Bright smiles and strangers with familiar vibes and high spirits filled the Filinvest City Event Grounds as the most-awaited festival in the neighborhood, Wanderland Music and Arts Festival, finally happened last weekend.

Despite the windy conditions, wanderers twirled and swayed along with the festival’s live music while others bonded over arts and good food. Wanderland, after all, is a place of unfamiliar faces yet with a familiar feeling of belonging.

Kicking off the event, homegrown indie band Bird took the stage and let their music sway along with the wind to welcome everyone to the neighborhood. Their set was then followed by South Korean folk-rock band Bosudongcooler, hailing all the way from the shores of Busan.

Ena Mori’s profound love finally brought her to the Wanderland stage, where she charmed everyone with her ethereal sound. Right after was Gabba’s instrumental rock stage, which might be a new discovery for quite a few at the festival, as well as rising artist Jose Miguel, who brought the beauty of jazz music on stage.

Filled with excited screams and giggles from kids playing at the Little Wanderer spot, teens trying out games, excited fans on the barricade, and adults greeting each other, the festival continued with Beenzino spitting word after word, making his first Manila gig a memorable one.

Under the colorful hues of oranges and blues, Lola Amour accompanied the sunset with trumpets and saxophones, and of course, with the audience’s voice as the band wrapped their performance with their greatest hit, “Raining in Manila.”

Electronic music duo Cosmo’s Midnight brought their electronic music all the way from Australia, followed by their fellow electropop mates, Parcels.

As the night deepened and the stars filled the sky, Novo Amor walked everyone through all sorts of emotions with his heartfelt performance.

Wrapping up the first day, the legendary and well-loved guy from the west, Jack Johnson, headlined the event and embodied his hit song “Better Together.” Wanderers were delighted as he shared the stage with the other artists in the lineup, ending the night on a good note.

Wanderers were greeted by a brightly lit sun as the second day rolled in. Still with their big smiles and high spirits, the second and last day of the festival was quickly filled with Bob’s excited neighbors.

Bicolana and rising artist Dwta opened the Wanderland stage with her dream-like and fairy-like performance. In a short TMI with The Beat Asia, she shared that stepping on the Wanderland stage is a long dream of hers, just like how her music has always brought her listeners on a mythical journey.

While Party Pace tuned the beat at the Karpos stage with their experimental rock music, Paolo Sandejas followed right after at the W stage, sporting his blinding smile and his blue guitar on stage that brought colors to the audience despite the sweltering heat.

The neighborhood’s afternoon was then filled with Cloudriver’s chill beats, followed by Grentperez, who’s our neighbor far from home. The sun sets perfectly behind the stage as he filled the stage with his fun personality and good music from his discography.

As the stars slowly appeared across the sky, The Walters’ serenaded their fans with their indie beats, including their viral hit “I Love You So.”

While the festival is more known for bringing in indie acts, Hwasa didn’t seem out of place and perfectly found her spot in the lineup. She brought the heat to the neighborhood with her intense stage presence, which was evident with the passion her fans, who have been waiting since the afternoon, showed.

Back on the Karpos stage, California-based Filipino-American singer Jeff Bernat made it back home and sang on the Philippine stage for the first time. There’s truly nothing like being back in one’s motherland as he breathes in the feeling of performing in front of the Filipino crowd.

PJ Morton’s stage turned into a full-blown karaoke session for his Filipino fans as he keyed in the beat of “How Deep is Your Love” to his piano. Right after the sing-along session, Wanderers jumped right in with Breakbot & Irfane’s dance party, which got the whole neighborhood stomping and moving to the beat.

Nobody moved as Day 2 headliner, Thundercat took the stage with his heavy basslines boosting through the entire neighborhood as this year’s Wanderland Music and Arts Festival comes to an end.

Wanderland Music and Arts Festival is made possible by Karpos Multimedia.