While Ohioans may be familiar with big music festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza, there’s one music festival that may go over many heads. What I’m referring to is the lesser-known but highly popular Lost Lands Festival, located in Legend Valley, Ohio.

The festival consists of dozens of artists who play a variety of heavy-bass electronic music, an attraction for those who want both hardcore music or a fun-filled weekend with friends. With attendance in previous years reaching up to 40,000, I couldn’t say no to bringing two of my buddies to go with me.

After around a two-hour drive we arrived at the campgrounds, flooded with RV’s, cars and tents of all kinds. The attire of most attendees is creative, to say the least, with tons of psychedelic colored shirts and jerseys labeled with their favorite EDM artists. Many come with unique gimmicks, such as color-changing glowing staffs, hypnotic LED rave gloves and, by far my favorite, a person dressed up as Grimace from Ronald McDonald’s crew. The sky was the limit with these costumes, with dozens of shops scattered around the camp and festival grounds selling such attire.

But what about the music? The whole point is to listen to your favorite artists right? I only have one word to describe the stages: phenomenal. With five different stages to choose from, there’s something for everyone. The Prehistoric Evolution stage served as the main stage for the entire festival, towering at over five stories, a record one million watts of bass playing speakers, and some of the biggest producers of bass music the industry has to offer. Loaded with fireworks and pillars of fire that can be activated at any time, it acts as the hub for most listeners.

The smaller main stage comically named Woompy Woods acts as a smaller, but still massive main stage for large and medium-sized artists alike. Each is decked out with tons of screens for visuals and never disappoints to capture your attention. Towards the back of the festival grounds, you’ll find the Forest Stage, Raptor Valley and the Subsidia Stage. While the Forest Stage and Raptor Valley serve as stages for smaller artists, they still attracted hundreds throughout the day and way into the late night. While Forest and Raptor played booked artists, the Subsidia Stage played artists exclusively from the Subsidia record label, founded by both head organizer of Lost Lands and famous dubstep artist Excision. No matter how big or small they were, each stage felt alive and filled with excitement.

My favorite of these stages has to be the most dangerous of the five, named the Asteroid — a flaming dome that sounds and feels as cool as the name implies. Packed to the brim, the atmosphere of the Asteroid acts as a late nightclub after the main stage ends. Many of these smaller stages play into the night, going as late as 4 a.m., and are a welcome addition after a long day of packed crowds.

Not in the mood for big stages or late-night raving? Back at the campgrounds lies the Red Bull MXT truck, playing local Ohio DJs day in and day out. The truck provides a more laid-back experience for those who are burned out from a day of dancing or simply want a bite to eat while they listen to some late-night bass.

Did I forget to mention the festival is dinosaur-themed? Tons of dinosaurs are littered about the festival, there’s giant t-rexes on the main stage, and a fully grown brontosaurus overlooks the main stage. It’s truly a sight to behold, and even more impressive when you get close and personal with a few of the moving ones.

All of this combined leads to a truly unique experience and a weekend I will never forget. My group made tons of new friends, and despite electronic music not being at the top of their listening lists, they had a blast headbanging with me.

Lost Lands isn’t a one-time festival, and comes back around the same time every year in September. So if you’re looking to widen your experience for music festivals, or simply looking for a way to spend your weekend, Lost Lands is an attraction that will certainly fill your needs. The crowds are electric, the music is loud, and the dinosaurs stand proud. So next year take a voyage down to Legend Valley for Lost Lands next year, and I promise you won’t regret it.