It was a weekend of fun-filled activities, great music, and even better company at the long-awaited Wanderland 2023: The Comeback last March 4 and 5. Filinvest City Events Grounds, Alabang witnessed electrifying performances from local, regional, and international acts plus awesome interactive booths from Globe, foodpanda, San Miguel, and more. Here’s what went down at the two-day fete.

Photos by Kyano Pineda

Performers

After a three-year hiatus, Wanderland made an epic comeback that’s one for the books. The ultimate stars of the weekend were the performers that shone brightly on both the Wanderland and Globe stages.

Blaster and the Celestial Clowns showered energy onto the crowd in the middle of a hot afternoon.

Ylona’s bright and sunny vibe made everyone smile throughout her performance, which included her hits “Entertain Me” and “All That”.

Right before Day 1’s headliner, Sunset Rollercoaster rocked the crowd and went full-swing with their awesome performance, along with special guest Michael Seyer.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s long-awaited comeback to the Philippines was met with crowds singing along to every lyric, jumping to every hit song, and screaming for encores. Jepsen ended by successfully ending every wanderer’s loneliest time by cutting to the feeling of a good time.

The Ridleys started off Day 2 with a bang, performing their new song “Icarus” onstage for the first time. The energy they brought to the Wanderland stage definitely poured out onto the crowd.

George’s chill vibes streamed into the afternoon crowd, with people laughing and cheering as he spoke in Filipino—”Mahal ko kayo”, “shot puno”, and “sabay sabay!”

Flu’s touching performances had every audience member swaying to the beat. With their performance, every wanderer found the love that they needed.

Bangkok-based duo HYBS got everyone to vibe, dance to the rhythm, and simply enjoy every song in their set.

Meanwhile, American singer Stephen Day had the crowd on their feet and singing along to “All This Space” and “On Top of the World” as the night began. He also had the crowd roaring as he asked “Mahilig ba kayo sa musika?”

Rico Blanco’s performance truly enraptured the crowd, with everyone shouting along the lyrics to his hit song “Your Universe” and Rivermaya’s “Liwanag sa Dilim”. He even got to convert Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba into a new fan!

FKJ’s set could be felt in the soul. With him welcoming us into his space, wanderers vibed out—especially when he started playing his saxophone.

And, finally, to end Day 2, French band Phoenix took the Wanderland stage and had total control of the crowd. They had every Wanderer shouting back their lyrics. The band danced and jumped around onstage, emitting their best energy onto the crowd for the last night of Wanderland 2023. Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars even crowdsurfed, giving fans the night of a lifetime!

Getting artsy

Globe also had its own Homecoming booth where Wanderers had a chance to paint on their #GlobeWanderland sign.

Right across this was the live art booth where artists such as Alaga, Amiel Rivera, Faith de Leos, and Wika Nadera painted murals throughout the weekend.

Activities

Apart from the musical performances, activity booths scattered around the venue made sure that Wanderers had a great time.

At the Globe Homecoming tent where Wanderers got a chance to win prizes up to P5,000 from guessing songs, taking photos at the installations, and playing a claw machine. Over at foodpanda’s corner, they had games such as Pau-Pau Shootout, Guess the Tune, and Pau-Pau’s Putt Putt, which warmed up the fun for Wanderers.

Good food

Although lines seemed endless when it came to food and drinks, the wait was worth it. Wanderland made sure everyone’s bellies were full. Crowd favorites such as Shake Shack, Salad Stop, Riot Kid, and the Moment Group served festival food that made the two-day event so much better.

Overall, Wanderland 2023: The Comeback was the best weekend. The exciting experience made every wanderer smile, laugh, and sing to some of the best performers around the world. With great food, greater music, and wonderful company, we are so psyched for Wanderland 2024!

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