The Lost Woods Festival has gotten a little bigger and a little better each year, and that was no different for its fourth year. It’s become well-known for being held in actual woods, for incredible lighting and photography and for the “can-do” attitude of everyone involved. Jim Swim, who has performed at Lost Woods every year, refers to the organizers as “DIY kings” who “took a ‘wanna’ and made it happen.”
The organizers, led by Cedar Falls band Salt Fox, have even expanded beyond the woods to include a short film and an Instagram account documenting the wildlife in the area. Lost Woods is not only the end of musical festival season for us at Studio One, but something we think and daydream about all year. Like Hinterland, it’s both a physical place and a state of mind.
This year, Lost Woods literally got bigger too. Traveling a little further into the woods, attendees could find a whole second stage with EDM performances, which had an enthusiastic crowd every time we headed there. On the way, there was a VIP area and a skateboard ramp, courtesy of the CedarLoo Skateboard Association. (One thing that was gone: the Ferris wheel, which apparently was a little too fast last year.)
For the second year in a row, someone other than Salt Fox headlined the festival, and it was once again someone with the word “hippie” in their band name. Last year it was Hippie Sabotage, and in 2026 the Miami band Magic City Hippies had the honor of closing out the main stage. They call their music “indie funk,” which is honestly perfect. Magic City Hippies’ resume includes performances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, so it was great to have them bring their unique sounds to Cedar Falls.
A few other artists made their Lost Woods debut this year too. Daniel Xavier, from Waterloo, kicked the day off with some soulful hip-hop. He’s an artist we’re definitely going to be keeping an ear out for. We also caught the Minneapolis band Sallyforth for the second time this year (they were also at Gays & Faes in Decorah), where they announced that they’ll be releasing a full album in 2027. We’re ready for it!
But the quote of the day may have come from the band Flake, which drove all the way from Wichita to play at the festival. Not only did they rock, they were pretty endearing dudes who were easy to root for. They couldn’t remember if they’d played in Iowa before, and eventually declared that “This is definitely our first good show in Iowa.” Hah!
Salt Fox and Jim Swim both returned to the main stage this year. Jim Swim (not his legal name) once again expressed his appreciation for the area overall, and he had a full band with him this time, playing some longtime favorites and songs from his upcoming album. Salt Fox, of course, threw a giant dance party, but also took a couple of moments to get serious, including playing a version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Lead singer Michael Rogers alluded to having been through a difficult year, but he powered through and told the audience: “It’s gonna be okay.”
Salt Fox brought out Charlotte Blu for one song as well. She played the main stage last year, and was on hand again to play an after-hours set at the VIP area. Finally, Jack Lion once again posted up in the tree house and played in between main stage sets. Their vibe was perfect for recharging in between dancing and singing along. And we have to give a special shout out to Jack Lion drummer Justin LeDuc, who sat in with both Jim Swim and Salt Fox for their full sets.
After four years, Lost Woods has definitely solidified itself as not only an important event on the Iowa music calendar, but for the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area overall. It’s clear that the Salt Fox guys and the rest of the organizers are going to at least look into every crazy idea they come up with, and as long as they keep doing it, we’ll be there.