Nocturnal Wonderland returned to Glen Helen Amphitheater in 2023 for its 28th anniversary, making it the longest-running festival in North America and a staple for the California scene. This year had a stacked lineup featuring names like Seven Lions, Subtronics, Claude Vonstroke, Ghostryder (Ghastly b2b Joyryde), and Dombresky — there was truly something for everyone’s music taste. With two days of music, three days of camping with pre and afterparties, three main stages, and two hidden stages with amazing vibes, it was another wildly successful festival. Based on my personal experience, I scored the production, music, and venue, plus I gave an overall grade with a brief reasoning for the scores.
The Production: 8.5 out of 10
With every Insomniac event, the production level is going to be next level. The staple stages — Wolves’ Den, Labyrinth, and Sunken Garden — all had great visuals, fireworks, lasers and pyrotechnics. Cave of Rave was moved to a new bigger space and a new 5th stage, Camp OG Stage was added next to Labyrinth this year.
The biggest issue last year was the sound bleed between stages, which was much improved this year, even with the addition of the 5th stage. Insomniac did not sacrifice sound quality, as you were able to hear the music from all angles of the stage. The only true sound bleeding issue was between Wolves’ Den and Sunken Garden, which seemed almost inevitable with them being right next to each other. However, it was not nearly as bad as last year, so kudos to Insomniac for remedying that.
The main stage, Wolves’ Den, was closed out by Seven Lions and Gryffin on Day 1, and Alison Wonderland and Subtronics, on Day 2. The production at this stage was next level. The visuals were crisp and spectacular, the lasers were beaming, and pyrotechnics and fireworks lit up the stage. Despite hosting some of the biggest names of the weekend and having no VIP area, the stage did not feel too crowded. There was space throughout the crowd to dance, sing, and headbang. With the moving of the Cave of Rave to the opposite corner of the venue, there was minimal sound bleeding, and the sound bleed from Sunken Garden was down as well. The main stage Wolves’ Den did not disappoint!
Labyrinth was home to the bassheads for the festival once again with acts like Black Tiger Sex Machine, Wooli, Phaseone, and Eptic. This stage sat on top of a hill and had a plethora of lasers, fireworks, and pyrotechnics to keep people headbanging from 3 pm to midnight. Insomniac also amped up the bass and the lasers this year, giving festivalgoers maximum hype to keep moshing and headbanging throughout every set.
The Sunken Garden was where attendees went to get groovy and catch a house vibe. Featuring most of the house sets for the weekend from Claude Vonstroke and Biscits to Dombresky and Black V Neck, the crowd there was dancing and shuffling like crazy. The design of this stage, like last year, was probably my favorite setup and the most unique. Last year there was the issue of sound bleeding, especially on the left side near Wolves’ Den, but this year, however, the sound bleeding was minimal in the stage area. Kudos again to the Insomniac team for fixing the issue from last year.
Tucked away in the back of the venue was the Cave of Rave. This awesome hidden gem of the festival was bumping music all day long for those lucky enough to find it. This year it was moved to the back left of the festival instead of directly next to Wolves’ Den. This helped not only the sound quality at both stages but it allowed the Cave of Rave to have a bigger space. It gave European vibes with hanging greenery everywhere and music to keep people dancing and vibing.
The 5th and newest stage was the Camp OG Stage. This stage was up the hill next to food vendors in the back of the festival near Labyrinth. This newest stage was surrounded by awesome sculptures and was perfect for those wanting to grab a bite to eat while listening to music. It was a throwback to the rave culture of the 90s and featured an underground lineup.
Music: 8.5 out of 10
This year’s Nocturnal Wonderland, like every year, was stacked with talent. There was something for the bass heads like myself, house heads, and everyone in between. Both days had a slew of must-see acts, and from 3 pm to midnight it was hard to find time to sit down and eat without missing a set. It is hard for me to give a perfect score, but Nocturnal earns an 8.5 for being loaded with talent from multiple genres.
Venue: 7 out of 10
I personally love Glen Helen Regional Park, it is one of my favorites in Southern California. It has beautiful scenery, the venue itself is easy to navigate, not too large, and it’s comfy to sit when needed. From what I saw and heard, the camping also looked lit and there wasn’t much negativity coming from the campers. Parking, however, was an ordeal just like last year. One has to walk about a mile to the venue which is something Insomniac cannot do anything about due to the setup of the venue.
Walking into the venue was easy, but walking out of the venue was difficult since it was congested due to everyone leaving at the same time. From the exit all the way to the parking lot, the crowds made the walk seem like an eternity. The worst part, however, was trying to leave — Day 1 it took me two hours to leave the parking lot. I even saw people napping in their cars waiting for the traffic to die down before trying to leave. This was the same issue as last year, which needs to be fixed. I’m not sure if Insomniac needs to add parking attendants to direct traffic, but something needs to change.
Due to the parking situation and the sound bleeding, the venue only gets a 7 rating.
Overall Grade: 8 out of 10
Vibes, music, and production were at an all-time high this year at Nocturnal Wonderland. As a raver’s favorite, and the longest-running festival in North America, it rarely disappoints, and this year was no different. With top talent at every stage, top-of-the-line stage design, and one of the best venues in SoCal, it is hard to go wrong. Nocturnal is an event that my fellow ravers and I look forward to every year. I am already looking forward to the 29th anniversary next year to see what Insomniac has in store for what is sure to be another epic weekend. See you there!
