I finally attended a music and arts festival called "Wanderland" (organized by Karpos), an event I've been following since 2014 (their 2nd edition). It's been 11 years, and I finally went.

I started writing this hours before entering the festival gates, and I am just filled with excitement... which is weird because 98% of the time, IDK anyone in the lineup or have only heard 1-2 songs or just the hits. After the previous events (heck, even years after), some I started listening to casually from time to time, some of the local acts I've watched and enjoyed in smaller events and have loved ever since, and in the rarest of occasions, I've even became friends with.

BTW, I saw comments that this year's lineup is "mid", and I couldn't care less because even if I attended any of the previous years, I still don't know or am not a huge fan of anyone. (Yes, even Carly Rae Jepsen.)

So why am I sentimental about attending this music and arts festival?! It has something to do with me growing up becoming a graphic designer and event organizer.

I'm gonna go back to 2014, probably the first time that the name "Wanderland" actually got stuck in my head. This was the time that I've become aware of music festivals globally. As a fan of electronic music, I found out about music festivals like Ultra Music Festival in Miami (and various parts of the world) and Tomorrowland in Belgium. What got me excited during those first years of being aware of these events were the stages. Every year the stages will look different, I always look forward to seeing each year's look, and I sometimes just search it up from time to time to just be in awe again.

Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Stages from 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019.

These events are huge inspirations to me as a graphic designer because it's like making a different world every year, especially Tomorrowland, which actually has a theme every year.

Tomorrowland in Belgium. Stages from 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

Now let's go back to Wanderland. On its 3rd edition (2015, the year after I got Wanderland's existence implanted in my brain), they had a "Camp" theme. When I saw the poster, I immediately thought "OH. Are they going to have a new theme every year ALSO?!" You bet your ass they did. Carnival, Camp, Space, Jungle, Arcade, Magic, Sports, and now Neighborhood. Just like how I get excited every year to see the stages of Ultra and Tomorrowland, I also look forward to seeing what the theme will be for Wanderland. I legit have a note on my Notes app with a list of previous themes Wanderland has already made, and some ideas I have (like Kingdom, Desert, Museum, and Cinema)

Some of the posters of Wanderland through the years

The graphic designer me also always look forward to how the theme would be interpreted in digital collaterals and how they're decorating the whole event space, so I also check out photos of the event once it's done.

Growing up and trying to be in-the-know of music festivals around the globe, I see people post A LOT of photos and videos of their experiences online. Moments of fans being able to sing out loud songs that have connected with them in a deeply personal level, and moments of just plain hanging out with friends. Seeing how people connect with each other in these events is what made me also want to do events.

While my events aren't gigs or music festivals as of writing (I let anyone give presentations on random-ass topics while drunk, lmao), I want to be able to make those kinds of events too. I want to enable people to feel a lot in the spectrum of emotions. While I consider myself as a business-minded person (thinking of revenue, profit margins, possible losses, etc.), my number one KPI always is that I let people connect with other people. My little event lets people express themselves, be passionate about something or be silly, and every attendee gets it. A music festival fosters connections through music and community, and that's why I want to make one as well. If the overall sentiment of attendees is that they had a great time, then I think I accomplished my mission.

Inside Wanderland

I think the one thing people would like to know was if there were a lot of people, and based from stories from friends, it's significantly less. I got to go to the front of the stage for each set I watched, or at least somewhere near that I can still see the artist. Lines for food and the toilets were not long so it was stress-free... and I was expecting wayyy worse, so I think I haven't really had a full-on music festival experience. 😅

Aside from the usual "going with friends", I also saw some families there (Yes, even grandparents)! IDK if this is just because of their new "Kids under 8 go for free" or this has been a thing this whole time, but it was super cute to see. Like "YES, go run around, dance, and feel free, kids! ADULTS, BE AWARE WHEN DANCING AND DON'T HARM THE KIDS!" (Note: I don't like kids. Me being able to have this thought says a lot about the vibe in Wanderland.)

To address the elephant in the room, yes, I just vibed throughout the performances I watched. But here are some rapid fire thoughts on the acts I watched:

Ena Mori - I'm so happy to see her on the Wanderland stage. She deserves it.
Jose Miguel - Dear lord, WHAT A VOICE. 😍😭
Beenzino - His vibe is just infectious. His music + seeing him live = You feel that vibe as well.
HWASA - I needed a longer set. That was too short for such an energizing performer.
Thundercat - Was just in awe with the talent and skill he has.
Parcels - The highlight of my Wanderland experience. Great stuff.

They are all great discoveries for me.

In front of the stage for Parcels (left) and Breakbot & Irfane (right)

I'm going to be dramatic now. After I entered the gates on Day 1, going around the whole festival grounds, I was just in awe. To be fair, it's just a bunch of booths and the stage that were set up, but to finally see things that I've only seen in pictures, it's something else for me. When I was seated in the middle of the two stages, I had a few tears. To be face-to-face with what has got to be the biggest stage set-up I've seen in my life (so far, lol), the focal point of the whole event that I've been following for more than a decade, a lot of emotions were felt. "I'm finally here", "I want to do something like this", "Someday I will do something like this, and of this scale".

Oh the emotions seeing that gate for the first time, and seeing the "See You" after the whole event.

Thank You

Before I end this post, I want to thank a few people.

My friends Nikka and Bea, for buying me a ticket last year when Wanderland announced a new kind of ticket, the "Loyal Wanderer" promo, where tickets are only sold at the venue, and at its lowest price. I'd say that I wouldn't be able to attend Wanderland if it weren't for y'all.

To Gana, my gig buddy for almost a decade now, for being open to the idea of buying the Loyal Wanderer ticket last year and joining me in this experience. You're more likely to be a fan of someone from the international lineup, so that really checks out. 😂 Just want to mention to the reader that we sometimes forget that we're going, and that's what happens when you buy a ticket one year in advance.

To the Karpos team, for being a huge inspiration, even though our music tastes are not alike. I can't wait for next year. (Please get local neo-boyband KINDRED in the lineup.) 💖

Anyways, here's some photos.

With the people I spent my first Wanderland with. 🥰

Left: The 2024 Wanderland logo. Right: The ball pit at the Johnnie Walker Blonde booth

Because you're still here...

In case you want to have an idea on some logistical stuff as an attendee, here's some thoughts on the price of stuff, lines, etc.:

Food = PHP 200-400++ for a main dish, PHP 150-200 for a side.
Drinks = PHP 50-100 for bottled water and softdrinks. Bring a water bottle instead, refills are free!!! Beer from San Miguel is at PHP 150, cocktails from Johnnie Walker at PHP 200-300. Cocktails are more worth it because it hits me more than a bottle of beer.
Merch = Smaller items are around PHP 250-500, Shirts are at PHP 1,000. Artist merch and previous official merch are also available. I got a shirt from last year's official collection at PHP 850.
Lines = Remember that this was a significantly smaller crowd. There were no lines for toilets and merch. I had many visits to the toilets in Day 2 thanks to the free water bottle refills and never encountered a line throughout the whole day. Lines for food were not as long, but the wait for your order can take 10-15 minutes.
Payment Methods = Some accepted card (specifically Johnnie Walker and the merch booth). GCash is accepted, but signal is low af, so good luck with that. Cash is the best way to go. I think the alternative to using cash (for eWallets and cards) was using Grab to order food and just picking it up when it's already made, but again, signal was low, so I didn't try that option too.
Transportation = I'm honestly just one long jeep ride away from the venue, so going there was easy (and cheap!) Was able to book a motorcycle taxi home minutes after the event. (Hooray for getting signal immediately at the most important time!) Almost the whole crowd was gone in minutes! A motorcycle taxi ride to/from my place in Parañaque is at PHP 150. I highly suggesting commuting as near to the venue as possible before booking a ride.

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Being sentimental about Wanderland