Souls of Beyond Wonderland

Article by: Dijon Bowden|@DijonBowden

Mon September 22, 2014 | 00:00 AM


The creative masterminds behind Electric Daisy Carnival brought some of their festival magic to the Bay Area this past weekend for Beyond Wonderland. Our friend Dijon, the man behind the lens of Souls of San Francisco, traveled down the rabbit hole to capture some of the beautiful souls in attendance.

See the full gallery of images here.

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“How’d you get into festivals?”
“I went to EDC one year and I love it!”
“Is that your favorite one?”
“No, my favorite one is actually Mysteryland. Mysteryland is the longest running EDM festival. It takes place in the Netherlands. Last May they brought it here for the first time. They had it on Woodstock grounds. No festival has been held there since 1969. It was so spiritual and so magical. They only allowed 20,000 people, it was a camping festival. They had an opening ceremony and everything.”

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“We’re called the party crew. We were established last year.”
“What’s your favorite festival?”
“EDC of course. It’s thousands of people gathering together. You can’t beat that. You cannot beat that. And they’re all there for the same reason.”
“What’s the reason?”
“It’s all about love.”

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“Awesome costumes! Did you make them yourself?”
Right - “We didn’t design them but we modified them.”
“Are you two festival regulars?”
Left - “This is my first festival!”
Right - “This is my 2nd or 3rd.”
“What do you love about being here?”
Right - “You get to meet so many different types of people, and of course the music.”
Left - “All the amazing outfits too.”

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“My favorite thing about the festival scene is the music and the people. Fuck the drugs. No one needs that shit. You don’t need them to have fun. I come here to meet new people because no one judges.”
“Were you ever into drugs?”
“Never into drugs. My parents were strict with me and they said never accept anything that’s open. Now I’m 27 and I’m free, never done any of that.”
“Do you go to a lot of festivals?”
“Yeah, I even go to undergrounds. They’re not mainstream like these.”
“What’s your favorite festival?”
“Steve Aoki is my number one, and festivals wise EDC.”

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“I’m here with my husband. We’re having a great time because the fun doesn’t stop when you get married!”

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“I’ve been coming to festivals for a long time because of the PLUR. I even have a tattoo of it.”
“What’s PLUR?”
“Peace, love, unity, and respect.”
“That’s tight.”
“Yeah, I just love the people, and the beautiful art. Two years ago I found my father dead, but being here helped me realize it really does always get better.”