The lineup this year is one for the books. Check out the lineup below and be sure to grab tickets before it sells out.
Tickets for the event range from two days to single-day passes. Two-day general admission passes start at €149.99. Single-day general admission passes for Saturday are €99.99, whereas Sunday general admission starts at €79.99. Shuttle passes are available for purchase as well and start at €35.00. Camping passes are currently sold out.
For those in need of hotel rooms, don’t worry. Insomniac has partnered with dozens of hotels in the area to give you exclusive headliner-only pricing and discounted resort fees. If you are driving to the event, there is free general parking next to Glen Helen Park. Get tickets to Nocturnal Wonderland here.
Insomniac’s goal with each festival is to spread positivity and love. It’s important to remember the values of rave culture that bring us closer together. The Headliner’s Handbook is a great tool for some tips for beginner ravers. It also reminds veterans of why PLUR is so important. Some key takeaways from the handbook are always to be a headliner, spread love, respect the space, ignite positivity, embrace the true you, care for one another, be open to experience, and keep the beat going. We are all here for our love for music, so it’s essential to look out for another spread peace, love, unity, and respect.
savormeditation has many new arrivals and styles to help make your weekend even better. San Bernardino might get a little chilly when the night falls so be prepared and bring your pashmina and sweatshirt or jacket to keep you warm. Don’t forget to accessorize with glitter, chains, necklaces, hats, and sunglasses. savormeditation has so many options to choose from for each type of style. Here are some outfit ideas to make the decision process a little easier.
]]>Since this was my first time attending Nocturnal Wonderland I knew camping was my only option to completely immerse myself in the experience. Wow let me tell ya, it lived up to the hype. The party started as soon as the full moon made its appearance Friday night, and the campground energy seemed to elevate as the moon rose in the night sky. The Pre-Party at the Parliament Art Car set the tone and incredible vibes that spread through the crowd the whole weekend. Throughout Dr. Fresch and SAYMYNAME I had to keep reminding myself there was still a whole 2-day festival I had to pace myself for.
Photo Courtesy of Insomniac Events/Nocturnal Wonderland
Day 1 at the campground was HOT. But the 102 degree heat was no match for the chill vibes… although the waterpark did help. The campground offered various activities all weekend long—yoga, chakra rebalancing, a tie-dye party, and a build your own terrarium class were just a few of the exciting events on the list. Unfortunately, I only had enough energy to make it for the Rise & Energize yoga session Saturday morning before the heat had the campers flocking to the waterpark.
Photo Courtesy of Insomniac Events/Nocturnal Wonderland
As soon as the sun started to set the air drastically cooled off, almost like Glen Helen was getting the venue ready for the mosh pits and shuffle circles that would soon ensue. I was immediately blown away by the diversity of each stage after walking into the festival. Wolf Den’s size, visuals, and sound made it worthy of the main stage title. Sunken Garden was the perfect spot to vibe out, the lighthouse look acting as a beacon for all fans of house beats. Labyrinth was the best reward for hiking up the hill it rested on. My favorite part of this stage, along with the headbanging crowd and filthy drops, was the view it offered of the rest of the fest, the multicolored lights from the campground, and the scenic hills.
Photo Courtesy of Insomniac Events/Nocturnal Wonderland
I spent the majority of the first day running around the festival trying to see most of the artists on my list. I started with Champagne Drip B2B ZEKE BEATS. Even at the first set of the night I noticed just how incredible the atmosphere is at Nocturnal. Everyone seemed to have their hearts set on making the most of everyone’s last time experiencing America’s longest-running rave at this beloved venue.
One of my favorite things about Nocturnal was how well every stage flowed together with the art displays, but still stood completely unique from one another. It was so easy walking from stage to stage as they all sat in a line, but there wasn’t sound bleeding over from one set to the other. It made it easy to get sucked into dancing at an unknown set on your way to another destination.
I closed out night one with a mix of getting caught in my feels and raging to Zeds Dead (always a must see if they’re on the setlist). Greatest part of camping at Nocturnal Wonderland, the party doesn’t have to stop when the festival ends. The silent discos started at midnight with Sage Armstrong killing it at Sleepless Safari and Sumthin Sumthin groovin’ at Raccoon Lagoon. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hang as long as the festivities lasted, but I did see some hardcore ravers making their way back to crash at their tents when I got up in the morning to hit the showers.
Day 2 of Nocturnal I was set on getting caught in the experience of the music and floated around wherever it took me.
While in line for some lobster mac n cheese (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) my group stood in awe of the incredible sunset that started creating its own crazy visuals across the sky. We rushed to find a spot on the hill in between Sunken Garden and Labyrinth to enjoy the full show. The cotton candy clouds casted a pink hue across the entire crowd. Even though Subtronics played the night before, that final Glen Helen sunset really be hittin different.
My first and final experience of Nocturnal Wonderland at Glen Helen exceeded my expectations. My favorite sets of the weekend were G Jones, Peekaboo, Steve Darko, Zeds Dead, and CamelPhat B2B Solardo.
Beyond the music and venue, what really made this festival special were the people in attendance. I found myself taking a step back multiple times throughout the weekend to really take in the kindness and contagious positive vibes everyone emanated. If you shared love and respect you got it back tenfold. Not to mention, most people were quite literally glowing in their neon adorned outfits under the UV lights.
I’ve heard from quite a few people that Nocturnal Wonderland occupies the spot for their favorite music festival. While everyone has their own reasons for this popular opinion (the venue being one I’ve heard multiple times), I’m happy I was able to greet this festival for the first time with everyone as we also said goodbye to Glen Helen. Nocturnal is an ever-evolving festival, and I can’t wait to see what new and returning features will come with next year’s event.
]]>Here's this year's stage by stage lineup and who I"m most excited to see:
Wolves' Den
Wolves’ Den has a few heavy hitters from everyone’s favorite girl, Wenzday, to Dr. Fresch (who better use more cowbell for me), and not to mention, SAYMYNAME, who I haven't seen since EDCLV 2017 (you can find me front right of the stage going insane for that set).
Labyrinth
Labyrinth will be a lighting bolt of music to my ears that I am ready to hear! No doubt I’ll be feeding my dubstep heart full of Gentlemen's Club, Zomboy, Subtronics, and anyone else that wants to throw filthy drops at me. I have seen almost every artist on this lineup except for Peekaboo and he is on my must-see list.
Sunken Garden
Parliament Art Car
For Saturday, the Art Car has Jayceeoh then ETC! ETC! Then JSTJR THEN a secret B2B2B2B how insane. The art car will be taken over by Space Yacht on Sunday and they stacked Yakz then Nitti Gritti then UZ all in a row! The conflicts of sets will be hard to get through but it’ll be worth it!
Can’t wait to see all you beautiful people to be there!
]]>The camping festivities begin a day before the festival on Friday, September 13th. Whether you’re a camping connoisseur or a Nocturnal newbie, you’re not going to want to forget any camping essentials when packing. These camping tips and packing checklist will ensure you have everything you need to make the most during your adventure in Wonderland.
NOCTURNAL FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS:
CAMPSITE CHECKLIST
CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
FOOD
TOILETRIES
CAMPING TIPS
Camping Tip #1: Keep Your Campsite Fun, Functional, and Unique
Part of the camping festivities is decorating your site to not only reflect the style of your squad, but also make it easier to find when returning at night! Make sure you don’t bring along any precious items that would be devastating to lose. Anything you forgot to bring can most likely be found at the general store!
Camping TIp #2: Make Friends with Everyone
This includes your campsite neighbors and the staff. Spread the good vibes and respectful nature to everyone in the campground. It’s much more enjoyable when you have friendly faces see when you wake up in the morning and right before you crash at night.
Camping Tip #3: Enjoy the Experience
This is Nocturnal’s last year at Glen Helen Regional Park! Make the most of your time and say a proper goodbye to this incredible venue. Make sure you checkout:
Start prepping your camping essentials and mentally prepare yourself to say thank you and goodbye to Glen Helen! Keep in mind the general rules and objects allowed and not allowed into the campground. Can’t wait to groove with you all under the full moon!
]]>The Lineup/Stages:
First things first, you NEED to check out this awesome lineup. The lineup is one of the most important parts to the festival and this year's lineup is AMAZING:
The stages even have the best names that keep me excited to catch sets at them: Wolf’s Den, Labyrinth, Sunken Garden, and the first time ever, the Parliament Art Car! I can’t wait to finally see Dr. Fresch live again, I also love his mashups.
Themed-Oufits
One of the most fun themes of Nocturnal Wonderland is being able to dress the part for this funky festival. I will definitely feel like real-life Alice-in-Wonderland for the weekend since it’ll be my first time, but even more for others because there will be three new stages, a pre-party for campers, new art pieces and silent discos. I might even dress the part! If you need outfits, check out iHeartRaves' Nocturnal Wonderland Outfit blog.
Nocturnal Wonderland Rave Name Generator
Another fun experience Insomniac has added is their Rave Name Generator, on their website you can put your first and last name and it will generate a funny rave name. I already have one given to me by friends and I think Eharmony rolls off the tongue better than “Crusty Groundscore” but maybe for the weekend I’ll use it. Try it yourself and see what you get, you could get “Thirsty Guest List”
The Art Installations/Performers
Nocturnal Wonderland has always been a mystery to me but all the stories I’ve ever heard were how vibrant the colors, art, and people were. I’m most excited for the glow in the dark experiences and three-dimensional artwork. Walking into wonderland is going to be an experience itself, trying to hold my excitement down, I mean “LED-infused life forms” doesn’t that sound like the most amazing thing to see ever?! I am a huge renaissance fair fan and the fact I know there will be performers as forest nymphs and cats will keep me on my toes to find them.
The festival is set to take place over the weekend of September 14-15, 2019 and I can’t wait. I’ve had some really amazing experiences at Nocturnal, and I am so stoked to see what this year has in store.
One of my favorite aspects of this event is the different fashion trends that appear each year. Wondering what to wear to Nocturnal Wonderland? Here's what I would recommend for Nocturnal Wonderland Outfits this year:
Nocturnal Wonderland is one of those events where you need to make sure you check the weather the week of to know what to expect. It’s in September which means it could be warm at night or it could be cold once the sun goes down. I’ve experienced both at Nocturnal, and you want to be fully prepared.
I always recommend, no matter what event, packing some leggings with you and a scarf -- girls AND guys. They roll up super small and can end up saving you later if you’re cold. I’ve used my scarf as a maxi skirt before even! I always make sure my friends have a set too so we’re all ready to be as comfortable as possible all night long.
Whether you're looking to be a creature of the night, or radiate rainbow vibes throughout the weekend, there are hundreds of options when it comes to styling for Nocturnal Wonderland outfits. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
Personally, I LOVE how the advertising for Nocturnal Wonderland has blacklight/UV lighting. There's a really cool tunnel at Nocturnal that has blacklights and neon paint so you can paint or write your name in glowing ink. This tunnel also makes for great photo opps if you happen to be wearing something that will glow under the UV lights!
Psychedelic Flower Child Outfit
Unleash your inner spirit animal with these adorable animal-print outfits! The theme of Nocturnal Wonderland is "creatures of the night," so anything animal print is right on-brand for this funky festival.
Animal Pasties, like these Rainbow Butterfly Pasties, can also be a great way to subtlety add hints of animal vibes to your outfit!
Nocturnal Wonderland always invites some funky vibes, especially if you'll be hanging out at the Sunken Garden stage (one of my personal favorites), and trippy print items are the perfect way to express that!
Warning: Glen Helen can be extremely dusty! I would definitely recommend that you bring a Seamless Mask with you.
The Streetwear trend was really popular at festivals like HARD, but I would be willing to bet that we'll see a lot of looks like this at Nocturnal as well:
Tie Dye and Rainbow looks are some of my personal favorites! You can never go wrong with this look. I've been to Nocturnal Wonderland twice and I always try to incorporate this theme on at least of the days. To me, Nocturnal feels whimsical and fun, so this look really matches my vibe!
Rainbow Doll Underboob Crop Top & Rainbow Doll High Waisted Bottoms
Snake Charmer Top & Snake Charmer Booty Shorts // Photo Credit: @katlynsyrett
Want to match with your festie bestie or your squad? Check out the savormeditation Unicron Crew Instagram to get some inspiration!
What are YOU wearing to Nocturnal Wonderland? Tell us in the comments below!
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I was able to take some awesome pics of the fashion I found at the festival, and I’m so excited to share some of them with you here!
]]>I was able to take some awesome pics of the fashion I found at the festival, and I’m so excited to share some of them with you here!
Butterfly Wings, Puff Ball Headband
Rave Princess One Piece, Fluffy Moon Dust Light Up Choker (girl), Monochrome Tie Dye T-Shirt (guy)
Rainbow Spiked Kaleidoscope Goggles, Light Up Tie Dye Cropped Fur Jacket
Sparkling Bandage Knit Set, Shooting Star Rhinestone Mesh Flares
I didn't get a chance to photograph these lovely ladies, but the savormeditation’ Unicorn Crew had super cute looks at Nocturnal, too!
Photo Credit: Stephanie Le Photography
Bewitched Sparkle Crop Top, Bewitched Sparkle Lace Up Short, Studded Garter Belt Harness (Purple Outfit)
Ready, Set, Go Checkered Tube Top, Ready, Set, Go High Waist Short, Wrapped in Lust Harness (Checkered Outfit)
Photo Credit: Stephanie Le Photography
Moonlight Mesh Maxi Skirt, Femme Fatale Lace Up Crop Top, Non-Slip Silver Glitter Leg Wraps
As I said, Nocturnal Wonderland always feels like the end of summer for me, which is a super bittersweet feeling. While that means that festival season is winding down, 2018 Festival Season was definitely one for the books and I'm excited to see what the rest of the year has in store. Next up, Escape!
]]>I’m so excited for my first Nocturnal! For the last few years, I’ve dreamed of going to this event. Unfortunately, I’m usually broke around this time of year from all the summer festival happenings and living in Oregon made it expensive/difficult to get down to Southern California. But now I’m a proud Orange County resident and I’ve been looking forward to this since I knew I was moving a few months ago. When I saw the lineup come out, I became even more excited. AND even more excited when I went to the venue for the first time ever for HARD Summer in August. This year, Nocturnal’s line up features a ton of up and coming artists just waiting to be discovered! While I’m looking forward to discovering all that new music, here are my top 5 artists I’m looking forward to seeing at Noc!
Some people may say he’s overrated but this is going to be my 7th time seeing him and I’m not sick of him one bit. (My husband and I went to our first date at his show back in 2014, so I might be biased) Whether it’s Dillon or DJ Hanzel or Preston, I always have the best time at his sets.
In 2015, Valentino Played in Portland. It still blows me away when I think about how much fun that set was. I think he’s definitely one of the most underrated dj’s and I’m looking forward to seeing him throw down on the big stage. My best workouts are done while listening to his EDC sets so I’m confident he’ll be making everybody pumped up and ready to dance.
Where’s my Vomit Squad at? Snails has been in my top 5 DJs since I saw him at Paradiso in 2015. I’m looking forward to getting grimey with some felllow bass heads at this set. This is an old mix but still one of my favorites.
Due to one thing or another, I missed Subfocus’ sets at previous events. Even if I go alone, I’m 100% determined to see him. I need some good dnb in my life! This is my favorite song and I’ve been working on some sweet shuffle moves – keep an eye out for me on the dance floor!
Looking forward to seeing the King of Bass again. I saw Excision 6 times last year but the last time I saw him absolutely blew me away. That was in a small theater in Eugene, Oregon so I can’t wait to see what he’ll do on a big stage! Everytime I hear this set, it makes me pumped and ready to headbang.
]]>This year I was fortunate enough to be able to camp with my festie bestie @beartatos! I am pretty inexperienced with festival camping so the premiere camping option was a lifesaver! This package provided an already set up tent, air mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags, a lantern, and upgraded bathrooms and showers in a secluded campground called Acorn Village. We brought an easy up canopy, decorations for our campsite and plenty of food, snacks and wine. We snagged some community bean bags to lounge around in during the day too. I highly recommend camping at Acorn Village for Insomniac events!
On Friday we decided to dress to match the Unicorn crew! We wore our Magical Unicorn Crop Top, with Tie Die Velvet Bottoms, Lavender Leg Wraps, and Solid Lavender Fluffies! We headed out to Main Stage to Check out Valentino Khan and got our complimentary coconuts! Those coconuts were incredible! We made sure to start out each night with a refreshing coconut all weekend long! Through the crowd I spotted a pair of ears and of course it was none other than @plurrabbit! It’s always a pleasure seeing Jose and what crazy outfit he’s decided to rock for the occasion.
We made plans to meet up with the Unicorn Crew for 3lau b2b Audien! We walked onto the field at Wolves Den and suddenly there were 7 of us girls prancing around in matching outfits and dancing the night away! I busted out my fiberflies pixelwhip and sang my heart out to the set with the girls. Between the company and the music this set was definitely one of my favorites of the weekend!
After that we headed over to Sunken Garden to meet up with @jakeryanduh and @forbiddenkitten! You won’t have trouble finding Jake with his signature head dresses and Janelle was dressed head to toe in rainbow. These two are always a blast to be around. Their energy is always contagious and positive.
After we left sunken garden we met up with a few more friends to check out Mat Zo’s set. I’ve been skeptical of Mat Zo’s recent sets since but I really enjoyed this one! He even played Motzart, a throwback song which I absolutely loved! Me and Katie got some lightshows in during this set with our Levi Wand and Zero Orbit!
We ended out night wit Above and Beyond! To our delight we ran into @raveselfies, @edm_hermann and his lovely fiancée and @missnatalieclaire! Natalie was there with her mom who was attending her first rave. It was such an adorable sight to see! We had such a blast singing to each other all night. At the end of the night my friend invited us back stage after the set to meet Jono from Above & Beyond! I couldn’t imagine a better way to end my night than meeting 1/3 of my all-time favorite DJ group!
@beartatos and I really wanted to check out the water park we’s heard so much about! We headed out with @duucky and @sky_nymph to cool off in the water. The waterpark was actually pretty big! It had a ton of grassy areas to nap in, a big pool, waterslides and a giant mushroom fountains! The Unicorn Crew joined us just in time for a group photo from one of the photographers. A second after this photo was taken a huge splash party erupted!
For the second day of Nocturnal we decided to do an Alice and Wonderland theme. I was Alice and Katie was the White Rabbit! We headed to the festival and started off the night with another complimentary coconut and hotdog! On our way to Sunken Garden for the Ajnuadeep takeover we ran into our Washington Unicorns @xoxkail & @butterfly_xo. I was so excited to see these girls at a SoCal rave and they seemed to be very excited to be there too! After that we headed over to the Smirnoff house and got a couple polaroids taken for us for free! I was loving all the freebies this year.
We decided to check out drum and bass legend, Spor, over at the Labyrinth before chilling out at the Anjunadeep stage for Yotto. Here we met up with @emazingbrian and his wife @kang_star and our good friend @alexjennison from INTO THE AM. These faces are always a pleasure to see while at work since our company is like family, but here at Nocturnal we were rave family! I had such a blast dancing and giving lightshows with our squad during Sub Focus, Lane 8 and Odezsa. At the end of the night we met up with the Unicorns and snapped some photos before ending our night at the silent disco!
Katie and I made sure to lounge around on bean bags as much as possible during the day. We even got a massage by the masseuse in Acorn Village! On this day we dressed up as daisy kitties are wore Daisy Cat Ears, Mesh Halter Tops, Black Booty Shorts, Yellow Leg Wraps and Black Fluffies! It was a little chilly this night so we made sure to get a lot of pictures of our outfits before it got too cold.
Our night started out with a bang with Ephwurd and Alison Wonderland. We met up with festie besties @airicamichelle and @candicealice! It’s hard to miss their Mau5heads in a crowd! We also got a chance to finally meet @edmhumor. Her and @raveselfies are such sweet girls, and we hope to see more of them at future events.
We caught some of Hermitude before meeting up with @mobsterkitten for Flux Pavillion and Bassnectar. Here I got to meet and trade with a lot of ravers. Everyone loved my pixelwhip and wanted to try it out. We ended our night by checking out Chromeo with @forbiddenkitten before meeting the Unicorns at the silent disco.
The Silent disco was INSANE the last night. It was more packed than any night I had seen all weekend! I hung out with a couple of the @iheartravesunicorns, @sky_nymph_, and made some friends at the disco. We played around with our lights, dances and drank wine. They decided to play music on the speakers instead of on the headphones which got the crowd really pumped. My friend was closing out the Silent Disco and invited me to hang out on stage with him for a bit. I didn’t want the weekend to end but the sun was rising, so I said my goodbyes and returned to the tent to get some rest.
This year was full of so much amazing music, old friends, new friends, and new memories that I’ll cherish forever. Nocturnal Wonderland will always be my favorite SoCal festival and even though it just ended, I’m already excited to go back next year!
Catch Minnie, Mama Unicorn and I at Life is Beautiful!
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