My Nocturnal Wonderland Experience

Being back at the Glen Helen Grounds for Nocturnal Wonderland was like taking me back in time to the beginning of my festival days. I felt such nostalgia walking in and seeing the beautiful mountains behind the stages. I must say that I felt like the grounds were set up in a way that made it feel smaller than other years but considering how big the campgrounds were it makes sense. I’ll add that the camping grounds were so much fun! With silent disco going all the way up till 4/5am and art installations, there was always something to do during the after-hours where you could meet and mingle with everyone.

Really, every inch of the space was used in such a way that it felt like you were walking into a completely different world. The stage themes definitely showed through the setup on each one and lived up to their name which I really appreciated.

The art was something that caught my eye. I don’t think I’ve seen so many talented live painters at once at any Insomniac Festivals and really love how these artists were provided such a fun space to inspire their mural paintings.

Other installations were gambling tables where you could play fun games and gamble big with trinkets and personal items like Kandi, fans, and anything else you had in your Camelbak. I personally played a dice game and gambled an eyeshadow pallet and won a hat lol! That was pretty fun in itself. There were also fun chill zones with giant light-up mushrooms as well as lounge spaces with chairs and bean bags, free photo booths, and a very large shopping area with so many different vendors.

All in all, I think it was a very well-put-together festival and with it being back at the Glen Helen, although my feet HURT, it was one of the best Nocturnals I’ve attended since it was last held at the NOS. I hope that it continues to be held here in the future and we can all gather together to witness the beautiful sunset fall behind the CA mountains at Nocturnal Wonderland.