Over the past decade, Hinterland has positioned itself as Iowa’s premier music festival, bringing bigger and better names to St. Charles every year. 2025 was one of the best Hinterlands yet — the festival grounds’ accessible new design alleviated past years’ woes and paired perfectly with the ideal weather (backed by a 90-degree guarantee). This year, Hinterland is stepping up its game even further, expanding its grounds by 130 acres and erecting an ~8,000 square foot permanent stage.
“This is an important step in Hinterland’s future,” Sam Summers, Hinterland founder and owner, said. “From the beginning, our goal has been to build something lasting here — not just for one weekend, but for the long term. This permanent outdoor stage allows us to keep growing Hinterland in a thoughtful way, improve the experience for fans and artists and continue establishing this part of Iowa as a special place for live music in the heart of the Midwest.”
Ames architecture firm Goché Inclusions designed the stage and functional open-air grounds with the rolling hills and tree lines of rural Warren County in mind. The stage was built on a concrete foundation with a steel frame and an insulated metal panel wall and roof system, with a performance area elevated seven feet above grade and an overall height of 65 feet.
With this year’s land acquisition, Hinterland’s grounds now span nearly 400 acres across camping and parking. The main festival concourse will span 27 acres. That's plenty of room to peruse vendors, grab a good bite to eat and, of course, enjoy the musical stylings of KATSEYE, Mumford and Sons, Lorde, Kali Uchis and a whole lot more.
“This investment marks a new chapter for Hinterland, building on a decade of momentum and further reinforcing its reputation as one of the country’s most distinctive festival destinations,” the Hinterland team said in a press release.
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