendees to leave their own mark on the event, were covered in sketches, signatures, and secret jokes, while the Vendor Bazaar was lined with independent creative artists.
What makes Lost Woods so special is the festival’s unforgettable mise-en-scène. From upright shipwrecked boats (cleverly employed this year to disguise two portable toilets) to the scores of salvaged classroom chairs, the entire environment felt like one giant art installation. A light up “Magic Moon” geodesic dome—built by, you guessed it, Salt Fox—controlled by a playable organ was this year’s “WOW” moment, although smaller touches such as festival t-shirt screen printing added to the overarching sense of care and love that defines this event.
The revamped main stage looked and (most importantly) sounded fantastic, with a wonderful bill of local and national acts. Iowa City’s Jim Swim blended new material from his debut album TOWNIE with older classics, performed alongside a rotation of incredibly talented collaborators. ALYX RUSH joined for the thrilling “Superposition,” ADE hyped up the crowd with “Procedures,” and Avery Moss was a consistent—and glamorous—presence on keys, delivering magnificent vocals on “Dessert.”
After Jim Swim’s uplifting energy, we headed to the festival’s biggest addition of 2026: an entirely new stage. Dedicated to electronic dance music (EDM), the second stage was an unqualified success—the sound, aesthetic, and vibes were simply euphoric. We caught the hybrid trap of ALLUMANis, which was a stand-out set of the whole festival. While his relentless bass-heavy drops were stellar, we were most impressed by the energy of his young child, who flanked him in a matching bucket hat and conducted the crowd for the entire performance. Our one Lost Woods regret is not being able to catch more artists at the EDM stage—beyond a quick look at the grunge-infused dubstep of HU$H, we were pulled back to the main stage for Salt Fox and festival headliners Magic City Hippies.
Salt Fox were at their dynamic best, galvanizing an excitable home crowd with their remarkable catalog of synth-driven anthems. These included tracks from their 2024 album MISS YOU, KYLE / LOVE YA, BOYS! such as “STARS”—with singalong lyrics projected onto the stage’s screen—and “RUN IT UP,” which ended with an extended solo from guitarist Andy Fuchtman. The champagne moment was Charlotte Blu’s appearance for her feature on their new single “HOLDIN ON,” as she supercharged the set with charisma and vocal power. The performance also felt deeply emotional for Salt Fox, with singer Michael Rogers leading a cathartic cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” as he paid tribute to a challenging year.
Closing out the main stage were Miami-based Magic City Hippies, whose fusion of indie-funk, soul, and psych-pop delivered a headline-worthy set. Frontman Robby Hunter’s energy was infectious, and newer tracks from their 2025 album Enemies blended seamlessly with older cuts, all unified through a set of groovy basslines. Highlights included a spontaneous game of on-stage limbo and an inspired cover of Mac Miller’s “What’s the Use?”, which kept the Lost Woods crowd dancing late into the forest night.
If you’re planning to attend Lost Woods next year—and hopefully this review underlines why you should—we encourage you to pair the festival with a visit to downtown Cedar Falls, which is filled with quaint and cozy local shops. On Sunday morning after the festival, we swung by The Nook & Reader’s Cup for a seasonal hot beverage, and loved interacting with the store’s Richard Scarry mini-print vending machine (four quarters = one mini-Richard Scarry masterpiece). We followed that with a trip to the stationery store Pretty Good Co., where we found everything from tiny wizard stickers to the iconic Japanese Nori Glue Pot. It felt like the Lost Woods magic had spread beyond the boundaries of the forest and into the city—elevating and magnifying the creative potential of the entire Cedar Falls region.
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