Stepping foot into the biggest music festival during Halloween in Southern California and one of the biggest Halloween events in the world at NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA, we were introduced to the encapsulating world of Insomniac’s vision. And it sure did not disappoint.
The Headliners Did Not Disappoint
The headliners themselves were a work of art to look at. From Marshmello, B2B DJ Snake, Deadmau5, KSHMR B2B R3HAB, Alesso, Porter Robinson, and SO many more. There was a favorite artist for everybody to enjoy, across all genres. The artists themselves broke expectations in the best ways possible. From Marshmello opting for the black mask instead of his iconic white setup to Porter Robinson remixing his own songs for a hardstyle arrangement (Sad Machine!), it was easy to be enamoured and to be constantly wondering what followed next.
One unique thing was how effective and smooth the transition was from one artist to another. Within 5 minutes, they were ready to turn it up, CDJ in one hand and all momentum in another to carry the night on a seamless, constant resonance of sound.
World Class Production
The production was top-notch, and the world-building went above and beyond. From Halloween imagery from every booth and staff, to the circus shows, pyrotechnics, and a giant haunted monkey looming over the artists on The Big Top.
Everything merged as one to create the illusion of the Halloween atmosphere cohesively. The lasers and lights merged alongside the stages individually, with different ambiences for each (like the Sewer District, which had more horizontal lasers to surround everyone in the open space), for a mesmerizing show. Even the skies were lit up with drone shows and fireworks to provide the illumination of Escape’s worldbuilding on a 360-degree angle, with a moment to be awed for every section of the park.
In terms of logistics, it was very well equipped with all things in consideration. Parking was seamless around the venue, and from parking to entry was a breeze. Once stepping in, you were immediately greeted with Escape Halloween’s world surrounding you and could easily access amenity booths like bars and food vendors (Garlic noodles were a personal favorite) before tackling your favorite sets of the night.
Vendor Village & End Overdose
Speaking of booths, we had the privilege of interviewing Theo Krzywicki, founder of End Overdose, an initiative to end overdoses and understand overdose symptoms through educational pop-ups and free naloxone in events and state-wide initiatives.
Spanning 68 chapters across 27 states and over 1,050 events attended in 2025 alone, they have helped train over 580,000 people since 2022 on opioid overdose and anti-stigma programs while providing education on reactionary procedures one can take for their loved ones in the case of an emergency.
Being with Insomniac since 2022, they both work together to destigmatize overdose education and to increase awareness of preventive care. Some artists – like Illinium, who performed in Escape Halloween 2024- have shown immense support, being a certified overdose response trainee himself and helping raise awareness of overdose symptoms. Even acknowledged by the Biden administration, End Overdose aims to impact lives across the U.S and eventually the world. In Theo’s words, End Overdose “isn’t about you- but the community, because this can impact someone’s life one day.” If you’d like to learn more about End Overdose and ways you can help, visit https://endoverdose.net/ for more information.
Our Personal Favorites
Porter Robinson included renditions of his music as well as popular tracks, especially following up Sad Machine’s Hardstyle Remix with Creepy Nuts for the anime lovers in the crowd.
Porter Robinson @ Escape
NGHTMARE B2B Peekaboo: The whole set had the crowd bashing heads and turning up loud and clear. Also didn’t hurt to preview some unreleased tracks (and to bounce back from their CDJ giving out near the end)
ARMNHMR Presents Passport: Brought in pizza as a marketing strategy to film content with fans while performing, which was unique. The Beatbox Car setup was live as well, providing a more at-home vibe.
Escape Halloween was one for the ages, and as always, a huge thank you to Insomniac for organizing such amazing events throughout the country. And let’s not forget, Escape Halloween will be coming back October 30th – 31st, 2026, in NOS Events Center again, so make sure to grab your tickets while you can! For more information, please visit https://escapehalloween.com/. See you there!
Written by: Jumpei Hanaoka
Stepping foot into the biggest music festival during Halloween in Southern California and one of the biggest Halloween events in the world at NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA, we were introduced to the encapsulating world of Insomniac’s vision. And it sure did not disappoint.
The Headliners Did Not Disappoint
The headliners themselves were a work of art to look at. From Marshmello, B2B DJ Snake, Deadmau5, KSHMR B2B R3HAB, Alesso, Porter Robinson, and SO many more. There was a favorite artist for everybody to enjoy, across all genres. The artists themselves broke expectations in the best ways possible. From Marshmello opting for the black mask instead of his iconic white setup to Porter Robinson remixing his own songs for a hardstyle arrangement (Sad Machine!), it was easy to be enamoured and to be constantly wondering what followed next.
One unique thing was how effective and smooth the transition was from one artist to another. Within 5 minutes, they were ready to turn it up, CDJ in one hand and all momentum in another to carry the night on a seamless, constant resonance of sound.
World Class Production
The production was top-notch, and the world-building went above and beyond. From Halloween imagery from every booth and staff, to the circus shows, pyrotechnics, and a giant haunted monkey looming over the artists on The Big Top.
Everything merged as one to create the illusion of the Halloween atmosphere cohesively. The lasers and lights merged alongside the stages individually, with different ambiences for each (like the Sewer District, which had more horizontal lasers to surround everyone in the open space), for a mesmerizing show. Even the skies were lit up with drone shows and fireworks to provide the illumination of Escape’s worldbuilding on a 360-degree angle, with a moment to be awed for every section of the park.
In terms of logistics, it was very well equipped with all things in consideration. Parking was seamless around the venue, and from parking to entry was a breeze. Once stepping in, you were immediately greeted with Escape Halloween’s world surrounding you and could easily access amenity booths like bars and food vendors (Garlic noodles were a personal favorite) before tackling your favorite sets of the night.
Vendor Village & End Overdose
Speaking of booths, we had the privilege of interviewing Theo Krzywicki, founder of End Overdose, an initiative to end overdoses and understand overdose symptoms through educational pop-ups and free naloxone in events and state-wide initiatives.
Spanning 68 chapters across 27 states and over 1,050 events attended in 2025 alone, they have helped train over 580,000 people since 2022 on opioid overdose and anti-stigma programs while providing education on reactionary procedures one can take for their loved ones in the case of an emergency.
Being with Insomniac since 2022, they both work together to destigmatize overdose education and to increase awareness of preventive care. Some artists – like Illinium, who performed in Escape Halloween 2024- have shown immense support, being a certified overdose response trainee himself and helping raise awareness of overdose symptoms. Even acknowledged by the Biden administration, End Overdose aims to impact lives across the U.S and eventually the world. In Theo’s words, End Overdose “isn’t about you- but the community, because this can impact someone’s life one day.” If you’d like to learn more about End Overdose and ways you can help, visit https://endoverdose.net/ for more information.
Our Personal Favorites
Porter Robinson included renditions of his music as well as popular tracks, especially following up Sad Machine’s Hardstyle Remix with Creepy Nuts for the anime lovers in the crowd.
NGHTMARE B2B Peekaboo: The whole set had the crowd bashing heads and turning up loud and clear. Also didn’t hurt to preview some unreleased tracks (and to bounce back from their CDJ giving out near the end)
ARMNHMR Presents Passport: Brought in pizza as a marketing strategy to film content with fans while performing, which was unique. The Beatbox Car setup was live as well, providing a more at-home vibe.
Escape Halloween was one for the ages, and as always, a huge thank you to Insomniac for organizing such amazing events throughout the country. And let’s not forget, Escape Halloween will be coming back October 30th – 31st, 2026, in NOS Events Center again, so make sure to grab your tickets while you can! For more information, please visit https://escapehalloween.com/. See you there!
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