Nocturnal Wonderland Recap: A Festival That Alice in Wonderland Would Be Proud Of
You have to be a bit of a mad hatter to survive Nocturnal Wonderland—the two-day festival that holds the title of America’s longest-running dance music event. For starters, getting there is a mission in itself. The San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, California—a massive outdoor music venue nestled in the hills of Glen Helen Regional Park—is a twelve-mile drive out of downtown San Bernardino, on the same route that would take you to Vegas. The fact that tens of thousands of ravers braved this sojourn for the second year in a row speaks to the cult-like following that the festival has accrued over its 19-year history; while few were present for Nocturnal Wonderland’s earliest days, when it occupied a tagged-up warehouse in East LA, the thirst for a strobe-lit weekend on the tail end of summer remains just as strong.
For better of worse, Insomniac Events—the promoting beast behind Nocturnal Wonderland—has been slamming down the fact that you, the festivalgoers, are the real stars of the show. They even call fans “headliners” on their promotional materials and Facebook page. Whether that is because of the diminishing value of pretty much having the same top DJs play every single event, or just a community-building push for having you “do you,” depends on what side of the bed you get up on in the morning. Regardless, they proved once again that they’ve mastered the art of making sure everyone has a really fucking good time.
This year marked Nocturnal Wonderland’s 19th anniversary, and they celebrated it in style—with an Alice in Wonderland-style demented tea party on Saturday night. Bucking the trend of large festivals banning rave attire for the sake of "safety," Nocturnal Wonderland welcomed kandi concoctions in all shapes and forms, giving revelers the freedom to deck themselves out in all kinds of stunningly creative attire. Beaded masks and pasties were the costume of choice. And say what you want about being the cool fuccboi on the block, but anyone in a full Mario Brothers Mushroom creation is an alright kid with us.
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