Beyond Wonderland is an
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
dance festival
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
organized by
Insomniac Events
Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric Da ...
. The event has been held in various locations across the
west coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
including
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, and
Mountain View spanning either one or two days. As the festival continued to grow from its earlier roots, it branched into two festivals: Beyond Socal and Beyond Norcal / Bay Area to cater to the growing audience. However, this expansion of the Beyond series lasted for only four years before founder
Pasquale Rotella
Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric Da ...
announced that he would no longer continue having both Beyond Socal and Norcal to pursue expanding and creating other festivals of the Insomniac brand.
In 2017, the international debut of Beyond Wonderland took place in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and in 2019 it also has its debut in
Colombia.
History
The history of Beyond Wonderland extends back before its inaugural 2010 date. The first festival was held at the
National Orange Show Events Center
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
in 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). 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."
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 into the Alice in Wonderland motif became the aesthetic for Beyond Wonderland. When Insomniac expanded Beyond Wonderland to include camping in 2015, 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
San Bernardino, CA - March 20, 2010
The inaugural Beyond Wonderland was held at
NOS Events Center in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
on 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
The second annual Beyond Wonderland was a great success, with another completely sold-out show at NOS Events Center in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
.
Notable artists on the lineup included Calvin Harris, Dirty South,
Dirtyphonics
Dirtyphonics is a French electronic music band from Paris, consisting of members Charly Barranger and Julien "PitchIn" Corrales. Their music style is based on dubstep, drum and bass, drumstep.
In 2008, Dirtyphonics signed on Shimon's label A ...
, Datsik,
Infected Mushroom
Infected Mushroom is an Israeli musical duo formed in Haifa in 1996 by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They produce and perform psytrance, electronica, dream trance and psychedelic music. They are one of the best-selling groups in I ...
,
Kaskade
Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-first on its 20 ...
, Cosmic Gate, Noisia, and Showtek.
Seattle, WA - May 14, 2011
The first Beyond Wonderland to be held in the state of Washington took place at the
WAMU Theatre.
Notable artists on the lineup included David Guetta, LMFAO,
A-Trak
Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...
, Datsik, Porter Robinson, and Gareth Emery. Beyond Wonderland marked Guetta's first appearance in Seattle.
San Bernardino, CA - March 17, 2012
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 of
A State Of Trance
''A State of Trance'' (often abbreviated as ASOT) is a Dutch trance radio show hosted by Armin van Buuren and co-producer Ruben de Ronde that first aired in June 2001. It is aired weekly every Thursday at 20:00 (CET) and 14:00 (EST). As of Janu ...
550 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.
Oakland, CA - September 29, 2012
The first Beyond Wonderland to be held in Northern California was located at the
O.co Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...
parking lot in Oakland, CA. The lineup included artists such as
Alesso,
Sander Van Doorn
Sander Ketelaars (; born 28 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sander van Doorn () or the initials SvD, is a Dutch electro house DJ and record producer from Eindhoven.
Background
Sander van Doorn began his recording career in 200 ...
, ATB, and
Thomas Gold
Thomas Gold (May 22, 1920 – June 22, 2004) was an Austrian-born American astrophysicist, a professor of astronomy at Cornell University, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Society (London). Gold was ...
, amongst others.
San Bernardino, CA - March 16, 2013
The fourth annual Beyond Wonderland Socal saw a change of scenery, moving from the NOS Events Center to the
San Manuel Amphitheater
The Glen Helen Amphitheater (originally Blockbuster Pavilion and formerly Hyundai Pavilion and San Manuel Amphitheater) is a 65,000-capacity amphitheater located in the hills of Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, California.
It is the l ...
.
Notable artists on the lineup throughout the festival included
Afrojack
Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the Worl ...
, Arty, Dash Berlin, David Guetta, Markus Schulz, and Steve Angello.
Mountain View, CA - September 28 & 29, 2013
The second Beyond Wonderland Bay Area was held in Northern California, this edition of Beyond Wonderland was held in Mountain View at the
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater located in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venue has a capacity of 22,500, with 6,500 reserved seats and 16,000 general admission on the lawn. When the parking lot ...
and 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.
Notable artists on the lineup included David Guetta, Avicii, Zeds Dead, Gareth Emery, Hardwell, Dash Berlin, Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Benny Benassi, Carnage, and Datsik.
Mountain View, CA - September 20 & 21, 2014
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.
San Bernardino, CA - March 20, 2015
Over 60 acts were performing on this two-day festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater, which was visited by an estimated 70,000 fans. The lineup featured artists such as
enny Benassi
Enitan Adepitan (born 9 December 1994), known professionally as Enny (stylized in all caps), is an English rapper, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2020 single "Peng Black Girls" which gained popularity following a remix vers ...
ohn 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. Additionally, 300 people were arrested and 32 people were hospitalized.
This 5th anniversary of Beyond Wonderland Socal was the first year the festival offered camping options for the festival. 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.
Mountain View, CA - September 26 & 27, 2015
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 included
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
,
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...
,
Loadstar,
Knife Party
Knife Party are an Australian electronic music duo consisting of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, two members of the drum and bass band Pendulum.
The duo has worked with artists such as Swedish House Mafia, Steve Aoki, MistaJam, Foreign Beg ...
, and
Yellow Claw.
San Bernardino, CA - March 18 & 19, 2016
The sixth Beyond Wonderland Socal was held at the
Glen Helen Amphitheater—at the time the San Manuel Amphiteater. 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. 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 founder
Pasquale Rotella
Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric Da ...
. This marked the last year of a Beyond Wonderland Socal and Bay Area.
San Bernardino, CA - March 24 & 25 2017
The seventh Beyond Wonderland was again held at the
Glen Helen Amphitheater. In this year of the Beyond series, Insomniac Events created the "Endless Sea," featuring an aquatic aesthetic throughout the festival. 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
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 as
Tiesto,
Kayzo
Hayden Capuozzo (born October 8, 1991), better known by his stage name Kayzo, is an American DJ and producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for remixing songs and incorporating trap and hardstyle genres into his remixes. H ...
, and
Chris Lake
Chris Lake (born 8 August 1982) is a British electronic music producer and DJ. He rose to fame in 2006 with his hit single, "Changes", featuring Laura V.
Musical career
Lake first became recognized for his bootleg remixes of the Prodigy's "Cli ...
.
Because of the venue change, Beyond Wonderland no longer offered camping starting in 2018.
San Bernardino, CA - March 22 & 23 2019
The ninth Beyond Socal was at the NOS Events Center. This year marked a good year in ticket sales for Beyond, with the first day selling out in less than 24 hours. This year featured a good amount of music surprises, such as
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produce ...
,
REZZ, and
ZHU. as well as a return to the classic
Alice in Wonderland aesthetic that characterized the Beyond series.
George, WA - October 1 & 2 2021
The 10th Beyond Wonderland was at
The Gorge Amphitheatre
The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known as Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, is an outdoor concert venue in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near Columbia River in Central Washington, west of George. The venue is manage ...
in
Washington state
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
. This year of Beyond featured acts such as
Alison Wonderland
Alexandra Margo Sholler (born 27 September 1986), known professionally as Alison Wonderland, is an Australian electronic dance music producer, DJ, and singer. Her debut album, ''Run'', was released on 20 March 2015, which peaked at No. 6 ...
, Dr. Fresch,
The Chainsmokers,
Alan Walker, and
Wax Motif
Danny Chien (born 20 November), better known by his stage name Wax Motif, is an Australian DJ and producer based in Los Angeles, United States.
Career
Wax Motif's work has drawn critical acclaim and support from Diplo, Major Lazer, A-Trak, G ...
. Because of
Covid-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
proof of vaccination or a negative test was required for entry. The festival's debut at The Gorge came after the cancellation of
Paradiso Festival
Paradiso Festival was an annual electronic dance music (EDM) festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre located on the Columbia River in George, Washington, United States. Founded by USC Events and Live Nation Entertainment in 2012, Paradiso was ...
, another EDM festival held at the amphitheatre which was co-promoted by Insomniac with USC Events.
San Bernardino, CA - March 25th & 26th 2022
The 11th Beyond Wonderland was held at NOS Events Center
George, WA - June 18th & 19th 2022
The 12th Beyond Wonderland was at The Gorge Amphitheatre
See also
*
List of electronic music festivals
The following is an incomplete list of music festivals that feature electronic music, which encapsulates music featuring electronic instruments such as electric guitar and keyboards, as well as recent genres such as electronic dance music (E ...
Notes
External links
Official festival websiteInsomniac EventsDJ Mixes From Insomniac Events
{{Insomniac Events Concerts and Festivals
Music festivals established in 2010
Dance in California
Music festivals in California
Music festivals in Washington (state)
2010 establishments in California
Electronic music festivals in the United States