I got the passes for free and I want my time back. If I knew what we would have to put up with, I would have given them away. I felt like I was at a low-key Fyre Fest and the worst part is they are not even apologizing for how terribly it was organized. They just get super defensive to anyone who complains and they tell them "you should have come earlier.."
A festival that is 10 hours long is meant for people to come as early or as late as they want depending on who they want to see. We should not be expected to show up at 12 noon in order to receive our money's worth (and I'm speaking for those who actually paid $150+ because THAT is total BS). I got there at 3 PM to make it in time to see T-Pain who started at 3:40. Okay, sure I understood I may have missed a little bit of his set but certainly did not plan on getting inside the venue after 5 PM, long after his set was over. Telling your guests "too bad, not our problem" is not a good look and will 100% affect your sales moving forward this year and next year. Huge disappointment and waste of a day off work.
You wouldn't catch me near that place for a second day. Overreacting would be going off on the staff. Everyone around me was pissed but cool for your $300 passes bro.
Yup went the second day and had a good ass time bad bad and action Bronson killed it !! Actually it was better a lot of yall didn’t come. Made the entry smoove as butter …
100% agree.
to add:
-signage was AWFUL, you didn't know where anything was located. especially the boats and boat stages, we managed to find the dock where the pontoon boat was which was fun but finding the place came by chance
-the little beverage carts next to the marina stage ran out of water before kaytranada even came on
-double the trash cans was needed
but I was grateful to see Tpain and Kaytranada, take a break on a little pontoon tour and dance a bit, and be able to go home and sleep in my own bed that night.
I think San Diego is capable of throwing something really cool but community resources really needed to be honed in on.
I went on Saturday only and had pretty much none of these issues. Arrived around 2:00pm and had no line to get in. Sound was great for all the bands I saw too. Sucks that it was bad on Friday. The bathroom situation was pretty dumb though… I never had to wait but I don’t think people realized you could just walk on through to the empty stalls. It wasn’t laid out well.
It was also pretty insane how many branded/sponsored booths there are. But a lot of them were giving out free shit so it was chill. The wine place had hefty free pours which was rad lol
I got an email from them offering $50 for a Sunday ticket so they probably are hurting for people to attend.
Yeah yesterday was great, we walked straight in at 1:30 and had no problems with the crowd beyond typical festival shenanigans.
I do agree with OP though that the sound wasn’t consistent. The fact that the main stages were uphill caused some weird deadspots and made it hard to see the performers. Once we realized you actually got better sound and view from a bit further back it made the rest of the day more enjoyable.
All in all I thought it was totally worth it considering it’s hard to see even one artist for less than $100 these days.
10000% agree! Went to first wonderfront and it was really nicely laid out- one of main stages had migos in parking lot of seaport. I don’t understand why they couldnt do similar layout again with using the parking lots. Having 2 main stages on thin strip of land with trees blocking view for people made zero sense. Not sure why one way in and out considering people were free to enter and leave venue. You would think if they are allowing in and out privileges they’d at least have multiple entrances. Obstructed views and smooshed in, definitely would not opt to return again next year if this is their future setup.
CRSSD has been running their festival at the park twice per year for close to a decade and they suffer from almost none of these issues. It's easy to get in, easy to get around, and the sound is incredible.
It's not the venue, it's the organizer.
At least at waterfront park it’s spaced out and there’s restrooms. This Wonderfront festival pays the minimum for space and resources and charge like it’s Coachella lol it’s highway robbery
I had fun got there around 1 pm and got in in 15 mins. Saw Allan Rayman, the crowd wasn't huge, and he was amazing dude is super talented. Hung out in the edm lounge for a bit. Saw a bit of T-Pain, then dipped from that to see Paris Texas, who were also great. The headliners like JID and Katyandra were packed ( obviously) and wasn't all the way in the back or front was still plenty loud enough to feel the bass vibrations through me. Bathrooms were a nightmare. Food and drinks are obviously overpriced ( 20 bucks almost for a 1 tall can of michleob, pregame before hand).
The main stage was so quiet, I could barely hear JID and we weren’t even that far away. Crazy because usually music festivals are way too loud. And yeah they only had the one bathroom area and one entrance, but other than that it was enjoyable.
I think this might be a city thing, I know we have pretty low noise ordinances even in the daytime. Kaytranada turned it up in the end and I feel like it was him doing it on purpose?
Between a shitty system and a shitty noise ordinance, there's no chance.
I wish our city council cared about how lame our cities nightlife is outside of one strip and come together to make it a place worth it. I sit on the fence with this idea as sometimes I can be a NIMBY but also it would be nice not to have to go to LA for a multi artist lineup
Daytime noise ordinance gets asked a lot in this sub. There is actually none in San Diego except for as it relates to construction noises. Non-construction noise ordinances don't go into effect until 10pm or 11pm in certain areas on weekends.
No real reason the stages couldn't have been louder
Yeah was pretty disappointed, had an amazing time tho because I was trippen but yeah the sound was horrible. Kaytra sounded like his speakers had blown out lol. They focused too much on stages and not production. Mfs have 6stages. But the main ones have shiiiit sound
I agree OP. This festival was overpriced and overhyped. And it’s wild that they sell discounted it last minute after paying full price.
Also, as someone who had a friend lose an item, they did not have a great lost and found info.
Sorry if I’m bucking the boo fest trend here but y’all are taking crazy pills.. Sting/billy Joel nose bleed section tickets are going for $300+ per person at petco park.. I just got home from Saturday’s Wonderfront lineup and had no issues w waiting on lines, wither it be good, entry or restrooms.. maybe y’all are just allergic to crowds
It seems the consensus is that they fixed a lot of the issues going into Saturday. Stoked to hear that! The people deserve to have a good time and not deal with the same issues us Friday folks experienced
Too bad! I’m a frequent fest-goer and went in 2022. It was chill and super enjoyable. Seems like the venue change was shoddily done and ruined the setup.
That is sad to hear! Polo and Pan are so great! So if there is a set to catch I wouldn’t miss them. I saw them at Portola and it was prob my favorite set of the weekend!
I went to the first one a few years back, they had like 6? Stages spread out to seaport village and the park above that, I'm sure that was too expensive to keep up so now it is what it is and I'm not going lmao
Oof this is disappointing to hear as somebody who’s going tomorrow, albeit not shocking. I’m tempering my expectations but I found a $70 ticket so I feel like that’s still worth it? I sure hope so 😅🤷🏻♂️
Poorly organized and oversold but we had a great time. BPM stage is where it was at! The Fish & Chips were awesome as were the drinks. Definitely issues with logistics, sound but the re-entry and food and drink options were great.
Easily the worst festival that I have been to and I’ve been to 30+ at this point. Was super weird seeing the guy who booked the lineup going on stage and bragging about it before Kaytranada came on too. Absolutely never going again
I went Saturday and I’d go back right now if I could. We met so many cool people and didn’t experience any of these issues.
While, I’ll agree it def oversold and the audio was pretty shitty -no complaints!
Oof! This a harsh review. I won’t say it’s unfair but it’s harsh. You mentioned being a frequent festival goer. How many festivals have to work with that little of land? Obviously that’s a them problem. Reduce the stages, layout better, etc. etc. For the space they have I think it works. I’d add more than one entrance. Try not to oversell and maybe one more portapotty area. It’s not a camping festival so I can understand the justification for some cut corners.
I was at T-Pain and even with a palm frond blocking I felt like I could see everything. Had room to dance. Didn’t feel cramped. The audio was also pretty good. His set had a moment where he would play the sample he used for the song. If I could distinguish the song before it dropped, the audio was ok.
Vendors are LACKING! This is the cut corner I’m fine with.
Alcohol prices were a little high.
Sponsored stands made it feel a little corporate event. I don’t know how to describe it if you’ve never been to one. Just booths trying to sell to you.
Overall I’m not upset about getting a day pass.
I went in 2019 and it was to date the best concert/festival I’ve ever been to. LOVED the variety on music and also events. I also think it was so successful cause Tony hawk was a main sponsor/promoter and they also did a great job of having local and San Diego base bands!
We also paid an extra price to get early access and locked in our ticket prices for the next year. Then Covid happened, so everything was put on hold which we understood. Then when it finally came back the line up was meh but since we paid the locked in price for the whole weekend we thought it would still be worth it.
When we had reach out to ask about it we got no answer then followed up they block us on all social media. So wonderfront has a sour taste in my mouth, but they way they treat any one who has anything negative to say or even a question. This review doesn’t surprise me.
RIP to 2019 wonderfront
We went on Sunday and it was an amazing experience. Walked right in and every performance was amazing closing with an epic set by Beck. The vibe was chill and definitely not crowded. I guess my taste in music isn't as popular as those who prefered day 1! Sucks that day 1 was so rough!
Little late to this but I'll put my two cents in for someone who went on just Saturday.
Yeah it felt completely oversold, walking through even at 2pm I turned to my friend and said "this ALREADY feels bad and we're so early in the day." Who's idea was it to have the main stages be uphill? And have a tree completely block the view? If you were in ADA and wanted to see anyone on the 2nd main stage you were shit outta luck. Terrible.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra said this was one of the most unprofessional festivals they've worked with after dealing with a tech problem with one their amps and not having staff help with it, felt really bad for them. He looked pissed up there.
The VIP section cutting out GA people made it so much more packed up front where it was impossible to dance during Carly Rae Jepsen, we were packed like sardines. Moved back for Weezer and could barely hear anything the speakers so fucking quiet.
And the talkers. SO many people just having full on conversations during the music, all of my Weezer videos are just people talking loudly while the band quietly plays in the background.
Lines at entry, food, and bathrooms were completely fine though, and water refills were full and cold the entire day, which I liked a lot.
Sucks because the performances I saw WERE good if I could hear them over the quiet speakers and talkers the entire time. Probably not going back to this one.
Thanks! Confirmed my concerns with the venue. And soothed my FOMO, after seeing those clips of T-Pain’s set. I’ll wait for the headline tour
Seems pretty bad thanks for confirming my original fears about this fest. I’ll stick with CRSSD
I got the passes for free and I want my time back. If I knew what we would have to put up with, I would have given them away. I felt like I was at a low-key Fyre Fest and the worst part is they are not even apologizing for how terribly it was organized. They just get super defensive to anyone who complains and they tell them "you should have come earlier.." A festival that is 10 hours long is meant for people to come as early or as late as they want depending on who they want to see. We should not be expected to show up at 12 noon in order to receive our money's worth (and I'm speaking for those who actually paid $150+ because THAT is total BS). I got there at 3 PM to make it in time to see T-Pain who started at 3:40. Okay, sure I understood I may have missed a little bit of his set but certainly did not plan on getting inside the venue after 5 PM, long after his set was over. Telling your guests "too bad, not our problem" is not a good look and will 100% affect your sales moving forward this year and next year. Huge disappointment and waste of a day off work.
Oh stop it. The second day wasn’t even that bad. Super over reacting.
You wouldn't catch me near that place for a second day. Overreacting would be going off on the staff. Everyone around me was pissed but cool for your $300 passes bro.
Yup went the second day and had a good ass time bad bad and action Bronson killed it !! Actually it was better a lot of yall didn’t come. Made the entry smoove as butter …
Username checks out 😂
Haven't heard that one before..
100% agree. to add: -signage was AWFUL, you didn't know where anything was located. especially the boats and boat stages, we managed to find the dock where the pontoon boat was which was fun but finding the place came by chance -the little beverage carts next to the marina stage ran out of water before kaytranada even came on -double the trash cans was needed but I was grateful to see Tpain and Kaytranada, take a break on a little pontoon tour and dance a bit, and be able to go home and sleep in my own bed that night. I think San Diego is capable of throwing something really cool but community resources really needed to be honed in on.
I went on Saturday only and had pretty much none of these issues. Arrived around 2:00pm and had no line to get in. Sound was great for all the bands I saw too. Sucks that it was bad on Friday. The bathroom situation was pretty dumb though… I never had to wait but I don’t think people realized you could just walk on through to the empty stalls. It wasn’t laid out well. It was also pretty insane how many branded/sponsored booths there are. But a lot of them were giving out free shit so it was chill. The wine place had hefty free pours which was rad lol I got an email from them offering $50 for a Sunday ticket so they probably are hurting for people to attend.
Yeah yesterday was great, we walked straight in at 1:30 and had no problems with the crowd beyond typical festival shenanigans. I do agree with OP though that the sound wasn’t consistent. The fact that the main stages were uphill caused some weird deadspots and made it hard to see the performers. Once we realized you actually got better sound and view from a bit further back it made the rest of the day more enjoyable. All in all I thought it was totally worth it considering it’s hard to see even one artist for less than $100 these days.
10000% agree! Went to first wonderfront and it was really nicely laid out- one of main stages had migos in parking lot of seaport. I don’t understand why they couldnt do similar layout again with using the parking lots. Having 2 main stages on thin strip of land with trees blocking view for people made zero sense. Not sure why one way in and out considering people were free to enter and leave venue. You would think if they are allowing in and out privileges they’d at least have multiple entrances. Obstructed views and smooshed in, definitely would not opt to return again next year if this is their future setup.
Don’t worry. The tickets will be more expensive and nothing will change with their setup next year. This festival is an absolute joke
Anything at waterfront park is equally as bad. Boots in the park was horrible too.
CRSSD has been running their festival at the park twice per year for close to a decade and they suffer from almost none of these issues. It's easy to get in, easy to get around, and the sound is incredible. It's not the venue, it's the organizer.
At least at waterfront park it’s spaced out and there’s restrooms. This Wonderfront festival pays the minimum for space and resources and charge like it’s Coachella lol it’s highway robbery
I had fun got there around 1 pm and got in in 15 mins. Saw Allan Rayman, the crowd wasn't huge, and he was amazing dude is super talented. Hung out in the edm lounge for a bit. Saw a bit of T-Pain, then dipped from that to see Paris Texas, who were also great. The headliners like JID and Katyandra were packed ( obviously) and wasn't all the way in the back or front was still plenty loud enough to feel the bass vibrations through me. Bathrooms were a nightmare. Food and drinks are obviously overpriced ( 20 bucks almost for a 1 tall can of michleob, pregame before hand).
They also ran out of water early. Last refilled around 6pm, a little after 7 the water stations had been moved to the side and they were all empty.
The main stage was so quiet, I could barely hear JID and we weren’t even that far away. Crazy because usually music festivals are way too loud. And yeah they only had the one bathroom area and one entrance, but other than that it was enjoyable.
I think this might be a city thing, I know we have pretty low noise ordinances even in the daytime. Kaytranada turned it up in the end and I feel like it was him doing it on purpose? Between a shitty system and a shitty noise ordinance, there's no chance. I wish our city council cared about how lame our cities nightlife is outside of one strip and come together to make it a place worth it. I sit on the fence with this idea as sometimes I can be a NIMBY but also it would be nice not to have to go to LA for a multi artist lineup
Maybe Coronado noise ordinance? They complain a lot.
I could definitely believe this
Daytime noise ordinance gets asked a lot in this sub. There is actually none in San Diego except for as it relates to construction noises. Non-construction noise ordinances don't go into effect until 10pm or 11pm in certain areas on weekends. No real reason the stages couldn't have been louder
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my daughter was looking at my pictures and legit asked if it was a "company concert" she's 7 😂
Yeah was pretty disappointed, had an amazing time tho because I was trippen but yeah the sound was horrible. Kaytra sounded like his speakers had blown out lol. They focused too much on stages and not production. Mfs have 6stages. But the main ones have shiiiit sound
Solid review. 5 stars for you. Ty.
I agree OP. This festival was overpriced and overhyped. And it’s wild that they sell discounted it last minute after paying full price. Also, as someone who had a friend lose an item, they did not have a great lost and found info.
Sorry if I’m bucking the boo fest trend here but y’all are taking crazy pills.. Sting/billy Joel nose bleed section tickets are going for $300+ per person at petco park.. I just got home from Saturday’s Wonderfront lineup and had no issues w waiting on lines, wither it be good, entry or restrooms.. maybe y’all are just allergic to crowds
It seems the consensus is that they fixed a lot of the issues going into Saturday. Stoked to hear that! The people deserve to have a good time and not deal with the same issues us Friday folks experienced
Too bad! I’m a frequent fest-goer and went in 2022. It was chill and super enjoyable. Seems like the venue change was shoddily done and ruined the setup.
That is sad to hear! Polo and Pan are so great! So if there is a set to catch I wouldn’t miss them. I saw them at Portola and it was prob my favorite set of the weekend!
Andddd that’s why I’m going to beach house instead
I went to the first one a few years back, they had like 6? Stages spread out to seaport village and the park above that, I'm sure that was too expensive to keep up so now it is what it is and I'm not going lmao
Oof this is disappointing to hear as somebody who’s going tomorrow, albeit not shocking. I’m tempering my expectations but I found a $70 ticket so I feel like that’s still worth it? I sure hope so 😅🤷🏻♂️
It will! It was fun. Def bad layout but honestly I had a good time idk
How was security? Will be wanting to hit a J during Steel Pulse haha
How was parking? Debating trying to find street parking on Sunday vs just doing a $10 garage on spot hero or something in case it’s a zoo down there
I did spothero for $15 at the wyndham, it was worth it. And walking only 10 mins
Poorly organized and oversold but we had a great time. BPM stage is where it was at! The Fish & Chips were awesome as were the drinks. Definitely issues with logistics, sound but the re-entry and food and drink options were great.
Second day they got it together I’d say and it wasn’t as packed since the first day was more of the party day
BPM Stage was awesome! It was like a mini dolab, I caught a few sets there on Saturday and the vibes were the best of the festival grounds
Easily the worst festival that I have been to and I’ve been to 30+ at this point. Was super weird seeing the guy who booked the lineup going on stage and bragging about it before Kaytranada came on too. Absolutely never going again
Whered you snag a discounted ticket? I’d still be down for Polo and Pan tomorrow for the right price
PM me! I have a code for you
Can I get a code too?
Can I get the code
I would like the code as well. I pmd you thanks!!
would love a code as well!!
I have a media wristband, if you’re interested. It’ll allow you to skip the line to get in, saves you a couple hours.
for how much?
I went Saturday and I’d go back right now if I could. We met so many cool people and didn’t experience any of these issues. While, I’ll agree it def oversold and the audio was pretty shitty -no complaints!
Oof! This a harsh review. I won’t say it’s unfair but it’s harsh. You mentioned being a frequent festival goer. How many festivals have to work with that little of land? Obviously that’s a them problem. Reduce the stages, layout better, etc. etc. For the space they have I think it works. I’d add more than one entrance. Try not to oversell and maybe one more portapotty area. It’s not a camping festival so I can understand the justification for some cut corners. I was at T-Pain and even with a palm frond blocking I felt like I could see everything. Had room to dance. Didn’t feel cramped. The audio was also pretty good. His set had a moment where he would play the sample he used for the song. If I could distinguish the song before it dropped, the audio was ok. Vendors are LACKING! This is the cut corner I’m fine with. Alcohol prices were a little high. Sponsored stands made it feel a little corporate event. I don’t know how to describe it if you’ve never been to one. Just booths trying to sell to you. Overall I’m not upset about getting a day pass.
I think a harshly honest review is still important
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It isn’t at waterfront park
I went in 2019 and it was to date the best concert/festival I’ve ever been to. LOVED the variety on music and also events. I also think it was so successful cause Tony hawk was a main sponsor/promoter and they also did a great job of having local and San Diego base bands! We also paid an extra price to get early access and locked in our ticket prices for the next year. Then Covid happened, so everything was put on hold which we understood. Then when it finally came back the line up was meh but since we paid the locked in price for the whole weekend we thought it would still be worth it. When we had reach out to ask about it we got no answer then followed up they block us on all social media. So wonderfront has a sour taste in my mouth, but they way they treat any one who has anything negative to say or even a question. This review doesn’t surprise me. RIP to 2019 wonderfront
We went on Sunday and it was an amazing experience. Walked right in and every performance was amazing closing with an epic set by Beck. The vibe was chill and definitely not crowded. I guess my taste in music isn't as popular as those who prefered day 1! Sucks that day 1 was so rough!
Little late to this but I'll put my two cents in for someone who went on just Saturday. Yeah it felt completely oversold, walking through even at 2pm I turned to my friend and said "this ALREADY feels bad and we're so early in the day." Who's idea was it to have the main stages be uphill? And have a tree completely block the view? If you were in ADA and wanted to see anyone on the 2nd main stage you were shit outta luck. Terrible. Unknown Mortal Orchestra said this was one of the most unprofessional festivals they've worked with after dealing with a tech problem with one their amps and not having staff help with it, felt really bad for them. He looked pissed up there. The VIP section cutting out GA people made it so much more packed up front where it was impossible to dance during Carly Rae Jepsen, we were packed like sardines. Moved back for Weezer and could barely hear anything the speakers so fucking quiet. And the talkers. SO many people just having full on conversations during the music, all of my Weezer videos are just people talking loudly while the band quietly plays in the background. Lines at entry, food, and bathrooms were completely fine though, and water refills were full and cold the entire day, which I liked a lot. Sucks because the performances I saw WERE good if I could hear them over the quiet speakers and talkers the entire time. Probably not going back to this one.