This year was my 4th year attending White Wonderland. NYE is my favorite day of the year, and even though WW is a small and simple "rave", I have a great time every year. Trance music is one of my favorites, and WW highlights it. They used to have 2 stages but last year and this year they cut it down to 1. I don't mind 1 stage because I never have to decide which DJ I want to see. But on the flip side, you better be happy with the whole lineup! Ticket prices ranged from $120-150 depending on how early you bought them. I might just be dreaming, but I feel like the rave prices of $60-70 like back in the day would be a lot more fair for a 1 stage event. This is a 21+ event, which I love. The crowd is much more relaxed and responsible than you find at other massives. The decor was a bit lacking for how large of a space they had to work with. I loved the abundance of confetti and streamers that they shot out throughout the night. The Wishing Tree when you enter is a gorgeous photo op, and a cute idea to pen down your goals and wishes for the new year. Coat check is available but I don't find a need for it now that they have moved the line inside. I want to get my money's worth so I arrive close to 7 when doors open. Check-in has always been quick and painless. There are 3 tiers, ID check, security check, and ticket check. My friends and I went to the front very close to the stage and were able to remain there the whole night. We were not squished for the most part and as people from our group exited to the sides they were able to get back to us easily. I didn't realize how far back the crowd went until I left at the end of the night! We were lucky to be in the front. When I go to events I don't move around much, so I can't comment on bathroom or water lines. They had water vendors walking through the crowd at the front of the stage so you don't have to leave if you don't want to. Water from those vendors cost $4 and there was a water refill station near the back. I love that the event is so local so that for once I don't have to drive all the way out to the NOS Center or LA. Getting a hotel within walking distance is the best idea since cabs and Ubers can take a while to book. DON'T BE A PARTY POOPER. WEAR ALL WHITE. And have fun :) read more

White Wonderland - Wishing Tree - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

I've completed the trifecta of Insomniac "Wonderland" events and I've got to say it was one of the best things I've done this year. Go dance your tush off to amazing music, surrounded by beautiful and weird people, and melt your face off to a ridiculous light show. What better way to ring in the New Year than in a puddle on the floor of the Anaheim Convention Center? EVENT LOCATION I loved bringing the party to Anaheim rather than San Bernardino for NYE. It's indoors, which means a lot on a chilly December night! It's also closer to home for me. The big minus here is that the Anaheim Convention Center fills up with 10,000+ people on the same night that its neighbor, Disneyland, has its busiest day of the year. Getting in and out probably took me an hour and a half total because the streets were so backed up heading in and out of the festival. I even left early to try to beat White Wonderland traffic, and I ended up in the thick of Disneyland traffic -- so many people stayed in the Park til after 1!! GETTING IN & OUT While getting to and from the Convention Center was a challenge, getting into the Center itself was pretty much a breeze. Yes, the line was long, but it moved quickly. The single-door-open policy to get in to the center itself was questionable, as it meant the longest line outside in the cold. I luckily had a coat with me, but would much rather have gotten inside quickly, and waited longer for ID/security checks. There were so many shivering ravers and I felt so bad for them. But there were plenty of staff to direct us from the parking structure ($15, steep but better than the $20 at NOS) to the Convention Center, and I appreciated that CSC Event Staff never seemed to be far away. FOOD & DRINKS I finally got to eat some of the food! And it was incredibly average, and a little stressful in my all-white outfit. The longest line was for the sushi stand, and I was happy to recognize Rolling Sushi Van slinging their rolls at this event. If it weren't for the long line I would have snatched up some California rolls myself. I didn't drink as I was driving and really just needed water to hydrate, and that was $4 a pop. Skip the pizza, and the chicken wrap from California Grill is a hastily assembled wrap without a tortilla. MUSIC Once again, this is where Insomniac is firing on all cylinders. With only two stages this time, there were less artists than at Nocturnal or Escape, but they still had a great lineup. I was so impressed that they got some incredible names who were also double-booked on NYE! I'd heard that last year a double-booked artist no-showed as he couldn't get out of Vegas, and with 4-6 performers on their way to Oakland or San Diego after their sets this year, I was almost prepared to be disappointed. But everyone showed up, played incredible sets, and I danced until I couldn't dance or keep my eyes open any longer. Hardwell and Bingo Players were highlights, with phenomenal stints from Sebastian Ingrosso and Above & Beyond as well. If you are coming for the music, there is really no other place to be on New Year's Eve. My 2013 resolution: Complete the Insomniac circle with Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas! See you there!! read more

White Wonderland - Bingo Players! - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

My first review of 2014!!! 7 year elite baby! ok moving on!.. white wonderland.. it was good! I got here around 7:30, got in quick, lines were short and moved fast. great selection of slutty Asian girls barely wearing any clothes perfect perfect.. the venue was good, and very spacious before getting into the dance floor area as well. at the dance floor I definitely thought the décor was a bit disappointing considering how big the event was and how hyped up it was, most of the lights and décor was all in the front, even the middle was pretty bland.. the security guards were all over catching people doing light shows for I have no idea why, I didn't know those weren't allowed but whatever didn't affect me anyway but they ignored all the people smoking it up inside and went for the guys with light gloves, that just was a bit weird to me my biggest complaint is the bathroom, the GUY'S bathroom had a line out the door just to pee, wtf?! and only 2 bathrooms that were decently close to the dancefloor.. I spent most of the night standing in line! drinks were expensive as expected, not horrible though but almost vegas status prices for watered down drinks.. music was good as expected, dash berlin was good, cosmic gate was good, a good variety of new and old edm.. good stuff. i would come again since I really don't think there is anything else around OC for new years is there? if there is please feel free to shoot me a message and let me know. overall a good time but nothing AMAZING read more

This event did not disappoint! I paid for parking at the hotel right near the event so ensure my car would not be towed away... lol. Then went to my friend's hotel to meet up with everyone before heading inside! Decor was not epic, but it was dark and there was A/C to enjoy the event along with EDM :D What more can you ask for? The only thing that bugged me from giving this place a 5 star was that half the place was at full capacity and some of my friends and I were barricaded from our group for about 45 minutes as the Fire Marshall was trying to evenly distribute the crowd... that was a big party pooper! Overall, it was my first party in years and I had lots of fun with my friends :D Really glad it was close to home! read more

It seemed really overpriced at $100 a ticket for an insomniac event. There were some decorations but it really seemed sparse and they could have done sooo much more with the space they had to work with at the Anaheim convention center. The transitions between DJs were also pretty bad for some reason. Instead of integrating each others music, they just cut off the music all together which I thought was weird. These weren't new DJs either, they were all veterans of the game... The New Years countdown was pretty lackluster too. It just kind of started happening and then there was no real celebration or anything. It just happened and was over with like nothing. The lines at the bathroom were pretty ridic too. For the men!!! Lol wtf how does that even happen????? I was probably waiting 15-20 minutes each time to go to the bathroom and lines were like 50 people long. But the women's restrooms, barely any line at all. O_o There were some pluses though. The convention center was well ventilated for the amount of people all gathered at the stage. They had somewhat reasonably priced drinks in the 9-13$ range and also had food vendors, some were local food trucks. And this was probably the fastest I've ever checked into a rave before. It was probably because they had about 20 lines going to get everyone in. Overall, it was a pretty average EDM event considering it was hosted by one of the biggest names but it was still good fun with good people. I'd probably come again, but I wish they'd bring POP down here to SoCal. read more

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This is my 2nd year at WW. I must say, they didn't really improve much on decorations, but the price definitely has gone up .... ~$80ish to $130ish. The tradition of WW is to wear white which makes it pretty cool I guess. But then now everyone looks the same :P Last year I went in later, around 9pm. This year, I decided to come right when they opened. Line and security was a breeze. But that was also the same as last year. They offer coat check inside $5 because it gets cold around this time. But do line up early because the line could get as long as waiting for an autograph... As mentioned, the decor sucks as it sucked last year, too. They really should do a better job in decorating the place for the price we paid. At least add in more cool art decors or stands. The wishing tree was really cute, though. Got to make one before the crowd came in. This year, there was only one stage (Last year had two). I personally like one stage because you don't have to move around too much. But that also meant getting front and back was a pain. My bf and I were in the front and around 11:30pm, it was a mission getting to the bathrooms. WW is a nice NYE event to go. Definitely nice to go for a first timer. Not sure anymore after that though. Unless they do something really cool or something, probably won't be back for 2016. ***Oh yeah, VIP was a rip off. For $100 more, you just get a separate access to the stage and your own alcohol/bathroom area. If you want to waste your money, go for it. ****Lol and another thing, UBER over Taxi. The taxi line can get ridiculously long. We left to line up for the taxi at 1:30ish pm. We were near the front of the line. It took us 45 minutes to get a taxi... UBER people was faster. read more

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White Wonderbland 2014 was just that Bland. Insomnia dropped the ball on last of the Triple Crown of their Wonderland series. I feel like the distance of their other events keeps people away so having on close to home I thought people would really come correct. I'm not big into the scene, but I can tell who tried and who did not. Usually the +$100 price tag keeps some of the rif raf out and being NYE I fully expected people to go all out. Wrong. The all white dress code was barely followed, not enforced and I'm not talking about jus the footwear. I could have gone to Big Night San Diego and been guaranteed a good time with AYCE food and drinks for about the same price, obviously the DJ's and music would not be close, but I think it's also me just getting older. Got a hook up from a friend with some Sheraton free parking. Since I knew where to go I was in without delay and out just as easy. My friend complained of the line from last year, but none were to be found. Coat check on this cold night was key as I guess they used to not offer it. Some things that were also new was the free water. I loved the line up watching AVB perform for the headline and first time for me, I've been listening to his ASOT for years now. A dozen or so dancers and light posts had about half the room covered, but even before being told there used to be 2 stages and not 1 big one I thought the spacing was off. Lots of open space far from the stage, but it was void of posts and people and décor. Overall Décor was lacking. EDC and P Diddy would be ashamed to be associated with White Wonderbland. I was pretty excited to see Showtek as I've seen him much more up close, but alas, I watched from afar due to the singular stage and # of people. If I was to go again I'd go VIP Cabana's eventhough they are ridiculously overpriced. Food was ok, nothing special, long lines, but you had to because at 2am when this gets out INO is closed and since it's NYE so are most places like Denny's and Norms and the like. Glad I packed some snacks in the car. Next year Big Night San Diego's EDM room is where I'll probably be instead of here. read more

A bit over-priced for what they actually provide at the event, but quite fun nonetheless :) The music was pretty good, the staff was helpful, and people were not being stupid about having fun, so it helped keep the atmosphere quite positive through the night. It was really cool to see some of the creative outfits some attendees came up with despite the harsh color limitation.The cost of the drinks was slightly higher than outrageous club prices. If the tickets and/or the drinks are less expensive next year, I might even go again though. read more

White Wonderland - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

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Just wanna say thank you to the crowd for making my first white wonderland fun and memorable! Everyone was really nice and not rowdy like I thought. Only thing is many people were not wearing all white and the site makes it sound like its a strict dress code. Don't stress out if you don't have white shoes. Dark shoes were plenty during the night and people had their non-white jackets as well. Off-white and ivory clothing was everywhere. Oh yeah and $139 for the ticket was overpriced. read more

White Wonderland - Awesome music. - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

Rung in the new year the right way with friends and such! I truly had a great time and it was a wonderful experience, but I suppose I expected more from the Insomniac planners looking at their past events. Especially for the hefty price of $130-$150 price tag. But check-in was relatively fast (except the body check-in section) and the lobby was very spacious. It was mostly the decor that I was disappointed with, most of the walls were just covered with cheap fabric and there was hella open spaces that could've been utilized with more interesting stalls like art booths, or even something like an artist alley of some sort. I also would've liked to see more acrobats, it was always just one single aerial dancer and it just seemed lacking. Stiltwalkers as well. But they had these really amazing smoothies that they were making at one of the stalls, kind of pricey at $8.00 for a regular size, but delicious, it tasted really fresh like actual bananas and strawberries were used, not the artificial stuff. Only a few things I hated was that EVERYONE seemed to be smoking indoors, as if they've forgotten that they're inside a building. It was aggravatingly annoying to those that don't smoke, this event alone would provide you enough second hand smoke to last you a life time. Also, LITTER was EVERYWHERE as if people just couldn't walk a few feet to throw their water bottles away. UGH. I don't know how many times I have tripped over those nasty boogers. TIP: Hilton all day parking is $16.00- Main articles of clothing has to be white, a lot of people came wearing black jeans and colored t-shirts were turned away and had to buy white clothing from the booths. read more

White Wonderland - Wishing tree! - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

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Man, what a hell of a way to bring in the new year. An all white gala of EDM music and freedom of expression, there where some seriously cool outfits and light shows put on display. Parking and entry was a massive cluster$^%=, there where huge unorganized lines that snaked in and out of the venue, which allowed one to easily slip through towards a quicker entry. Haha Both of the stages where spectacular; incredible light shows and sound systems amplified the experience to it's full potential, but Crystal Cathedral was hands down one of my favorites. In between you have lounging hallway, that had a deliciously cool current flowing through, a delightful escape from all that body heat you experience at the stages. I wasn't to familiar with the whole line up, but after experiencing them all, I have to say they where all spectacular, top to bottom. Highlights: Dash Berlin, Nero, Bingo Players, and Above & Beyond. Tho I wished Bingo Players announced the countdown for midnight rather than abruptly going 10,9,8, etc. But no worries, it was all smiles and hugs there afterwards. The food and beverage stations where plentiful and where that expensive for an event of this kind. One thing that slightly bothered me was that there was ONE water filling station at the far end of the venue, it didn't matter tho, there where water fountains scattered throughout the convention center. It was all good times, great people, and exceptional artists. Hands down one of the funnest nights of my life. Insomniac didn't disappoint and I'm already stoked to next years event, but first, EDC LV!!! HAPPY 2013 EVERYONE read more

All righty then, another Insomniac event to add to my growing list of music festivals aka massives aka raves. I was lucky enough to get the first tier of tickets so I only paid $109 for my ticket. If I had to pay closer to $150, honestly I would be pissed. It is indoors and not out all the way in the dealand empire. This was the best thing about White Wonderland, close by and inside where it was warm. The venue was pretty roomy I would say and had a lot of bathrooms, thankfully that were also clean. No porta pottys! Checking in was a breeze as long as you were not on will call. The will call like wrapped around and a guy in our group who was in will call said it took him almost an hour to get his ticket. As far as decorations and stuff, this was the least decorated Insomniac event. I mean sure they had snowflakes and like a wishing tree, at least that's what my boyfriend called it. There was a lot of empty space and the stage was not that impressive. Not really much to look at in comparison to Escape which was around the same price point. I do not want to use Edc as a comparison because that is a 3 day event and 3 times the cost. Dress Code: Honestly, yeah it would be cool if everyone came in white clothes or some variation close to white (ivory, eggshell, off white, etc) but let's face it. That probably will not happen. One of the guys in my group almost did not get in cause his pants were not white but he just went in a different line and they let him in. I mean as long as you are wearing a light color and not black, blue, red, green or any dark color I am sure you will be fine. Thankfully it was 21+ this year, so there was no need for bracelets or id checks to buy alcohol. The prices for alcohol are the same as any other event. I paid $24 for 2 Jameson and coke. They did have a water refill station but it was pretty easy to miss. All the way in the corner and only like 4 pumps. The countdown portion was kind of disorganized and a little rushed. Showtek was dj'ing and they stopped the music 2 minutes before hand then all of a sudden started counting down. I really wish Armin had done the countdown instead of Showtek. By the time Armin came on, my group was already exhausted. We had plans to make it till the end but ended up leaving early. I would say $109 is worth it, $148 not so much. However, I would recommend going especially if you are a fan of edm music. Plus it is New Years, you have to ring it in right! read more

First rave and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. This is a fun event and a great way to bring in the new year if you are looking for a different kind of new years experience. There are some definite pluses and minuses though. First off, hands down the DJ line up was amazing. No complaints. Each set was performed incredibly. One great DJ after another. Second plus would be the amazing stage set up. Definitely no lack of light/laser show entertainment. And last, but certainly not least--the sound quality was bomb. And by that I mean it was LOUD, which is spectacular for this event, but if you have sensitive ears you should definitely bring some ear plugs because your ears will ring for hours once you leave. A huge minus to this event was getting in. My friends and I arrived to the convention center at what I considered early (about 6:30) to find a line that wrapped all the way around the convention center. I do not think I have ever seen a longer line in my life. This is all fine and good, but as the line the started to creep forward and more and more time would pass, people in the crowd, or new arrivers not wanting to walk to the back of the line would cut in front of you. This made the line incredibly unorganized and the wait even longer and security did absolutely nothing to control the problem. It took over an hour and a half to actually get through security. The all white dress code also has its pros and cons. Yes it is a nice to look out and see the sea of white, however, I think you miss out on a lot of the more traditional, fun and creative rave costumes that you would expect to see. Most of the outfits I saw were relatively boring, which was disappointing. As far as the crowd goes I'd say it was a pretty good group. Once inside there wasn't an excessive amount of pushing/shoving and overall rude behavior. I personally didn't see that anyone was out of control or sloppy drunk, which was a pleasant surprise that I wasn't necessarily expecting. read more

I have been going to Insomniac events for over half a decade and sadly its on the decline. Even though i had a lot of fun at the event it was the people i went with and the people i met, i dont see myself going to White Wonderland again. Lets start with the good: - Parking was very well organized, it was a breeze going in and out. - Line was very short when we arrived (8:00), only took about 10 mins to go through all the check points. - The lights and lasers were pretty cool. - Clean restrooms!!! - Great crowd, good vibe. - LBL, CG and ATB all threw down amazing sets. Now onto the bad: - During ATB, Cosmic gate and LBL's sets the music was stuttering. Theyre all veteran djs so i can only assume technical difficulty. - The stage and decor was VERY lacking! Very uncharacteristic for an Insomniac event. With the tickets going for $100+ it felt very overpriced. - The most annoying thing was the security guards. They were wondering by us every 5 minutes shining flashlight in peoples faces. One guy near my group was tackled and handcuffed for giving a lightshow. I guess just taking his gloves wasnt enough. - The countdown was terrible. "Epic" was definitely not the correct adjective to describe, forgetful is more accurate. TL:DR great crowd, overpriced, power tripping security guards. Making the drive to POP next year. read more

White Wonderland is probably my least favorite Insomniac Event. I've gone twice and while it's okay, I think their other events are just a lot better. +Easy to get in. When I went in 2013, there was a long line and you had to wait outside. Thankfully now the lines are all in doors and it goes by extremely quick. You can technically get away with no jacket as long as you run from your car into the venue. - Ambiance/Décor. It's not great. Don't get me wrong, everyone wearing white and the white decorations give it a cool vibe. But they could use a few more art installs or something besides the Wishing tree. It really feels like you're in a convention center. -Coat Check. I think it's cool they offer coat check especially since it's always cold when they throw this event but they need to streamline it better. We got in so quick and ended up waiting in line 30+ minutes for coat check. -Performance/Music. I really think one massive stage isn't as good as having multiple stages. In 2013 they had two stages which I thought was good so you could hop between the two. With one stage, you absolutely cannot see anything and unless you want to get squashed, you'll be standing pretty far back. If they are going to do one stage, I think they need to raise it and add some screens so everyone can see the DJ and what's going on. Bang for Buck: Eh, not worth it unless you really want to go to a Rave on NYE. It's over $100 a ticket and the experience just isn't there. I much prefer their outdoor events. Tip: Don't lose your friends. Everyone looks the same since everyone's in all white. read more

I wasn't impressed, especially considering the cost of the tickets. Some of my thoughts: The line for will call was ridiculously long and it was freezing outside. Obviously the event coordinator can't control the weather, but it would have been nice if they could have added space heaters and/or more staff to get tickets to people who purchased them. Decorations were sparse. For the ticket price, I imagined a much more visually stunning venue. Bummer that the event ended at 2am. Again, for the price of the ticket, one would hope to get more hours of fun. On the positive side, the attendees were great; living up to the true spirit of the event. Lots of smiles, hugs, well wishes for the new year, etc. Will I come to another white wonderland? Nope. read more

Let me start off by saying, I had a great time! I gave this event 3 stars because I don't believe it lived up to the Insomniac brand name. It was my first time attending White Wonderland and I was expecting so much! Having been to EDC Orlando and Vegas and Escape from Wonderland, you walk in to the event with the perception of seeing amazing work of arts but this event was very bare in that sense. There was A LOT of open space ( not near the stage) that they could have but sculptors or seating or ANYTHING! The sets time were good and the artists picked was also good too. My experience was a fun one but I wish I could have seen more from Insomniac read more

White Wonderland - Sooooo much open empty space! But still such a great time - Festivals Near Me - Anaheim, California

Parking was a breeze. Getting in was a breeze. It was really cold. Parking was 16. The ticket was not worth 100 bucks. It was more like to me a 50 dollar rave. Didn't feel like a plur rave to me. Insoniac cannot top Ultra or EDC crowd. I actually had more fun at hard fest and I really didn't like the music. The music was alright a bit repetitive. One part they have 5 min without music technical difficulties. Everyone was wearing white. The girl and guy ratio was bad. It was mostly guys. Lots of asians. Too many actually. Maybe I should of went to countdown, but it's a farther drive. To me it felt like a very expensive concert/club event. Will I be going to white next year. No. I don't like the Los Angeles crowd. For raves to go to are ULTRA, and EDC. That's where it's at. It's only fun if you have huge raver family or your a couple. This rave didn't feel like a rave. It felt more like clubbing. I freaking hate clubbing. Raves brings out all the outlandish crazy people. I guess all the plur ravers moved east coast. read more

4 stars is the average overall experience with 5 stars for ww2013 and 3 stars for 2014. The 2013 events were amazing with 2 stages and much more DJs playing compared to 2014 event. Parking was well organized and relatively easy (15$). Checking in we're pretty efficient. They opened up many lines. You gotta passed 3 total entrances: ID, security, and ticket checks so keep on walking The 2013 event had tables and chairs in the big room between the two stages for people to rest but they got rid of that for 2014 event. Bad moves. They also reduced the 2 stages into 1. The end of the stage is too much echo so if you want to enjoy the music, come closer and do not pass D7 (big white pillars with number throughout the venues so easy to meet up with friends and navigate). I like how the venues are spacious and not crowded. Restroom facilities are plenty. Drinks, and food and even churros are sold in there so that a YES :) VIP booths are elevated above crowd so pretty nice. The most important things were crowd and DJs. The crowd were pretty amazing IMO. Everyone was friendly, no push or shove, and just gave off great vibes. I made couple new friends and created some great memories. DJs were good but not great..maybe due to the fact that I listened to too much of their livesets to be pleasantly surprised. Overall WW is a great and fun event to end/start your new year with lots of positive energy. Recommend everyone to try once in their life! read more

I decided to give five stars cause it's probably the classiest venue for a "festival". Escalators, blasting AC, an actual bathroom. Some things you won't find at any other insomniac event. read more