Festival Focus: Nocturnal Wonderland

Thousands of festival lovers on the west coast are preparing for their Labor Day adventure, Nocturnal Wonderland. Only five hours away from Phoenix nestled near the mountains in San Bernardino, California, experience the wonders of the darkness of the wonderland of night.

Nocturnal Wonderland was one of Insomniac’s very first events. It has had numerous locations since it first came into existence in 1995. Downtown Los Angeles, Texas, and even the Indio Polo grounds, where the infamous Coachella Music Festival is now held, are just to name a few. Since then, it has established its residence at the San Manuel Amphitheater and Grounds and has grown to be one of the greatest events of the 21st century.

In 1997, Nocturnal Wonderland lost its venue, so Pasquale, founder of Insomniac, paid off a Native American tribe to host the event on their land. Trouble erupted when only some of the Natives got a hold of the money and others did not. Since they were so furious, they set up fencing to keep ravers out. A car was used to force the fence open. 20,000 people showed up to the grounds and rushed the barb wired fence into the event.

 Nocturnal Wonderland Flyer 1997

Today, Nocturnal has evolved into a new embodiment of prior years. With the same energy present, a large portion of the festival is revealed through the artwork and performers. Explore the hidden crevasses of your brain while maneuvering through the three dimensional art structures. Confront the creatures of the night in the nocturnal land of wonder. Set up camp and receive the entire experience during all hours of the night. All while listening to some of the world’s most reputable producers in electronic music.

Nocturnal Wonderland 2016 Official Trailer

This year’s lineup is absolutely killer. There’s no arguing that one. Between Bassnectar, Odesza, Gentlemen’s Club, Ephwurd, Caspa B2B Rusko, Minnesota, TroyBoi, and so much more, it has proven itself to be one of the best electronic lineups of the year. The amount of talent within one venue is unheard of and makes you wonder how you can get all of it for such a price.

As reputable as it may be, Nocturnal Wonderland has been around for over twenty years for good reason. It only continues to grow as more people discover the wonders of the event. Nocturnal has contributed to the shaping of Insomniac into who they are today and has been embedded in the history of their success.

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