One year after two concertgoers were fatally shot at Beyond Wonderland , the Northwest’s premier electronic dance music festival returns to Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre this weekend. Although security is expected to be heavier, last year’s tragedy still looms large as music lovers debate whether to return. Fans who have been to Gorge concerts since the shooting have noticed more thorough security screenings at the venue’s campgrounds, and as a result, organizers are projecting lengthy delays to enter the campgrounds for the roughly 25,000 expected Beyond Wonderland attendees.
Still, not all fans are certain they’ll return to this weekend’s fest, which is the Gorge’s tentpole electronic dance music event and one of Washington’s biggest music festivals. As this tight-knit rave community — which preaches “peace, love, unity, respect” — grapples with the complicated emotions of going back “down the rabbit hole,” we talked to Washington ravers about their memories from last year’s Beyond Wonderland, their expectations for this year and whether they’ll go at all. Here’s what they said.
Last June’s Beyond Wonderland started like any other: Thousands of EDM fans flocked to the Gorge for a weekend of bass, dancing and fun — a festival scene that many have described as an accepting and safe space. It didn’t end that way. Around 8:30 p.
m. on June 17, 2023, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a shooting at the Gorge. The sus.
