Beyond Wonderland SoCal provided another glorious journey down the rabbit hole. In 2026, we enjoyed fireworks, big-name artists everywhere, side quests all around the festival grounds, and Mad Hatter parties on stage!
A few new additions to this year’s Beyond were drone shows every night, along with the fireworks. On theme, the Mad Hatter would bring out Time, Alice, and friends to jump in and DJ for 10 minutes between the final two artists of the night. The crowd loved the Mad Hatter! People were smiling, taking videos, and dancing around for the occasion. Let’s check out the stages of the West Coast’s favorite start to festival season, Beyond Wonderland.
Queen’s Domain
The main stage of Beyond never disappoints in design, hosting the biggest names across multiple genres. On Day 1, Chyl brought her high-octane bpms, and it’s Murph bought the bass and vibes. Alison Wonderland had the crowd grooving before getting closed out with sets from two legends, Steve Angello and Tiesto.
Day 2 started with “Cinema” OG, Benny Benassi, taking a trip back to the classics. Deorro got the people dancing, then Slander had ’em headbanging. Zedd made it happen for the closing set, sending Queen’s Domain out in style and giving everyone some “Clarity” heading home.
This year’s stage design immersed the headliners in the land of Beyond. The huge LED wall behind the DJ and the Queen’s heart centerpiece created an amazing backdrop for the artists. The accompanying lasers, lights, and pyrotechnics made it hard to ever leave.
Caterpillar’s Garden
Lost in Dreams hosted Day 1 at Caterpillar’s Garden with the opening party performed by LA’s own, Valentino Khan. Lost in Dreams is all about the melodic bass music and the label delivered! Performances by Yetep, Trivecta, Armnhmr, and Dabin to close had festivalgoers singing, dancing, and crying together all night.
On Day 2, Caterpillar’s Garden was hosted by Insomniac Records, with a completely different house vibe. Ian Asher played b2b with Wuki for the opening party, and this stage brought non-stop house hits from some longtime label stalwarts like Omnom, Noizu, Sonny Fodera, and Matroda. The green garden vibes made for a beautiful scene as everyone danced the night away.
Mad Hatter’s Castle
The Mad Hatter fittingly hosted the bass heads all weekend. It started with trap beats from YDG, and continued with insane bass in sets by Restricted, Hedex, and Holy Priest. The energy during those three was unmatched throughout the weekend. ATLiens got the crowd even more wound up before GRiZ made his triumphant return to Beyond.
Bassrush hosted Day 2, and once again, the Mad Hatter did not disappoint. Rising solo act, ProbCause came out strong, followed by GorillaT. Then Layz played one of the heaviest sets of the weekend. The bass continued to flow with a b2b from Eptic and Space Laces, then heavyweight titans Sullivan King, Black Tiger Sex Machine, and LA’s favorite big man, DJ Diesel.
Cheshire Woods
Hardstyle found its home in Cheshire Woods as Basscon hosted Day 1. With arguably the coolest stage design featuring lasers shooting out all around a cathedral setting, the energy was non-stop. Legends littered the lineup with Lady Faith, Sub Zero Project, Brennan Heart, and the king of BPM, Lil Texas.
Bringing a completely different vibe, Dreamstate took over the woods on Day 2. Trance’s biggest names were out in force. Cold Blue, Giuseppe Ottavianni + Ian Bluestone, and laser king Gareth Emery all played on the Dreamstate lineup with iconic duo Vini Vici to end the weekend.
The Looking Glass
Factory 93 hosted both days at The Looking Glass, which meant techno all night, every night. Gracing the stage were Trym, Layton Giordani, Klangkuenstler, Lilly Palmer, Hi-Lo, and Nico Moreno playing the closing set on Day 2. The techno vibes were alive and well, with pyrotechnics firing out from all over the stage and a diamond-shaped disco ball made from LED walls behind the booth.
Sea of Wonder
This stage was located between the Queen’s Domain and the Mad Hatter’s Castle inside the hanger. It was unique in that it was the only stage inside, insulating the sound from the other areas. Day 1 was hosted by Night Trip and supplied the grooves with Murphy’s Law, Loco Dice, and Nicole Moudaber.
Day 2 was hosted by RNBW and featured some big names from the drum and bass world. Getting the crowd moving and energy at an all-time high, the likes of Justin Hawkes, Grafix, Delta Heavy, and Shy Fx doing the honors.
The Rabbit Hole
Besides the music, Beyond Wonderland has many more experiences to offer. Inside the Beatbox hangar, there was a full-on tea party. One could sit down and hang out with cast members, take pictures on the throne, and relax under a tree.
Insomniac also brought out the carnival rides like the Ferris Wheel, swings, and the parade of the Mad Hatter and friends. There were notable art installations, like the Mad Hatter’s Hat of Fire. For those lucky to find the correct door outside of the Mad Hatter stage, there was even a secret hidden stage! To help with connectivity, there were two new Wi-Fi centers at the festival, so people could better make plans with their friends.
End Overdose
Another important resource at Beyond Wonderland this year was a tent from End Overdose, next to the main stage. I met with the CEO and got some awesome highlights on how they make the festival safe. They have trained over 700,000 ravers on what to do if they see someone overdosing and have distributed over 750,000 Narcan devices.
At the information booth, they train people on the four-step process of recognizing the signs of overdose, how to seek help, how to administer Narcan, how to perform rescue breathing, and the laws that protect people who try to help. At the end of the training, each person receives a certificate for completing the program.
All things considered, Beyond Wonderland SoCal is a festival that ravers around the world look forward to starting the spring festival season. You can already reserve your spot for 2027. Moon Lvnding is already looking forward to our trip down the rabbit hole next year!
