Escape Halloween

Escape Halloween is an electronic music festival held in Southern California around Halloween.^[1] It is one of Insomniac Events music festivals running annually since 2011.^[2] There are Halloween walk-through mazes, themed stages, and costumed performers. Genres include EDM, house, dance, electro house, drum and bass, techno, dance-punk, hardstyle, dubstep, trance, and more. Previous hosted stages include: Audiotistic, Bassrush, Richie Hawtin's ENTER., and Laidback Luke's Super You & Me. The event was originally named Escape from Wonderland, but was later changed to Escape Halloween with changing themes throughout each annual festival. Themes for the event are all based around horror and range from things such as Escape from Wonderland (2011) and Escape Psycho Circus (2015).

History

2011

Escape Halloween debuted under the name "Escape From Wonderland". It was first held in 2011 by Insomniac Events at the NOS Events Center in Southern California, featuring artists; Afrojack, Benny Benassi, Cedric Gervais, Crizzly, etc.

Escape From Wonderland (now titled Escape Halloween^[3])is an electronic music festival held in Southern California around Halloween. It was first held in 2011 by Insomniac Events at the NOS Events Center in Southern California, featuring artists; Afrojack, Benny Benassi, Cedric Gervais, Crizzly, etc. Most recently titled with "Escape", for 2014 it was Escape: All Hallows Eve, for 2015 it was "Escape: Psycho Circus".

2012

For Escape Halloween's second year, they return to the NOS Events Center in Southern California.^[4]

2013

Changing up the venue to the San Manuel Amphitheatre in Southern California, Escape From Wonderland took place.^[5]

2014

In 2014 the festival adopted the name Escape: All Hallows Eve at the NOS Events Center in Southern California.^[6]

2015

For 2015, Escape Halloween took on the theme of Escape: Psycho Circus, hosted it's now traditional home of the NOS Events Center in Southern California.^[7] The lineup included Adam Auburn, Eric Prydz, Joris Voorn, and Paul Van Dyk amongst many others.

2016

For 2016, Escape is hosting Yellow Claw, The Chainsmokers, Hardwell, Armin Van Buuren and Kaskade among others.

In the News

One hundred and eighty arrests were documented at the 2015 "Escape: Psycho Circus" event. Charges included trespassing, illegal drug possession, and disorderly conduct. Additionally, twenty-six attendees were admitted into local hospitals for treatment for drug and alcohol related issues. Consequently, the presence of law enforcement officers on site and community alarm have both increased.^[8]

There were some comments from residents who were bothered by the event, but the annual festival has received continued support from the City Council. The influx of 90,000 people filled hotels and restaurants alike, contributing to city revenues through taxes. Representatives from the Police Department and Emergency Medical Services commented that the rave was well run and that Insomniac coordinated with public departments as well as providing a staff of 500 security personnel to maintain safety at the event.^[9]

General Event Information

Location

The event is held at the National Orange Show event center in San Bernardino, California. The event center holds four main stage tents. The four tents for this event are the Slaughterhouse, Ghouls' Graveyard, The Chopping Block, and Cannibal's Tea Party. Along with the performance stages, the center holds mazes and art galleries that are tied into the Halloween-themed atmosphere.^[10]

What is Acceptable

Ages & ID

In order to enter into Escape Halloween, those who enter are required to be 18+ and 21+ in oder for alcohol/VIP. Escape Halloween will also ask to look at ID. This includes:

• Driver's License
• Government issued passport

Festival Policies

In order to make the night run smoothly, Insomniac has a few festival policies. Some of the rules are as followed:

• No Reentry/ins & outs per day
• No Camping
• No Refunds/Exchanges
• No Moshing, Crowd-surfing, or Stage-diving
• No Tailgating

Costume Guidelines

Dressing up at Escape Halloween is a must! However, for those who are planning to dress up, Insomniac also has a few dress policies that must be followed. Some of the guidelines include:

• No drug[s] paraphernalia
• No handcuffs
• No authentic looking law enforcement, fire department, or security costumes
• No glass or ceramic masks
• No weapons or weapon accessories

Health Policies

A strict drug policy is enforced at the Insomniac venue, banning all drugs at its events. Even attendees with medical marijuana cards may not bring drugs to any events. Violators of the drug policy will be escorted from the venue.

Insomniac encourages attendees to notify on-site medical staff in the event of an emergency, including potential overdoses. Medical stations are located at every event in addition to roaming medical staff.^[11]

Signs of medical complications include the following:

• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Pale or bluish skin color
• Abnormal breathing or heart rate
• Abnormal body temperature
• Delusions, hallucinations, or paranoia
• Unresponsive pupils
• Confusion, stupor, or coma

Insomniac encourages attendees to contact medical staff in the presence of any of these symptoms.

Zero-Tolerance Policy

According to Insomniac's website Escape Halloween, illegal drugs will not be permitted anywhere inside or outside of the venue. According to Insomniac's Escape Halloween website, there will be narcotic officers that will be working all areas of the venue and will be enforcing all drug-related laws. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and, not only that, but if you are found intoxicated, security will not permit you to enter into the venue. Insomniac has made it very clear that event staff reserve the rights to refuse anyone.

Hydration

Insomniac also provides free water to all Escape Halloween festival. Attendees can purchase their own water bottle from the merchandise booth, or bring their own containers to fill up. Not only that but there are water refill stations located throughout the venue! Hydration is something that Insomniac takes very seriously! So bringing a water bottle is a must! ^[12]

Ground Control

Insomniac prides itself on its Ground Control team. Ground Control members are roaming staff in charge of keeping attendees hydrated and healthy, as well as responding to emergencies. Attendees can recognize Ground Control members based on their purple shirts. People can also volunteer to join the Ground Control team by contacting the Insomniac team.^[13]

Accessibilities

The most important thing to Insomniac is that everyone has a good time and to do that they try to accommodate for everyone including those with disabilities.

Some accessibilities that Insomniac allows includes:

Amenities

• Public Restroom Areas
• ATMs
• Concession Stands

Medical

Insomniac has made it their main concern to put safety first. First aid locations are offered all throughout the venue and is located on the map handed out to guests.

Service Animals

To really accommodate for those who need it, service animals will be allowed on the festival grounds.

Community

Every year since 2011, Insomniac has worked with a fellow charity in the San Bernardino area. They allocate $1 per ticket transaction and $10 per guest list attendee. Below are a few of the charities that Insomniac has worked with in the past few years.

Brent Shapiro Foundation

Starting in 2005, Brent Shapiro Foundation^[14] works to bring awareness to alcohol and drug dependency. They would like to provide support to parents towards communicating to children and other parents about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Hoping to fight against alcohol and drug dependency, Brent Shapiro Foundation wants to make sure that awareness, compassion, and support will come out of their program.

San Bernardino Sheriff’s PRCA Pro Rodeo

San Bernardino Sheriff’s PRCA Pro Rodeo,^[15] started in 1957, has been one of the events that have brought together residents, business owners, city and county officials, and law enforcements. Their overall goal of have this rodeo is to create a better relationship between law enforcement and the community, all while having fun doing it. The rodeo was reported to have disappeared back in 1974, however due to a great variety of rodeo lovers, it was brought back for everyone to enjoy.

San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra Music in Education Program

Founded in 1929, the San Bernardino Symphony^[16] has been fulfilling their mission of making symphonic music available to those living in the diverse populations of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. By gaining so much support from those around the area, the Orchestra hopes to give children living in the San Bernardino community the opportunity to be able to enjoy music.

Second Harvest Food Bank

The Second Harvest Food Bank^[17] began in 1980 in response to the problem that was created in the Inland Empire surrounding hunger and food waste. By helping over a total of 600 charities, the Food Bank has been able to distribute over 2.5 million pounds of food monthly. With the mission to get rid of hunger in the Inland Empire and a vision to feed those in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Second Harvest Food Bank has been growing ever since.

Places that Second Harvest Food Bank have helped are as followed:

• Emergency Food Pantries
• Homeless Shelters
• Soup Kitchens
• Day Care Centers
• Halfway Houses
• Senior Food Programs
• Residential Treatment Centers
• Shelters for the Abused
• After School Programs
• Group Homes

Other Insomniac Shows

Insomniac has many other shows that they put on other than Escape Halloween. Below are some information on some of the shows that they've put on in the past couple years.

Beyond Wonderland Main Stage in 2010

Beyond Wonderland^[18]

Beyond Wonderland, which started in 2010, was the first festival that was held in the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, California. The venue featured multiple stages of EDM (electronic dance music) artists that varied from various genres such as Trance, Dubstep, House, etc. Beyond Wonderland can be found hosting their festival at various locations across the west coast including Seattle, San Bernardino, SoCal, and Mountain View.

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC)^[19]

Electric Daisy carnival 2010, Los Angeles

Dating way back in 1997 and still going strong, Electric Daisy Carnival has been known as one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals in the United States! Initially located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Electric Daisy Carnival has been able to spread to California, Florida, New York, Texas, and many more! Some of Electric Daisy Carnival's lineup included Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Above & Beyond, and Pretty Lights

Nocturnal Wonderland Fireworks at their 2012 Festival

Nocturnal Wonderland^[20]

Nocturnal Wonderland, although was held in 1996, did not blow up until 2011. Nocturnal Wonderland normally captured the attention of over 50,000 music enthusiasts. The dates in which this festival normally took place was the first week of September for those who lived in Southern California and for those who lived in the Texas area, the festival would be held in April. Some of the stages that they normally had at their venues were The Labyrinth (which was eventually replaced by Alice's House), Alice's House, The Upside Downroom, The Sunken Garden, The Queen's Grounds (not to be confused with Beyond Wonderland's Queen's Domain stage), and The Big Top Tent (this stage eventually faded away in 2010 and was never brought back). Nocturnal featured various artists. Some well known names included: ATB, CRIZZLY, Darin Epsilon, Fury, and many more!

See also

• List of electronic music festivals
• Insomniac Events
• Music Festival

References

External links

• Media related to Insomniac Events at Wikimedia Commons