GEORGE, Wash. — Electronic dance music festival Beyond Wonderland returns to The Gorge Amphitheater this weekend. It comes one year after a gunman wreaked havoc on its campground, killing two Seattle nurses and hurting many others.
The tragedy at last year's event traumatized festival attendees and led to the two-day festival being cut short. "I, personally, am not ready to go back," said Jessi Luethe, who attended last year's Beyond Wonderland at The Gorge. Security is a top focus at this year's festival, and Luethe told KING 5 she is wondering what changes they are going to make.
"I just hope that it goes smoother for them, that no incidents happen," she said. On this year’s festival website , organizers said that due to increased security measures, wait times to enter the campgrounds may be up to three hours, and guests should arrive early. Live Nation, its subsidiary and the security companies who worked the event have been sued for wrongful death by the families of the victims.
"Every car that goes to the campground, they search it, and not just one person, like multiple people," said festivalgoer Molly Carman. Carman attended Beyond Wonderland last year but has also attended two Live Nation events at The Gorge since then. She said she noticed stricter security at campground entrances.
"They've been great," she said. "They're very thorough." Luethe hopes that in the case of another emergency, Live Nation does a better job of communicating with attendees.
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