The 10 Most Memorable Moments of Nocturnal Wonderland 2014

The 19th annual Nocturnal Wonderland, Insomniac Events’ longest-running festival, has drawn to a close. We still see lasers and smiling faces when we close our eyes, but we also didn’t close our eyes much more than a few winks from September 5 and 6, so that may have something to do with it. Hey, we had people to meet and kandi to make! We went for a full-immersion experience this year and stayed on site at the campgrounds, which was full of awesome people. Here are my 10 most memorable moments of Nocturnal Wonderland 2014.

(Photo by Bennett Sell-Kline for Insomniac)

The good vibes started the minute DJOYbeat began setting up camp, which is an awesome (and safer) alternative to traveling back and forth each night to the area hotels that are about 20 minutes away. Campers quickly shook hands and made introductions and we all ignored the lines painted on the grounds, merging our campsites and sharing supplies and food for the weekend.

(Photo by Bennett Sell-Kline for Insomniac)

C’mon. It’s Insomniac. Did you expect anything less than something that would make partiers oooh and ahhh?

(Photo by Alex Perez for Insomniac)

No, the DJ didn’t make a surprise appearance. However one fan had a sense of humor related to Guetta’s recent Tomorrowland peculiarities that went viral, adding lights to his spacy stare.

We started Saturday morning off way too early by one disrespectful bro’s desire to blare hardstyle as the sun came up. However, the on-site water park offered a much-needed reprieve from our crankiness and heat, complete with water slides.

Remember how we said campsites were all about sharing? We brought a crate full of beads and our neighbors also brought their supplies, so 10 of us sat around in the shade with veteran ravers swapping skills and techniques with the newbies. (Side note: check out our awesome tent!)

Speaking of arts and crafts, Insomniac offered those for campers, such as getting down with some tie dye.

(Photo by Jacob Lifschultz for Insomniac)

He wins for most-captivating person at the whole event with his commitment to his character in all its oddities. He may have been having more fun than any attendee… at least he made it look that way.

Not only did the Upside Down Room have a stellar house music lineup (Charles Feelgood, DJ Heather, DJ Dan, Mark Farina and more), aesthetically it was a myriad of creativity, with two separate “rooms” adorned in Wonderland-esque furniture and accoutrements. There were actual places you could sit down without being a VIP. And it was awesome.

Playing off the annual Nocturnal Wonderland theme, the performers get more and more intricate and sophisticated each year with intriguing costumes.

(Photo by Alex Perez for Insomniac)

“Why do you go to California when you have the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas?” This is a common inquiry when I head to a festival out of state now. But it’s all about the vibes. Since my first massive was EDC in LA years ago, there still seems to be a difference in the positivity with people that journey to Southern California. Maybe they’re more into the music or practice PLUR a bit better, but it’s always worth the drive.

(Photo by Jacob Lifschultz for Insomniac)