Beyond Wonderlandis anelectronicdance festivalorganized byInsomniac Events.The event has been held in various locations across thewest coastincludingSeattle,San Bernardino,andMountain Viewspanning either one or two days.[1]As the festival continued to grow from its earlier roots, it has branched into two festivals: Beyond Socal and Beyond Norcal/Bay Area, catering to the growing audience.[2]However, this expansion of the Beyond series lasted for only four years before founderPasquale Rotellaannounced that he would no longer continue having both Beyond Socal and Norcal to pursue expansion and creation of other festivals of the Insomniac brand.[3]

Beyond Wonderland
Main stage in 2010
GenreTrance,dance,EDM,house,drum and bass,techno,dance-punk,hip hop
DatesMarch (Southern California)
May (Washington)
September (Northern California)
Location(s)San Bernardino, California,U.S.
Seattle, Washington,U.S.
Mountain View, California,U.S.
George, Washington,U.S.
Years active2010–present (Southern California)
2011, 2020-present (Washington)
2012-2015 (Northern California)
FoundersInsomniac Events
WebsiteOfficial Website

In 2017, the international debut of Beyond Wonderland took place inMexico[4]and in 2019 it also debuted inColombia.[5]

History

edit

The history of Beyond Wonderland extends back before its inaugural 2010 date. The first festival was held at theNational Orange Show Events Centerin San Bernardino, California. Insomniac Events announced the conception of Beyond Wonderland to be considered as the sister festival of Nocturnal Wonderland (formerly known as Nocturnal Festival).[6][according to whom?]Fans of Insomniac Events called for a return to the past vibrant environment that the Nocturnal Festival once hailed. Insomniac believed Beyond Wonderland could provide this environment. With the success of Nocturnal Festival, Insomniac introduced the Wonderland series with Beyond Wonderland as its first expansion from the Nocturnal Festival, promising to "return to the amazing hues and vibrance of our original Wonderland event."[7]

The festival features multiple stages of electronic dance music artists with such genres as: House, Trance, Dubstep, Drum and Bass, and Ambient. The festival has also been known for features such as a light maze, many modern art sculptures, and poi dancers. As the festival continues to grow, new interactive additions are added each year to help enhance the experience, such as various dancing characters and aesthetic decorations.

As Insomniac Events continued to grow, new art installations, characters, and themes that focused more on the Alice in Wonderland motif became the aesthetic for Beyond Wonderland. When Insomniac expanded Beyond Wonderland to include camping in 2015,[8]Beyond seemed to be a second wind for festival-goers who had experienced the Nocturnal Series in the Fall prior. However, when Beyond was moved from the San Manuel Amphitheater back to the NOS Center, it no longer offered camping.

Past events

edit

San Bernardino, CA - March 20, 2010

edit

The inaugural Beyond Wonderland was held atNOS Events CenterinSan Bernardino, Californiaon March 20, 2010 to a sold-out crowd.

Notable artists on the lineup included Sander van Doorn, Paul van Dyk, Groove Armada, Robbie Rivera, Caspa, Pendulum, and Wippenberg.

San Bernardino, CA - March 19, 2011

edit

The second annual Beyond Wonderland was a great success, with another completely sold-out show at NOS Events Center inSan Bernardino, California.

Notable artists on the lineup included Calvin Harris, Dirty South,Dirtyphonics,Datsik,Infected Mushroom,Kaskade,Cosmic Gate, Noisia, and Showtek.

Seattle, WA - May 14, 2011

edit

The first Beyond Wonderland to be held in the state of Washington took place at theWAMU Theatre.

Notable artists on the lineup included David Guetta, LMFAO,A-Trak,Datsik, Porter Robinson, and Gareth Emery. Beyond Wonderland marked Guetta's first appearance in Seattle.

San Bernardino, CA - March 17, 2012

edit

The third annual Beyond Wonderland was a great success, with another completely sold-out show at NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA with a special showing ofA State Of Trance550 with notable artists such as Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, Aly & Fila, Arty, Shogun, John O'Callaghan, Sied van Riel, and Fei Fei.

Other notable artists on the lineup throughout the festival included Dirty South, Hardwell, ATB, Magnetic Man, John Digweed, Netsky, Sidney Samson, and Steve Aoki.

This year marked the first year of Beyond Wonderland being expanded to Beyond Socal and Beyond Bay Area.[9]

Oakland, CA - September 29, 2012

edit

The first Beyond Wonderland to be held in Northern California was located at theO.co Coliseumparking lot in Oakland, CA. The lineup included artists such asAlesso,Sander Van Doorn,ATB, andThomas Gold,amongst others.[10]

San Bernardino, CA - March 16, 2013

edit

The fourth annual Beyond Wonderland Socal saw a change of scenery, moving from the NOS Events Center to theSan Manuel Amphitheater.

Notable artists on the lineup throughout the festival includedAfrojack,Arty, Dash Berlin, David Guetta, Markus Schulz, and Steve Angello.

Mountain View, CA - September 28 & 29, 2013

edit

The second Beyond Wonderland Bay Area was held in Northern California, this edition of Beyond Wonderland was held in Mountain View at theShoreline Amphitheatreand was the first Beyond event to span two days. Roughly 40,000 fans attended the event for two days. Over 100 people were arrested, with people being charged with drug possession, drunkenness, illegal drug use, and furnishing.[11]

Notable artists on the lineup included David Guetta, Avicii, Zeds Dead, Gareth Emery, Hardwell, Dash Berlin, Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Benny Benassi, Carnage, and Datsik.[12]

Mountain View, CA - September 20 & 21, 2014

edit

The third Beyond Wonderland Bay Area to be held in Northern California, this edition of Beyond Wonderland was again held in Mountain View at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and again spanned two days. More than sixty people were arrested due to noise complaints and drug possession.[13]

San Bernardino, CA - March 20, 2015

edit

Over 60 acts were performing on this two-day festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater, which was visited by an estimated 70,000 fans.[14]The lineup featured artists such as [Benny Benassi], [John Digweed], and foreign acts as such as hardstyle duo D-Block and S-Te-Fan, or DBSTF. At this festival there were reports of a 22 year old man that died from a seizure.[15]Additionally, 300 people were arrested and 32 people were hospitalized.[16]

This 5th anniversary of Beyond Wonderland Socal was the first year the festival offered camping options for the festival.[17]With the success of camping options at Nocturnal Wonderland the year prior, Insomniac expanded the camping experience to Beyond Wonderland as well. The campground offered a new layer of festival-going that included day time activities before the festival began. Yoga, arts and crafts, and a silent disco were all different options for campers in this year of Beyond Wonderland.[18]

Mountain View, CA - September 26 & 27, 2015

edit

The fourth Beyond Wonderland Bay Area to be held in Northern California, this edition of Beyond Wonderland was again held in Mountain View at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and again spanned two days. The lineup includedCalvin Harris,Tiësto,Loadstar,Knife Party,andYellow Claw.[19]

San Bernardino, CA - March 18 & 19, 2016

edit

The sixth Beyond Wonderland Socal was held at theGlen Helen Amphitheater—at the time the San Manuel Amphiteater.[20]This year of Beyond Wonderland Socal offered a new type of format for music festivals, expanding into the various music label brands of Insomniac Events, specifically the Bassrush and Dreamstate brands. In this year of Beyond Socal, Insomniac created curated stages by the two brands to feature the various artists under each label.[21]This year featured an expansion of the campgrounds that were introduced in the year prior, and featured interactive art and activities in a whole new light to expand on the Beyond experience.

The Beyond Wonderland Bay Area series was cancelled this year along with EDC Puerto Rico, in an effort to "focus on exploring new cities and enhancing the experience at some of our other festivals," as stated by founderPasquale Rotella.This marked the last year of a Beyond Wonderland Socal and Bay Area.

San Bernardino, CA - March 24 & 25 2017

edit

The seventh Beyond Wonderland was again held at theGlen Helen Amphitheater.In this year of the Beyond series, Insomniac Events created the "Endless Sea," featuring an aquatic aesthetic throughout the festival.[22]Expanding from the typical Alice in Wonderland aesthetic that had been seen in years prior, this year of Beyond showed an expansion of immersive experiences and interaction from performers and art pieces.

San Bernardino, CA - March 16 & 17 2018

edit

The eighth Beyond Wonderland saw a change of venue to one of its former venues, the NOS (National Orange Show) in San Bernardino. This year of Beyond featured acts such asTiesto,Kayzo,andChris Lake.[23] Because of the venue change, Beyond Wonderland no longer offered camping starting in 2018.

San Bernardino, CA - March 22 & 23 2019

edit

The ninth Beyond Socal was at the NOS Events Center.[24]This year marked a good year in ticket sales for Beyond, with the first day selling out in less than 24 hours.[25]This year featured a good amount of music surprises, such asDeadmau5,REZZ,andZHU.[26]as well as a return to the classicAlice in Wonderlandaesthetic that characterized the Beyond series.

George, WA - October 1 & 2 2021

edit

The 10th Beyond Wonderland was atThe Gorge AmphitheatreinGeorge, Washington.This year of Beyond featured acts such asAlison Wonderland,Dr. Fresch,The Chainsmokers,Alan Walker,andWax Motif.Because ofCovid-19proof of vaccination or a negative test was required for entry. The festival's debut at The Gorge came after the cancellation ofParadiso Festival,another EDM festival held at the amphitheatre which was co-promoted by Insomniac with USC Events.[27][28]

San Bernardino, CA - March 25th & 26th 2022

edit

The 11th Beyond Wonderland was held at NOS Events Center

George, WA - June 18th & 19th 2022

edit

The 12th Beyond Wonderland was at The Gorge Amphitheatre.

George, WA - June 17th 2023

edit

The 13th Beyond Wonderland was at The Gorge Amphitheatre.

Originally the show was held around June 17 and 18, but due to amass shootingthat occurred outside The Gorge Amphitheatre on June 17, the event has cancelled June 18 shows.[29]

San Bernardino, CA - March 22nd & 23rd 2024

edit

The 12th Beyond Wonderland was held at NOS Events Center.[30]2024 was a good year for ticket sales, which were sold out in about 2 weeks. Big artists, such asSubtronics,Sullivan King,Slander,Dabin,andChainsmokersappeared at the event. Overcrowding at the venue was a major problem with about 1500 people coming over the fence into the venue. Walking around felt as if there was little space and no open areas. Despite the overcrowding, attendees stated the vibes, including the Alice in Wonderland ambience, and production met event standards.[31]

Notes

edit
  1. ^"Beyond Wonderland SoCal | March 22 & 23, 2019".
  2. ^"Insomniac Unveils Incredible Lineup For 2015 Beyond Wonderland, Southern California"(Press release). January 30, 2015.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  3. ^"EDC PUERTO RICO & BEYOND WONDERLAND BAY AREA NOT HAPPENING THIS YEAR".March 30, 2016.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  4. ^"The Lineup for the First-Ever Beyond Wonderland Mexico Is Here! | Insomniac".Retrieved2022-05-07.
  5. ^Bein, Kat (2019-07-01)."Insomniac Coming to Colombia With Beyond Wonderland Bogota 2019".Billboard.Retrieved2022-05-07.
  6. ^"How It All Began – Insomniac".insomniac.Retrieved2021-01-31.
  7. ^Events, Insomniac (March 1, 2010)."Beyond Wonderland 2010 Official Trailer".YouTube.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  8. ^"Don't Miss Out: Why You Need To Experience Camping at Beyond Wonderland 2015".February 26, 2015.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  9. ^"Beyond Bay Area Announce Trailer 2012".YouTube.August 7, 2012.RetrievedMay 11,2019.
  10. ^https://s3.amazonaws /beyondBA2012/beyond-ba-2012-schedule.pdf?v=1.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  11. ^"More Than 100 Arrested At Mountain View Rave".September 30, 2013.
  12. ^https://web.archive.org/web/20131007213719/http://beyondwonderland /docs/beyond-bay-2013-schedule.pdf.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2013-10-07.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  13. ^"More Than 60 People Arrested at Beyond Wonderland Rave Concert in Mountain View".September 21, 2014.
  14. ^Woods, Wes (March 22, 2015)."Best and worst of Beyond Wonderland 2015".The Sun.RetrievedSeptember 4,2015.
  15. ^Cuniff, Meghann M. (March 28, 2015)."UC Irvine student, 22, dies at music festival".The Orange County Register.RetrievedSeptember 4,2015.
  16. ^Nelson, Joe (September 5, 2015)."32 hospitalized, 300 arrested at Nocturnal Wonderland in Devore".San Bernardino Sun.The Sun.RetrievedMarch 20,2016.
  17. ^"Insomniac Reveals Lineup for Beyond Wonderland SoCal 2015!".EDM Sauce.February 26, 2015.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  18. ^"5 Reasons to Camp at Beyond Wonderland 2015".Insomniac Events.February 13, 2015.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  19. ^"Lineup".Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2015.Retrieved28 September2015.
  20. ^"BEYOND WONDERLAND'S 2016 LINEUP HAS FINALLY ARRIVED".Jan 19, 2016.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  21. ^"Beyond Wonderland SoCal 2016 Lineup Announced".Jan 19, 2016.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  22. ^Petriw, Nicole (April 14, 2017)."Beyond Wonderland 2017: The Endless Sea Recap".RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  23. ^Gilmore, Grant (March 12, 2018)."BEYOND WONDERLAND SOCAL 2018 SET TIMES, FESTIVAL MAP, & MORE!".RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  24. ^"Hours and Info".RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  25. ^"BEYOND WONDERLAND 2019 BREAKS ALL-TIME TICKET SALES RECORDS".February 12, 2019.RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  26. ^Otto, kent (January 7, 2019)."Lineup announced for SoCal's Beyond Wonderland 2019 festival".RetrievedMay 12,2019.
  27. ^"Insomniac Sues USC Events Over Mishandling of Funds During Paradiso Festival 2019".Nightlife 360.February 3, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 16,2022.
  28. ^Rietmulder, Michael (March 3, 2020)."After Paradiso turmoil, new Beyond Wonderland festival reveals Gorge lineup".The Seattle Times.RetrievedFebruary 16,2022.
  29. ^Willman, Chris (June 17, 2023)."Two Dead, Three Injured as Shooter Opens Fire Outside Washington's Gorge; Day 2 of EDM Festival Canceled".Variety.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  30. ^"Hours & Info – Beyond Wonderland SoCal 2024".socal.beyondwonderland.Retrieved2024-04-22.
  31. ^"Beyond Wonderland SoCal 2024 Set Times and Essential Info | EDM Identity".edmidentity.2024-03-12.Retrieved2024-04-22.
edit