3..2..1..Happy New Year! I rang in the new year in Southern California at Countdown’s New Years Invasion 3.0. The two-day event took place at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. 

The Venue

The NOS Event Center will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only is it a beautiful venue, but it has so much space to hold all the stages and attractions that Insomniac puts together.

For Countdown, Insomniac had multiple stages that all coincided with the alien invasion theme. The stages included Mothership, Nebula, Area 51, and the Twilight Zone. My favorite was the Mothership because it was ginormous and the lasers were bouncing off the sides of the tent, truly bringing us into another planet. Insomniac did an outstanding job with the stages and the event itself. There were carnival rides, a food court, merch tents, and the alien red-light district, to name a few. It was so much fun bouncing from stage to stage and exploring the venue to see all that Insomniac had to offer. 

The Music

Both of the days were stacked with great music. The first day I saw William Black, Dion Timmer, Kai Wachi, Saymyname, Troyboi, and RL Grime. My favorite sets of the night were probably Kai Wachi and Saymyname. Everyone that I saw threw down, but those two stood out to me. Kai Wachi just plays such a unique sound that gets the whole crowd going hard and I love it. That was my first time seeing a full Kai Wachi set and it will not be my last. Saymyname just had the crowd jumping and dancing for the entire hour. The countdown to the new year was in between sets so Insomniac did their countdown to 2022 with some visuals and confetti. It was truly magic.

On day two I saw Nurko, Kaivon, Of the Trees, Jason Ross, Flux Pavillion, Kayzo, and Rezz. My favorite sets of day two were probably Kayzo and Rezz. They both made the crowd come completely alive. I was so sad that day two had come to an end.

The weather was brutal. It was freezing. I bundled up with my artist merch and long sleeves and it was not enough. I hope those of you that attended the event dressed warm and didn’t make my mistake of not bringing a jacket. This was my second New Years' celebration with Insomniac and I am thinking of making it a new tradition.

I always feel alive being with the ones I love listening to some killer music. It makes the whole experience more euphoric. For those of you who went this year, you can attest to that. If you are thinking about ringing in the new year with Insomniac, I can tell you from experience that it will be one you won’t forget. I hope all of you had a safe and exciting New Years' celebration. May 2022 bring us all-new adventures, festivals, and some great new music. Happy New Year!