Insomniac’s Escape Halloween has defined itself as the largest Halloween festival in today’s festival scene. Creating a worldbuilding experience for attendees, Escape headliners immerse themselves in five stages of music and thrilling artists among its experience of exhibits, displays, and performances.
Hosted at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California, Escape utilized every inch of the festival grounds to their advantage. Upon entering, attendees are greeted with a small pond reflecting the festival Ferris Wheel with orange tinted lights hung around the trees of the festival grounds. Spooky characters on stilts can be seen taunting the grounds and interacting with the headliners.
The Grimm and The Feeding Grounds Exceeded Expectations
The Grimm and the Feeding Grounds stages brought the heat for this year’s Escape Halloween lineup. Afroki, Alison Wonderland, Deadmau5, Martin Garrix, OMNOM, Illenium, and Seven Lions are just a few of the big names that threw down on the main stage. Debuting in 2019, The Grimm stage is centered around a giant moving skeleton figure that towers over the artists. The Feeding Grounds had an impressive setup as well, with oversized figures of spiders moving throughout the crowd creating a web-like ceiling to the tent area. Cloonee was a highlight at the Feeding Grounds, bringing a house vibe while most bass music artists played at the Grimm stage.
Sewer District Takes Center Stage
The Sewer District ended up being a fan favorite stage from the weekend. The design incorporated a 180 lighting and screen set up, along with tiered bleachers for comfortable seating near the back of the crowd. Peekaboo’s set in the Sewer District was filled to the maximum, with almost no empty seats to be found. The immersive stage experience was secluded off in its own area of the festival, as attendees walked into another world of green that led to the stage entrance and opened up to the massive LED experience.
Escape Turned San Bernardino into a Festival Halloweentown
Among the festival grounds were interactive displays of circus games, entertainers, musical performances, and haunted characters. Escape had turned the venue into its own Halloweentown with enough activities to occupy festival-goers every moment of the weekend. There were stands for trick or treating, beauty stations, and storefront facades with themed drinks and performances. The Poison Ivy area was a popular spot on the grounds that featured an exotic pharmacy with black lights and greenery inside along with themed drinks. Next to the pharmacy, headliners could sit and watch fire-breathing and musical performances at the Fire Organ.
Southern California really came together on Halloween weekend to celebrate music, the Halloween spirit, and the Dodgers in the World Series. Lots of blue and white Dodgers jerseys could be seen throughout the festival, along with a majority of attendees dressed up in costumes.
Escape Halloween is the top Halloween festival to attend every year and will be making a return in 2025. Tickets for Escape Halloween Psycho Circus 2025 are already on sale starting at $233.95 or a $9.99 deposit. The festival returns to the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino October 31 and November 1, 2025, falling on Halloween night for the first time in ten years.
Author: Shana Olivero
Premier EDM 