SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Popular dance music event Nocturnal Wonderland has been cancelled due to multiple wildfires approaching its venue, Glen Helen Regional Park, Insomniac events announced on Wednesday just three days leading up to the planned event. The announcement was made on the festival’s social media pages, as well as a brief message sent to media outlets who were set to attend the event:
“Due to the increasing nature of the fires in the San Bernardino area, we are saddened to announce that we will be unable to proceed with this year’s edition of Nocturnal Wonderland. The health and well-being of festival attendees and staff are our highest priority, and we hope to support both the local firefighters and affected community in the coming days.
The full statement with additional information can be found on the Nocturnal Wonderland Instagram page here.
Thank you for your support and understanding.”
The wildfires mentioned that are near the venue are the Bridge Fire and Line Fire, which ignited on September 8th and September 5th, respectively. Wildfire season is at its peak right now in California, typically starting each June and ending by November. Amidst the wildfires was an extreme heatwave in San Bernardino, which reached temperatures of over 105 degrees farenheight earlier this week.
The boundaries of the fires in the map above are roughly 14 miles from the venue in each direction. Wildfires can travel up to about 14 miles per hour if given the right wind conditions. With containment at 0 percent for Bridge Fire and 14 percent for Line Fire, this would pose a significant risk for event attendees.
Thousands have already been evacuated from their homes in the region and roads have been shut down. The fires have grown rapidly in a short time, and the smoke has significantly impacted air quality in the region.
Wildfires taking place this time of year in San Bernardino (and much of California) are commonplace. At Nocturnal Wonderland 2016, a wildfire broke out across the road from the event and could be seen by attendees, but was quickly contained.
This year’s cancellation of Nocturnal Wonderland comes as another disappointment to the dance music community in the midst of a rising number of festival cancellations due to extreme weather, natural disasters, lower ticket sales, and inflation. In this era of economic uncertainty and climate crisis, many are left wondering what direction the music industry and live events are headed in.
Follow Nocturnal Wonderland on Instagram and Facebook on stay tuned on updates for Nocturnal Wonderland 2025.
UPDATED ON 9/13/2025:
Insomniac has announced three special benefit shows to take place this weekend (Saturday 9/14 and Sunday 9/15), with net proceeds directly supporting those impacted by the recent wildfires in Southern California.
Taking the stage at the Hollywood Palladium and Exchange LA across the three shows are SVDDEN DEATH b2b KAYZO, SLANDER, J. WORRA b2b WESTEND, DEORRO and many more. This is an opportunity to come together, celebrate the power of music, and give back to those in need.
Tickets are on sale now at https://ww.insomniac.com/wildfire-benefits/.
