Nocturnal Wonderland, formerly known as Nocturnal Festival, is an electronic dance musicfestival that was founded in 1995.
History
Nocturnal Wonderland is a two-day event that used to occur in early September around Labor Day. There are usually 5 stages with a total of over 60 different artists performing throughout the two nights. The music genres vary around the genres trance, drum and bass, breakbeat, and house genres. The first Nocturnal Wonderland was held in 1995, varying the locations every year. Since 2002 the Nocturnal Wonderland takes place at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino after having first taken place at that location in 1998. This venue has predominantly been the location of the festival since 2003 along with the Glen Helen Amphitheater. In June 2019, it was announced that this would be the last year that the show would take place at Glen Helen due to new noise ordinances in the area. On Labor Day Weekend 2010, the Nocturnal Festival Texas in Rockdale, Texas was introduced. In 2016, hundreds of people were arrested at the event.
Stages
There are typically around five main stages at the event, themed with unique decoration and lighting. "The Labyrinth": This stage has usually been held in a giant warehouse-like building. In 2010, the stage was meant for a wider and taller tent but was switched with Alice's House to accompany more attendees. The decorations for this stage included tall stacks of speakers, huge colorful designs, abstract shapes hanging from the ceiling, lasers, smoke machines, and a display of lights. In recent years, trapeze artists have performed above the crowd during the shows. This stage typically plays host to the trance genres. Alice's House: This stage was once held on a huge grass field next to a man-made lagoon. An outdoor stage, it originally featured chill/groovy house vibes. In 2010 the stage became much bigger and was accompanied by more upbeat and energetic house music. The Upside Downroom: This stage used to play host to various techno and house genres, but it has grown to become a mixed-genre tent. The Sunken Garden: This stage is the most energy intensive of all the stages, with huge speakers, heavy bass, and MCs that freestyle over the music. While other stages focus on the slower, more traditional styles of electronic music such as house, trance, or breaks, this room is dedicated to the electronic music genre drum and bass. This stage is typically hosted by another company founded by Insomniac called 'Bassrush.' Separate Bassrush events are held at various locations nationwide throughout the year. The Queen's Grounds: This room used to hold all of the attractions until 2009 when it became a house-orientated stage. In 2010, it was held in one of the bigger warehouse-like buildings that housed the main stage for 2008's Nocturnal Festival. Not to be confused with Beyond Wonderland's Queen's Domain stage. The Big Top Tent: Another mixed-genre type tent playing host to mostly house. It started off as being one of the only stages held outside in a giant tent. Since 2010, there has been no incarnation of the Big Top Tent.
