MORE than a week after the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival happened at Filinvest City Grounds Alabang, the thrills experienced by the attendees seemed to linger on. 

Dubbed the Philippines’ premier music and arts festival, Wanderland has been at the forefront of bringing homey music and one-of-a-kind art performances to the public, particularly to Generation Z. 

But what makes it appealing to the all ages and generation? A simple look back at what went down at Wanderland 2024 on March 9 and 10 will tell us the answer. 

The 2024 lineup 

The festival would never be exciting without its prestigious set of performers. 

For this year’s Wanderland Festival, attendees were definitely lucky as they witnessed live the debut performance of many much-awaited international artists in the country. 

South Korean superstar and MAMAMOO member Hwasa made her debut as a solo artist at a Philippine festival with her performance of ‘Maria,’ ‘I Love My Body,’ and ‘Don’t’. 

She went solo in 2019 with her debut song, ‘Twit,’ which bagged the Song of the Year at the prestigious Gaon Chart Music Awards. 

The Walters, the Chicago-based band behind the viral TikTok hit ‘I Love You So’, also made their Philippine debut, performing some of their songs from their album ‘Songs for Dads.’ 

The band announced their break up in 2017 but decided to reunite again after their song ‘I Love You So’ went viral on TikTok in late 2021, garnering over four million streams in the United States alone. 

Welsh multi-instrumentalist Novo Amor, Maroon 5’s keyboardist PJ Morton, Grammy-Award winning artist Thundercat, and Filipino-American singer Jeff Bernat also had their first-ever Philippine performance at the festival. 

Australian indie artist Grentperez and Korean band Bosudongcooler also serenaded the audience with fan-favorite songs, such as ‘Clementine’ and ‘Kill Me’ respectively. 

Philippine acts 

Aside from these international artists, the festival also showcased the unique talents from the Philippines. 

Lola Amour graced the festival stage with their hit songs ‘Raining in Manila,’ ‘Fallen,’ and ‘Pwede Ba.’ 

Rising artist Paolo Sandejas was also present at the festival. He performed ‘Sway’ and ‘Sorry,’ the song BTS’ V sang along to in one of his driving vlogs. 

Other artists who performed at the festival were Gabba, DWTA, Ena Mori, Jose Miguel, and bird. 

Art performances 

Since 2013, the festival has been promoting the unique talents of Filipino artists from the local art scene, making Wanderland a unique festival that appeals to the taste of the audience from different generations. 

Five Filipino artists were featured in this year’s Wanderland to showcase their captivating artworks. 

Manila-based artist TRNZ made a big installation art on the festival grounds, showcasing the huge head of a boy sunk on the ground. 

Mural artists BITTO, Seeweirdo, Valvee, and Babsilog also painted live murals on the walls and mini houses at the festival. 

Foods, drinks, and unli water 

Of course, any festival event would not be complete without mouthwatering cuisines and addicting beverages. 

Wanderland’s GrabFood Zone offered attendees many food choices that suit their liking. Eventgoers had the experience of tasting vegan, Pescatarian, American, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and even Thai cuisines. 

The event was also packed with drinking booths, including the Johnnie Walker and San Miguel Bars. 

Attendees would never get dehydrated as Wanderland offered unli water through its free water refill stations located at different places on the festival grounds. 

Perks and activities 

Attending the two-day event was also one way for the eventgoers to make the best memories. And making memories means doing some of the activities exclusive to the Wanderland event. 

The festival offered the attendees various exciting activities, including a ceramic workshop, a face painting activity, live doodle portraits, postcard mailing corners, and buying exclusive merch from artists and small businesses. 

Kids below eight years old were also free to enter the festival grounds and participate in Wanderland’s Little Wanderer area, composed of a playground, arts and crafts corner, and a music class. 

Wanderland Music and Arts Festival has been serving the public with unique music and arts experiences for years. 

With this year’s theme Neighborhood, the festival indeed hit close to home for the all ages and generations.