For Nocturnal Wonderland’s 20th anniversary, organizers bumped the massive up to three days. The festival consisted of five stages, and Insomniac’s talent buyers proved that they still have their finger on the pulse of the EDM community with their dynamic choice of artists. The main stage was dubbed Labyrinth – a structure built to resemble a tower of playing cards (as a nod to the Alice in Wonderland themes central to the event series’ motif) that featured sets from big names like Armin Van Buuren, Duke Dumont, Knife Party, David Guetta and Kaskade. Partygoers anxious to see fireworks, torches and confetti could get their fix at Labyrinth, and even though the 2015 edition of the festival saw considerable attention to niche acts, this stage easily drew the most staggering crowd over the course of the three days.
On the other end of the musical spectrum was Queen’s Grounds. The first night of the festival, this stage was curated by Insomniac’s Bassrush brand, which brought out bass music mainstays like DJ Fury, Kennedy Jones, Andy C and Snails. Festival brand Audiotistic occupied Queen’s Grounds for the other two days, and artists like Craze, Flosstradamus, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Paper Diamond satisfied the dubstep, trap and hip-hop sensibilities of those who populated the hill across from the stage.
On the other side of the hill was Sunken Garden, a stage covered by a large, white tent whose musical theme changed each day. This stage catered to the fringes of the music scene by embodying a different niche each day. On day one, it featured the artists of Insomniac’s Basscon brand – hardstyle icons like Lady Faith, Technoboy, Stephanie and Darren Styles pushed the BPMs to their limits for a whole day of the festival.
For many, the highpoint of the whole weekend was Adam Beyer Presents Drumcode. The world-renowned techno brand took over Sunken Garden for the entire second day of the festival and succeeded in creating an introspective world of audiovisual elements that elevated the techno experience to never before seen heights. Ingeniously timed strobes and state-of-the-art sound made for an environment that complimented the greasy, filtered basslines and sterile dissonance of the genre. DJ sets by Ida Engberg, Alan Fitzpatrick, Nicole Moudaber and Beyer himself made for unforgettable spectacles, all of which were capped off when Sam Paganini closed the stage out in true fashion.
On the last day of the gathering, the Anjunadeep showcase took over the Sunken Garden tent and filled it with house music’s more soothing side for the duration of the night. A live set by Booka Shade proved the highlight of this particular evening, and sets by Lane 8, Sasha and Dusky provided a sophisticated counterbalance to the EDM of the other stages.
A novelty for many festivalgoers was the Temple of Om stage. Opposite the main stage, this small outcropping could be instantly recognized by its large, gold statue of Siddhartha Gautama – as well as a slew of up-and-coming future house and bass house artists like Go Freek, Michael Calfan and Vena Cava.
Last but not least, the Upside-Down Room stage featured two days of funk house curated by open format dance music mastermind Graham Funke, including two sets by him as well as house heads like Chevy Chase, Beat Junkies and Wiseman – and even a set by genre-bending hip-hop DJ Z Trip. On the last day, Upside-Down Room played host to old school heavyweights like Oscar Da Grouch, DJ Trance and Donald Glaude, and from time to time Insomniac Events Co-Founder Pasquale Rotella himself could be found in the audience.
Nocturnal Wonderland succeeded in capturing the essence of its early installments this year by offering a lineup that appealed to the electronic music’s more seasoned fan base while simultaneously catering to the main stage crowd that has come to represent the EDM generation. With the thoughtful addition of the Upside-Down Room stage, attendees young and old could also experience the roots of the events by witnessing DJ sets of some of their seminal figures. Considering how well Insomniac has managed to preserve the integrity of their brand in the face of its most commercial era, you can’t help but imagine what the next 20 years have in store for these parties.Â
