Field of Vision Festival Photos, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Meadow Creek
Field of Vision festival photos are what I have to show you. But the thing about this festival is that no photograph captures all of it, the way the mountains held the sound, the strangers who became neighbors, I stood in the pit watching six musicians play as the world might end, and they wanted to leave everything on that stage.
In August 2025, my partner John and I drove to Buena Vista for the inaugural Field of Vision festival. Three days of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Meadow Creek, surrounded by 10,000 people from 35 countries who came because they felt it in their bones.
I was there as a fan. I was also there with a camera, lucky enough to be shooting from the pit. Now I'm here, still sorting through thousands of images, still finding moments I forgot I caught.
The Camp, The Neighbors, The Grilled Cheese
We car camped the whole weekend. Pitched our tent in the generous space Meadow Creek gives you, 20 by 22 feet, enough room to breathe, to spread out, to actually settle in. If you want to camp with friends, you can purchase a group camping pass or plan to caravan in together. No reserving spots, so arriving together is key.
We brought a camp stove. Made grilled cheese sandwiches that caught the attention of our neighbors, who happened to be from Chile. We shared food. We talked about the setlist predictions. We contact info and promised to stay in touch. We did. They're coming back for Field of Vision II this summer, and we'll be there waiting for them.
This is what the festival does. It turns strangers into people you want to see again. The fans call themselves the Weirdo Swarm, and they mean it with love. This sprawling, generous, deeply kind community that looks out for each other in ways I've rarely seen anywhere else.
Is Field of Vision Family Friendly?
Yes. All ages are welcome at Field of Vision.
I saw kids on their parents' shoulders, dancing to songs they couldn't possibly understand yet, but felt anyway. Families spread out on blankets in the grass, far enough from the speakers to hear each other talk, close enough to feel the bass in their chests. Couples swaying, pressed together. Friends reuniting after years apart.
King Gizzard has always been intentional about who they platform. At FOV 2025, they brought Aboriginal artists from Australia. They gave stage time to the Buena Vista High School Red Hots Jazz Band. They made space for The Songs for Kids Band, which supports children with disabilities. Night three was Drag Night. This year, Pattie Gonia, the drag queen environmental activist, is on the lineup.
This is a festival that cares about more than just music. You can feel it in who shows up and how they treat each other.
The Grounds at Meadow Creek
Beyond the stages, Meadow Creek itself is stunning. Mount Princeton rises in the background. A creek lined with hundred-foot cottonwood trees runs through the center of the grounds, and people wade in between sets, cooling off, laughing, soaking it in. There's a pond that becomes a beach. There are art installations flickering in the dark, Jason Galea's trippy TV sculptures, scattered like portals to somewhere else.
The venue is about two and a half hours from Denver, Colorado Springs, or Boulder. Campgrounds open at 8am on Friday for general admission, or you can grab a Thursday Early Arrival Pass and get in at noon the day before. There's a free shuttle between Meadow Creek and downtown Buena Vista, pickup at the Surf Hotel and Railroad Ave, if you want to explore town without driving.
After Dark: What Happens When the Music Stops
Field of Vision doesn't end when the headliner finishes.
Every night, there were movies projected under the stars. There were zine-making workshops where people created art together. There was Acid Yoga, exactly what it sounds like, stretching and breathing in the Colorado morning air with whatever was moving through your system.
Then there was the gathering space. A structure with stained glass windows and tree stumps for seats, tucked away from the main stage, glowing like something out of a dream. This is where Jess and Brooks said their vows during their elopement at FOV 2025. It's the kind of place that makes you understand why people choose to mark one of their biggest moments here.
Mirage City was its own world entirely. The bootlegger market where fans set up shop and sold handmade merch, screen-printed shirts, hand-stitched patches, custom posters, things you couldn't find anywhere else. It was overwhelming in the best way, a maze of creativity and community. Bring cash. You'll want to buy everything.
In the Pit: Photographing King Gizzard
I was credentialed to photograph from the pit, and I'm still not over it.
Can you take photos at Field of Vision? From the crowd, absolutely, everyone had their phones raised, capturing what they could. But pit access requires a photo pass, requested in advance. I applied and hoped for the best. And here I am, still sorting through thousands of images, still finding moments I forgot I caught.
The energy from the stage was relentless. 200 percent, every song. Stu Mackenzie played like he was trying to leave his body. Joey Walker, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Cook Craig, Lucas Harwood, Michael Cavanagh, six musicians moving as one organism, shifting genres mid-song, holding 10,000 people in their hands.
The photographers down there were just as incredible. There's a camaraderie in the pit, everyone looking out for each other, making space, sharing angles. No elbows. Just respect and shared awe. We were all witnessing something, and we knew it.
The Moments That Stayed
Callum and Superbug
During Superbug, they brought a kid on stage.
His name was Callum. He was 14, and he'd been holding a sign, hoping. And they gave him the guitar.
I have photos of him up there, this teenager, playing alongside King Gizzard in front of thousands of people, absolutely lit up from the inside. The crowd lost their minds. It was pure, unfiltered joy, the kind you can't manufacture.
Watch Callum play Superbug with King Gizzard, if you want to feel something today, this is it.
The Flute on Empty
Stu Mackenzie is a multi-instrumentalist, but watching him play the flute during “Empty" was something else entirely.
The song shifted. The whole crowd went quiet. Just Stu, the flute, and the mountains behind him, holding all of us in that suspended, aching space. I don't know how long it lasted. It felt like it could have been hours.
Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg
The last song I caught on Night 2 was Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg. If you know, you know. If you don't, it's a ten-minute existential journey through the mind of a cyborg who wants to vomit and die. It's magnificent. It shouldn't work, and it absolutely does.
The Socks
Stu prefers to play barefoot. So mid-set, he took off his socks and threw them into the crowd. I happened to be in the pit at that exact moment, camera up, and caught him looking down at me with his tongue out.
Someone out there has those socks. I hope they framed them.
The People
I didn't just photograph the band. I photographed the people.
The couple pressed against the barricade, leaning into each other. The kid in the King Gizzard shirt with his eyes closed, completely gone. The groups of friends sprawled across the grass, passing drinks and pointing at the stage like they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
This was street photography, festival style. Documenting humans doing what they do when the music takes over, showing up fully, holding onto each other, letting themselves be moved.
It reminded me why I do what I do. Not just at festivals, but everywhere. The way people look at each other when they think no one's watching. The way light wraps around a moment and makes it feel permanent, even when it isn't.
What to Know Before You Go
If you're heading to FOV II, here's what I learned from being there:
This is a Leave No Trace event. Bring your reusable water bottles and pack out what you pack in. Layers matter, Buena Vista is at elevation, and the days are warm, but the nights get cold. Bring camp chairs and blankets if you want to enjoy the music from the grass instead of the pit. Bring cash for Mirage City, because you will want to buy everything you see. Bring patience, kindness, and an open heart. The Weirdo Swarm doesn't tolerate bad energy, but they'll welcome you with everything they have if you meet them halfway.
Field of Vision II Returns This Summer
Field of Vision II is happening August 14–16, 2026 at Meadow Creek. King Gizzard will play all three nights, surrounded by a lineup that makes my heart race just reading it.
Angine de Poitrine. Blood Incantation. Jello Biafra. La Luz. Shana Cleveland. W.I.T.C.H.. Bullant and CAVS, Joey Walker and Michael Cavanagh's solo projects. Die Spitz. Earth Tongue. Etran de L'Aïr. Folk Bitch Trio. Jay Weinberg. Jonathan Toubin's Soul Clap & Dance Off. Lisa Bella Donna. Pattie Gonia. Spacemoth. Upchuck. Primitive Ring. Destrends. DJ Crenshaw. Will Sprott. Boogie Boudreaux.
Festival Details
Dates: Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16, 2026
Location: Meadow Creek, 15264 County Road 350, Buena Vista, CO
Early Arrival: Thursday, August 13 (separate pass required)
Shuttle: Free shuttle between Meadow Creek and downtown Buena Vista (Surf Hotel + Railroad Ave)
Leave No Trace: Bring your reusable water bottles. Pack out what you pack in.
All Ages Welcome
Tickets are on sale now at fieldofvision.meadowcreekco.com.
I'll Be There Again
John and I are car camping at Field of Vision II this summer. We'll be making grilled cheese. We'll be meeting our friends from Chile. And I'll be photographing.
Can you elope at Field of Vision? Absolutely.
Last year, I had the honor of documenting Jess and Brooks' elopement at Field of Vision. They car camped with the rest of us, said their vows in that stained glass gathering space with tree stump seats, and became part of the festival itself.
This year, I'll be photographing another love story at FOV II. I can't say more yet, it's a surprise, but it's going to be beautiful.
If you're heading to Field of Vision and you want to document your own story there, I'd love to hear from you. An elopement in the early morning light before the crowds wake up. A couples session between sets. Portraits with the mountains and the music as your backdrop. This is one of the most unique places in Colorado to celebrate what you have.
If festivals aren't your thing, but something here resonated, I photograph families, couples, and elopements across Colorado all year long. The same eye. The same energy. Just different light.
