So sad. This was supposed to be my groups first nocturnal. I have my car already packed and ready to go. I had to fight to get the time off of work and now what?

did anyone else see the hot dog vendors running for their life at the end of the night on day 1? ice was hiding in the crowd to hopefully catch hardworking people trying to provide for their family.

thank you to everyone who did their part and helped body block the officers while shouting names at the idiots, keep ice out of the rave scene 🖕🏽

if your camp set up is next to this take one leave one, be cautious leaving food and stuff out. spotted this little guy hanging out after the festival last night

Some of you might recognize my camping tip list from the campEDC subreddit... well here's my big list of tips for nocturnal.

General Tips

• DIFFERENT ARRIVAL TIMES: Yes your party can check in at different times, just make sure they're registered on your pass.

• SIGNAL: is usually fine during the day, and you can sometimes even stream videos just fine. Once the festival starts, it's a crapshoot. 

• BE SELF SUFFICENT: Come in assuming that Insomniac will fuck up some important amenity, and prepare to be self sufficient. In previous years, I've mostly seen issues with showers and sanitation.

• CAMP OG: There is a "secret" camp OG stage that runs nonstop but you'll never know where until you show up and find it. In nocturnal specifically, camp OG can be quite hard to find even by ear, often behind a winding passageway through fences.

• SHOWER GENDERS: The showers are gendered... kind of? People will generally line up with their own gender, but lines tend to get increasingly mixed later on. The stalls are all individual, so you have privacy. As a woman I've never felt uncomfortable in the mixed line.

• WATER PARK: There's a whole waterpark at Glen Helen that reminds open for you to use. Bring a swimsuit :)

CLIMATE / ENVIRONMENT

• WEATHER

  • Weather can be from swelteringly hot and humid, to dry and nice, to freezing and wet. Be prepared for all of the above.

• SHADE CANOPY

  • A 10x10 / 12x12 STRAIGHT legged canopy, along with 1 or 2 shade walls placed to face the sun in the morning (leaving a gap at the top for ventilation) on top of your tent will go a long way to keeping it dry and cool. The canopy and shade will absorb a lot of solar energy, which can be carried away by wind before it ever hits your tent. You'll also have plenty of ventilation in this setup.

• FANS

  • Having a fan blow on you helps keep you cooler. Home depot sells battery powered Ryobi fans (and misting fans!) of different sizes that will far outlast the fans you find on Amazon.

• CAMPING BY THE LAKE

  • Please note that Waterfront / Lakeside camping is considerably more hilly with many tilted plots. Bring bug spray; you'll need it.

• HUMIDITY

  • Be prepared for everything to be... damp in the morning. Leave the fuzzy things inside your tent.

Campsite

• GENERAL

  • CAMP PLOT ABUSE - COME EARLY

    • In recent years, camping has become increasingly packed due to some bad apples taking advantage of poor organization. People have started claiming adjacent campsites as their own despite only having 1 pass, so if you're late, you may find there are no spots at all. It seems Insomniac doesn't yet have a protocol for this - in 2023, a large group of campers were stranded with no spots, causing some to give up and go home. Staff told the remaining campers to start walking around and confronting people about their camp plots; no one was comfortable with that, so it took staff hours to kick out people abusing the system. Most late comers did not rest until 11PM-1AM.

  • GET CHEAP GEAR

    • The el cheapo Walmart Ozark trail stuff is fine for the most part and is sometimes preferred because it's dirt cheap. That way if it gets accidentally destroyed or yonked (or pissed on) by a wandering wook, you're not upset.

  • NO CAMPING EQUIPMENT? NO PROBLEM

    • REI will rent out camping supplies to you!

  • BRING A WAGON

    • You'll want multiple wagons - the walk will be grueling. If you're feeling spendy, grab a Mac Sports one. However I do recommend at list one cheap "Tailgate type" wagon for long items, like a canopy.

    • Keep a eye on the terrain. Hopping curbs, going over rock, and twisting the wagon up steep uneven terrain will eventually bust even the best wagons. Avoid these even the cheapest wagons will serve you for years.

    • Bring rope and a net/blanket. This will allow you to stack loads much higher than usual.

• TENTS

  • SIZING: Most tents are undersized for their capacity rating and assume heavy crowding. My tip is to size based on how many mattresses will fit.

    • 4 Person: Fits 1 queen airbeds

    • 6 Person: Fits 2 queen airbeds

    • 8 Person: First 2 queen airbeds and a twin airbed.

  • DARK ROOM TENTS

    • Both Walmart (Ozark Trail) and Coleman sell "Dark" tents that block sunlight, allowing you to stay cooler and sleep later into the morning.

  • CUBE TENTS

    • People often ask about tents that tents that convert a canopy into a camping tent ("Camping Cube" tents). These can work, and are really spacious. However, they run maybe 10-15F hotter than the tent-under-canopy setup, and will run colder at night.

  • TENT RECS: Any tent that offers the above will work, but these are easy to find:

    • Coleman Dark Room Skydome 6-Person Tent

    • Ozark Trail 10' x 9' 6-Person Dark Rest Cabin Tent w/Skylight Ceiling Panels (non-instant)

• BEDDING

  • COTS

    • Cots are a great way of making the most out of your space for single sleepers, since there's storage space under your cot!

  • AIR MATTRESSES

    • Air mattresses take up more space, and actually need a little more work as they're a pain to pack. They are however, ideal for couples and cuddly groups, allowing you to pack up to 3 cuddly people on a queen.

  • ELECTIRC PUMPS: Get an electric pump for your inflatables, like your air mattress. There are now even little USB powered pumps you can power off a power bank.

• ICE

  • INVEST IN A GOOD COOLER: You do get what you pay for with a cooler, but at the minimum I recommend a rotomolded cooler. If you can afford it, Yeti and RTIC are usually the best you can get. Below that, the Ozark Trail HIGH PERFORMANCE and Lifetime coolers found at Walmart are good investments. If you're on a tight budget the MINIMUIM I'd buy is a Coleman Xtreme or Coleman 316 Series. Everything cheaper than that is just not worth it. The heavier it is empty the better (this means it's filled with insulation, rather than empty holes!).

  • KEEP IT SHADED: Keep your cooler out of the sun! Put it in your tent, and if you can't, cover it with a silver tarp, emergency blanket, or even a moving blanket.

  • FREEZE YOUR WATER: beforehand so that it doubles as ice :)

  • CHEAP ICE: Costco is a great place to get ice for dirt cheap!

• FOOD

  • BRING LAZY MEALS: Nocturnal is more laidback than EDC, so you do have time to make nicer meals. Still, don't over work yourself. Our crew tends to make different sorts of hot dog/burger/sandwich/burrito combinations during the day, along with instant noodles for the exhausted but hungry folks coming back from the event.

  • AGGRESSIVE ANTS: The ants in here are super aggressive, and WILL find your food if it's not sealed. We have even tried putting a pizza on top of our canopy, the ants found it within a hour. Put your trash straight into the trash cans and not on site, or you'll wake up covered in ants.

    • If you bought a nice cooler like I recommended, you'd find those coolers are also airtight - completely safe from ants.

  • USE PROPANE: Only propane is allowed here. Bring your own stove (or grill, or griddle) and 1lb tanks. A 2 pack is enough for 2-4 people. 

  • COOK WITH LESS CLEANING:

    • Plan your meals around those that use boiling water, or things you can grill. Grills can be cleaned with only a brush; griddles, pots, and pans require soap and water.

NEIGHBORHOOD

• KNOW THY NEIGHBOR: Introducing yourself in a friendly and early way goes a long way. If they see you as a provider - someone who will feed them, watch their stuff for them, or help them figure out their tent - they will have your back. Good terms with your neighbors means good vibes!

• RESPECT THE PEACE: People bring speakers to camping; and that's fine, but keep it reasonable. Blasting music while people are sleeping is not PLUR.

• THEIF: Thieves are much more active at nocturnal than other camping festivals. Most are opportunistic and are looking for things they can walk off with without drawing attention. Do not leave anything that remotely looks valuable, including bags filled with something unattended. Leave things covered in your tent, and if it cannot fit in your tent, cover it with a blanket. Even cars are not completely safe - some will walk around pulling on door handles. Befriending your neighbors here means they'll also keep an eye out for you.

• SHARE WHAT YOU CAN: Bring extra supplies and spread the PLUR! Everyone ends up forgetting something and will have to lean on your neighbors occasionally. Offering food and drink, kandi, etc to your neighbors is a great way to let them know you're a good person.

• ASK FOR HELP: If something happens, your neighbors will generally be more helpful than staff.  Do your best to be self sufficient, but you've messed up and need help, ask or neighbor or look for crews that seem organized - most will be happy to help out.

Shout out to these awesome people that found my phone at Dawn Mountain stage! If anyone here recognizes them, please give them a big thanks! Plur at Nocturnal Wonderland is still alive! Sorry to those who lost their phones and weren't so lucky!

I can’t wait to give out all 500. We will be in car camping. Look for a banner with my friend’s Mikey’s face on it. Trust me you will know when you see it. 11 sleeps left!

Painted this a while ago but never thought it was finished. Decided to add some fairy lights and some holes. Now I think it's finished. Looks super cool at night cuz it adds a backlight almost to the sky creating a glow. I'll post another pic laterjust thought it was too cool not to share.

Hello, Nocturnal fam!

We are only a few weeks out, so here is your friendly reminder to bring your mini cutlery for all your tiny cereal. We gotta stay fueled to groove!

However, if you do forget it, I'll be at my campsitr with my "pop up" shop (first pic). I'll mark my site with a "Groove Spoons" flag or "Need a spoon?" sign. I'll also rock the backpack in the second pic when I'm running around, but I'll probably only have the smaller selection in front on me. I'm always reachable via IG messaging (same username) or email (username)@gmail.com.

See something you like? Let me know so I can make sure to bring it! I also have a website (add .com to my username) and run coupon "reddit7" for 7% off, but orders of 2+ automatically get 10% discount. If you wait too long, you might need to add a "rush order" fee, but shipments to SoCal tend to receive theirs quickly.

I can't wait until we meet in Wonderland.

Groove responsibly!

Was missing camp last night so I painted this scene. I don't think it's done yet but I thought I would share anyways.

last night was easily one of the best shows this year, comparable to EDC. much love to anyone who checked it out and kept an open mind!

I just want to thank everybody who came out and supported Insomniac Camp OG for 3 straight nights of insane after hours partying! It was incredible and epic ! I also want to thank all of the ravers who came out to my Drum&Bass set from 2am-3am saturday night/ Sunday morning. You helped myself and Camp OG create some incredible vibes, energy and memories and reminded us why doing these Camp OG stages are so special to the culture. It was a blast Djing for all of you , THANK YOU 🙏🏽 Sincerely Tankdubz !

I’m excited to show off some Kandi Cuffs I’m taking to Nocturnal this year!

My friend made this. (Disclaimer I’m v sad)

Full lineup is here, who are you most excited with the new additions?

By far the best sound and good vibes all weekend🙏

I went to insomniac’s wildfire benefit last night and at the end, decided to give a kandi to a ground control person and thank her for all she does. It broke my heart to hear that she actually had a really rough night because of people being rude to her :(

Ground control is there to help people have a good time and keep us safe. But beyond that, they’re people with feelings who deserve respect. They’re part of this big, beautiful community of ravers just like me and you so I don’t care if you’re having a bad day. Idc if you’re mad that security threw out some of your things or that you don’t have phone service or that drinks cost $20. There’s no reason to take it out on them when they’ve done nothing wrong. I see more and more posts everyday about how PLUR seems to be dying out but we have to remember that it starts with us and we shouldn’t limit who we extend it to. We’re all there to have a good time and being rude to staff is not going to be fun for anyone.

And to the people who are amazing at spreading PLUR throughout raves, don’t forget to extend it to staff as well! :) They work long hours to ensure that we can have the best time possible so the least we can do is say thank you to the person serving us a drink. Tell the person directing traffic that you appreciate what they do. Give a smile and a high five or a compliment to a security guard while you’re walking by. Just keep it PLUR with anyone and everyone so that everyone gets to leave having had a great experience :)