Last weekend, Insomniac’s Escape Halloween took over the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA for a weekend of spooky themed entertainment. From Friday-Saturday, the event center was transformed into a Halloween town filled with thousands of costumed attendees, carnival rides, cabaret performers, magicians, a silent disco, interactive experiences, and of course nonstop music from some of the top artists in EDM. Read on for an in-depth event review!
Friday
Festival attendees started ushering into the festival grounds around 4pm, when the party had officially begun. Night one welcomed artists like Above & Beyond, Slander, Kaskade, and more to the main stage, The Grimm, a favorite as far as stage designs go, featuring featuring an enormous skeleton surrounding the stage with arms that move throughout the night.
Feeding Grounds, hosted by Bassrush, delivered the dubstep, with artists like ATLiens, Zomboy, and Svdden Death taking the stage. Sanitarium, hosted by Basscon, was the place to be for hardstyle lovers, with Lady Faith, Darren Styles, and a hardstyle b2b set from DJ Isaac and SAYMYNAME.
Sewer District brought all the techno and house heaters, with artists like Hot Since 82, Loco Dice, and Jamie Jones keeping the dance floor moving all night long.
This year, the brand new Wicked Woods stage debuted, with artists like Kaivon, K?D, and Codeko kicking it warehouse style all night long.
Saturday
The Grimm popped off on day two, with Matroda, Tchami, DJ Snake, and Zedd on the schedule, closed out by trance legend, Armin Van Buuren, himself. Feeding Grounds came to play as well, with a fun Emo Night set, as well as performances from Three 6 Mafia, Malaa, and REZZ.
Hosted by Night Trip, Sanitarium hosted a range of artists, including Wade, MK, and a very special b2b set from CID, Hugel, and Westend. Once again, Sewer District kept true to its underground vibes with Factory 93 hosting techno artists like Lilly Palmer, Green Velvet, and Patrick Topping. The energy here was palpable, as pyrotechnics and performers enhanced the experience for all.
Finally, Wicked Woods closed out its Escape debut with a bevy of Bassrush favorites including Black Sun Empire b2b The Upbeats, Culture Shock, and Macky Gee.
Extras
One of the best parts of Escape are the spooky themed amenities offered throughout the festival grounds each year. Crazy Town offers a respite for festival attendees looking to chill for a bit, with a DJ, a flaming cathedral with fire-spinning performers, a gargoyle fountain for photo opps, and a nearby silent disco. The Butcher, designed as a freezer full of hanging carcasses and dead human meat, hosted another live DJ for a spookier experience. The Poison Ivy Bar featured 360-degree neon paint and black lights as a neon green man-eating plant towered in the center of the room and the bar offered several of the themed cocktails present throughout the weekend.
Psycho Circus featured a circus tent hosting cabaret acts, magic shows, and other talented performers all weekend long, while the surrounding outside area was inhabited by mystics performing tarot readings, palm readings, and fortune telling. If all that wasn’t enough, festival attendees had a few different carnival rides to choose from and vendor booths to peruse, selling everything from food and drink to merch, clothing, and art.
Insomniac delivered yet another successful Halloween weekend at Escape this year, with the addition of a brand new stage, a larger festival footprint, and after parties. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for next year!
Feature Photo: Keiki-Lani Knudsen for Insomniac Events
