Back at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on April 25-26, Forbidden Kingdom‘s eighth edition showed significant improvements that have brought the bass festival a long way from its start as a small event in 2019. Growing crowds and stage improvements made their way from Boca Raton to Orlando in 2021, where the festival has found enough space to host sold-out crowds estimated at around 20,000 people.
With crowds spread throughout the venue, new stage enhancements, and other changes this year, the medieval-themed event again proved a great festival for lovers of dubstep, D&B, riddim, and other bass-heavy genres. We caught PLUR vibes everywhere we turned.
Read EDM Maniac’s full report on Forbidden Kingdom 2026 below.
Quick Takes
Best moments: T-Pain’s sunset set. Subtronics dropping his legendary Frank Sinatra remix. A heavy set from Getter B2B Space Laces.
Needs work: Sidequest opportunities. More shaded areas. Lasers and visuals.
Hidden gem: The indoor Crystal Spire warehouse stage. Mystic Gardens on the lake. The Dragons Nest, with “real” dragons and surprise sets.
Audience Match
Who this festival is for: Bassheads. Hardcore day-partiers. Fans who enjoy an early night.
Maybe skip if: Dubstep isn’t your thing. You’re concerned about the Florida weather, swinging from hot sun to heavy rain.
Vibes: A
Forbidden Kingdom takes fans into a world of Renaissance raving. Tailored to the lords and ladies of the dubstep and bass realms, heavyweight lineups of the genre’s best DJs attract high-energy crowds for a headbanging weekend crusade.
For a sold-out festival, crowds at Forbidden Kingdom felt incredibly approachable. Moving from stage to stage was easy, given the crowd size, and the spirit of PLUR was strong at this festival. We traded kandi and trinkets, met bassheads who brought incredible vibes, and marveled at crafty outfits and totems.
In the crowd, we felt a strong sense of mutual respect for the space and for each other. We didn’t experience any shoving or tight spaces, and everyone moving through used their manners. It seemed like everyone was there to make friends, headbang, and have a great time.
Production: B-
Stage designs were designed to suit Forbidden Kingdom’s medieval rave theme. Some stages leaned into a more minimal design than we’ve come to expect with similar bass events, but the intentionality of the stage designs was impressive.
The Forbidden Realm main stage stood tall, but because its LED video wall consisted of smaller, separate panels, most visuals were difficult to view at scale. Intentionally placed across the divided screens, Subtronics‘ visuals really stood out, but others didn’t quite hit the same way.
The Mystic Garden stage caught our eye with its view of the nearby lake, reminding us of Florida’s beauty, soundtracked by heavy riddim performances on day two. After the stage had issues with sound last year, its new location, away from the metal building that had rattled with the bass the previous year, dispelled any audio woes and improved crowd flow.
Thanks to its larger screen, the Dragon’s Lair had the best visuals, framed by large chains (for wrangling the dragons, of course). T-Pain‘s sunset DJ set was a highlight for many attendees and drew the biggest crowd we saw at the stage. The fourth wall was only broken when the wind would blow the chains, revealing they were pretend.
The Dragon’s Nest secret stage was unique, with surprise sets happening all throughout Sunday. YDG performing with a family of dragons and their eggs was an out-of-this-world experience. The Crystal Spire stage also deserves praise for its lasers. Its indoor location and heavy-duty laser setup really gave us a warehouse vibe.
For a dubstep and bass festival, we felt that more lasers and pyro could enhance the dance floor experience, but there were still some epic moments. The tent over the main stage to provide shade at last year’s festival made the lasers way more intense and exciting. This time around, with how hot Sunday was, we found ourselves missing the tent.
We didn’t notice significant sound bleed between the stages. They felt well spaced out. Sound quality was good and loud.
Music: A
Forbidden Kingdom is a paradise for lovers of dubstep and heavy bass, and the lineup featured artists who absolutely brought it: dubstep, deep bass, D&B, riddim, and beyond.
Bass-heavy headliners such as Zeds Dead, Virtual Riot, SVDDEN DEATH, Liquid Stranger B2B Mersiv, PhaseOne, Kompany, and Boogie T played on night one. Night two brought Getter B2B Space Laces, Deathpact, Subtronics, ATLiens, an Ivy Lab sunset D&B set, and T-Pain’s fan-favorite DJ set.
The diversity of the lineup was well put together, showcasing many different DJs and genres. It also featured surging artists dominating the scene, such as A Hundred Drums, Austeria, Gardella, Mary Droppinz, HVDES, and Whethan. The flow between artists was seamless. Day two seemed to feature more heavy hitters than day one.
Venue: B
Forbidden Kingdom returned to its recent home at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. The stages were well spaced without long walks between stages. We felt the size of the venue was appropriate for the number of stages and attendees.
There were two free GA waterfill stations and two VIP free waterfill stations. The GA water lines were long but moved relatively quickly. On day two, when it was significantly hotter, the lines were much longer.
Organizers made layout improvements, such as moving the Mystic Stage. The roofed structure where it used to sit became the Medieval Market, which offered shade and protection from rain while letting in the Florida breeze.
The tent over the Forbidden Stage at last year’s event was removed this year. With the heat of day two, the tent would’ve been beneficial, but the main stage’s design was very impressive.
The ID check, wristband scan, and security check lines moved quickly. People were moving through in around 10 minutes. Rideshare and parking lots were located about a five-minute walk from the gates. Will call, box office, and ticket help were easily accessible next to the entry gates. There were five ADA viewing areas, one at each stage.
There were four restroom areas in GA that typically weren’t crowded, and there were many porta-potties in each area. There were two VIP restroom areas with air conditioning and flushable toilets as a perk.
There were only two shade structures in GA and in VIP, made up of multiple small tents that did little to provide shade and protection from the elements. If the tents were larger, more people could use them without having to cram in.
Lines for festival merch were quite long on the first day, but didn’t sell out as quickly as expected. Fans could rep the medieval theme in many styles, and if you spent over $100, you were gifted a free Insomniac tote bag.
Two charging lockers and one paid locker option were located in the festival grounds. Paid parking was available for $40, while ADA parking was first come first serve. Area businesses also opened their lots to offer paid parking near the festival.
Florida weather can be unpredictable, so be prepared for varying weather conditions at Forbidden Kingdom. We got rain earlier than forecast on day one and had a very hot day two. The festival also ends early, closing at 11PM on Saturday and 10PM on Sunday night.
Sidequest-ability: C
Forbidden Kingdom is more about the sets than the sidequest; however, the festival does a fantastic job with its decorations, immersing fans in a medieval vibe.
Being up close with big dragons and dragon eggs while listening to surprise sets, the Dragon’s Nest only added to the immersion.
There were two art installations and multiple photo opportunity areas in GA and VIP. Kandi making stations and Frick Frack Blackjack set up in the Medieval Market, along with a variety of local vendors. The Spire of Fire art installation was stunning, but loud. With its close proximity to the main stage, if you were closer to the back, it could be a bit distracting.
VIP had more side-quest options, including activities like Adopt a Dragon, Crown Building, and Trinket Trade. The festival also offered WiFi in VIP areas.
Food & Beverage: B+
Lines for food, drinks, and entry were reasonable and moved quickly.
Food options ranged from standard festival food, such as burgers, chicken tenders, fries, and corndogs, to more unique options, including Poke bowls, Guac Go, and rice bowls.
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options were available at all the official food booths. Prices were festival standard, ranging from $12 to $22 for food items and between $5 and $12 for lemonade and smoothies. Five different food areas made for shorter lines that moved very quickly. Food trucks in VIP areas, where lines moved quickly as well, were priced around the same as GA.
In addition to mixed drinks, alcoholic options included ready-to-drink beverages such as BeatBox, White Claws, and Sippers by 99, as well as draft beer. Prices were higher than at your local dive but on par with most Insomniac events, ranging from $15 to $20. Specialty cocktail prices ranged from $19 to $29. Mocktails were $11. Non-alcoholic options were also offered, priced between $5 to $8.
Overall: B+
Forbidden Kingdom’s improvements really showed this year. The festival’s medieval theme was very well represented and marketed to the right type of ravers. We will definitely be back at Forbidden Kingdom next year: the music, lineup, sets, and fantastic vibes created a wonderful weekend.
If you plan to head to Forbidden Kingdom next year, make sure to bring a fan for the warm weather, ponchos for unexpected rain, and definitely earplugs for this bass-heavy event.
Find EDM Maniac’s complete Festival Report Card archive here.
Featured image courtesy: Insomniac Events. Credit: Jake West.
