Over Halloween weekend, I attended Insomniac’s Escape Halloween Rave festival in San Bernardino, California, and left with mixed feelings.
Held at the NOS Event Center, Escape is the only major rave held in Southern California over Halloween, making it a truly hit-or-miss experience—depending on who you ask.
Before going, I was warned by other ravers that Escape has “too many reckless high schoolers,” “way-too-sketchy parking,” and “too high a ticket price.”
I couldn’t resist the draw of a two-day psycho-circus themed rave and a lineup featuring Marshmello B2B DJ Snake, Alesso, Southstar, Dimitri Vegas, and more, surrounded by a ginormous inflatable monkey and pyrotechnic carnival games.
Here’s my honest review on whether the trip to San Bernardino and the $185 GA ticket was worth it.
ATMOSPHERE AND PRODUCTION
Escape nailed the Halloween aesthetic. The decorations balanced camp and horror expertly, with the immersive “Crazy Town” center featuring a glowing fountain, fire-shooting towers, roaming clown performers, and free carnival games.
Visually, it felt like Goth Disneyland.
Attractions like a rollercoaster, a haunted house with a hidden DJ set inside, and a dark ride were unique activities for my group when we needed a break from dancing.
I could tell the layout was designed with attendees in mind.
Stages were tucked away in corners of the festival to keep crowds controlled and separate from attendees walking between stages, vendors, or through the town center. As someone who’s always running between sets, I appreciated this.
My one issue was the extremely limited seating available. Only one tiny stage at the back of the festival had actual benches, forcing hundreds of attendees to find seats against trash cans or in the middle of walkways. A designated seating area for rest and recovery would have been ideal.
Rating: 8/10
MUSIC AND CROWD vibe
Musically, the best part of Escape was the scheduling.
Headliners were perfectly staggered, which meant I didn’t miss any of my most anticipated artists, making it the highlight of the festival.
That said, the genre variety felt limited. The lineup leaned heavily into house and melodic EDM. I heard Zedd’s “Clarity” three different times, and several tracks got repeated by different artists. Though not uncommon at festivals, Escape didn’t offer enough variety to offset it.
As for the crowd, many attendees brought great PLUR energy by trading kandi, fanning each other, and allowing space for everyone to dance comfortably.
Unfortunately, during Porter Robinson’s set, a man projectile vomited without warning, nearly spilling over my group.
Over-intoxicated attendees aren’t unusual at raves, but Escape had more people who couldn’t hold their substances than I’ve seen at other events, including multiple incidents that pulled me out of the experience.
Rating: 7/10
PARKING AND SAFETY
Parking is where Escape truly fell short.
If you didn’t arrive in the early afternoon to secure a free-event parking spot, your choices were to pay $40–$50 to sketchy, unofficial lots nearby, walk long distances through unsafe neighborhoods late at night, or wait over an hour for a rideshare after the event ended.
Even with an early parking plan, as a group of women in ravewear, walking through San Bernardino’s poorly lit streets late at night still felt unsafe.
According to other ravers, car break-ins were unfortunately common due to the lack of monitored lots.
For an event this big, with a car-dependent location, the infrastructure and lack of adequate parking didn’t cut it.
Rating: 5/10
SO WAS IT WORTH IT?
Escape Halloween 2025 was equal parts immersive carnival and chaotic circus. Between the jaw-dropping visuals, no set conflicts, and interactive haunted attractions, there were definitely moments that made the $185 ticket feel worth it.
However, the festival’s lack of musical variety and serious parking and safety concerns were difficult to overlook, especially as a young woman attending with friends.
If you’re in SoCal and want a high-production Halloween rave, Escape is one of the most visually creative options out there. Just make sure you come with a crew, a solid transportation plan, and tempered expectations.
Overall Rating: 6.7/10