Frequently Asked Questions

WOW Festival is open during the hours noted below. For specific event times please see event pages.

Thursday April 4: 4pm – 10pm
Friday April 5: 4pm – 10pm
Saturday April 6: 11am – 10pm
Sunday April 7: 11am – 5pm

For in-depth information for how to get to WOW Festival, including transportation, parking, and other options, please visit our Plan Your Visit page.

Your Festival Schedule – If you are planning to attend multiple events, we encourage you to log in – or create a new account. Your login allows you to view all events you’ve RSVP’d for in one place – handy for planning your day.

Timing between events – We recommend leaving 30 minutes between events that take place in different hubs to give you time to walk or catch the shuttle bus. Durations are listed on event pages.

The WOW Festival home page has handy buttons to help you find the events happening on the day you will attend. 

Check out our comprehensive ‘How to WOW’ guide for events listed by day and by hub, suggested schedules, map links and more.

“First Look” projects are an opportunity to be part of the very first audiences to experience a new artistic project and to play an important role in helping to grow these works, often influencing future iterations. Collaboration between artists and San Diego audiences is vital. Creators of First Look projects range from first-time artists to seasoned professionals developing site-specific and immersive pieces. Showcasing First Look projects at WOW Festival is a cornerstone of La Jolla Playhouse’s mission to develop “the new and the next” artistic works, contributing to the future of American art and the creative canon.

There is no entry fee. WOW Festival events are free to attend, but RSVPs are required in some instances, as detailed on event pages.

WOW Festival is free to attend, but RSVP’s are required for some events, and simply requested for others. Let us explain why.

RSVP Required – RSVPs are required for events that have small capacity and ensure you have a place reserved just for you. Projects that require RSVPs include: 

• The Apple Avenue Detective Agency
• Do Ho Suh: Fallen Star
• FALLEN STAR(S)
• Folding Futures
• INERTIA
• iykyk
• Letters to Home
• Pásale Pásale
• WORKSHOP: How to Write an Opening Number
• WORKSHOP: Theater is Easy: Creating Theater with Nearly Nothing Except for You

RSVP Optional – For events with large or unlimited capacity, RSVPs are requested but not mandatory. When you RSVP, the event will show in your Schedule, and we appreciate RSVPs because this helps us know how many people to expect so we can plan and ensure your experience is as smooth as possible.

Just Show Up Events (RSVP Optional) – Enjoy these events at (almost) any time or between your other events! This event is open during the opening hours noted on the event pages.

• 59 ACRES
• Abeba in the Tall Grass
• Bodily Autonomy
• Beautiful Escape: Emergency Exit
• Downstream (tributaries) by BANDALOOP
• Erin the Caterpillar→ Butterfly
• Fish Phone Booth
• Reflexion
• Damoclés
• Duo
• Les moutons
• Pigments of Imagination: An Interactive Virtual Reality Composition
• Princess Lockerooo’s The Fabulous Waack Dancers: The Big Show
• Silent Disco for All
• Spectrum: Society of Wonder
• The Running Show

Please reference individual event pages for specific performance times or visiting hours.

On the event information pages, simply click the RSVP NOW button and follow the prompts to RSVP. 

The WOW Festival home page has handy buttons to help you find the events happening on the day you will attend. 

There are no physical tickets for WOW Festival. You will receive a confirmation email for the projects that you RSVP for, please make sure to keep that email for your records.

No problem! You can review all your reserved performances by logging into your La Jolla Playhouse account.

If you RSVP for an event and can no longer attend, please let us know in advance so someone else can enjoy this experience. Contact Patron Services at (858)550-1010 or [email protected].

If you have RSVP for a Workshop and can no longer attend, please contact Learning and Engagement at [email protected] to return your spot so someone else can enjoy the experience.

Yes! A WOW Festival map can be viewed here and will also be emailed to attendees prior to your event dates.

We invite you to explore an interactive Google Map with all WOW Festival events, related shuttle stops, convenient restrooms, and dining options marked for your convenience. This is also found in our Map section on our Plan Your Visit page.

There is a free shuttle service that attendees will be able to use throughout the festival. Please see the Getting Around WOW Festival section in our Plan Your Visit page.

Yes. For a comprehensive list of the venues that make up the 2024 WOW Festival, please vist our Venues page.

To fully enjoy WOW Festival 2024 and the variety of unique art experiences we recommend that attendees bring:

• Smartphone, headphones, and a portable charger for your electronic devices – some of the events require use of these items. We also encourage you to tag us on social media @lajollaplayhouse and #WOWFestSD
• You are welcome to bring low lawn chairs and blankets, but with action happening around campus, be prepared to move locations throughout the day.
• Bring a hat, sunscreen, snacks and water – WOW Festival is almost entirely outdoors
• Check our the Food and Drink page for info about vendors on site at UC San Diego

What to Bring: Show Specific

59 Acres
To experience the soundwalk, bring your own, fully charged mobile device and best headphones that will connect to your smartphone. 

Abeba and the Tall Grass
We recommend bringing a chair or blanket.

Duo
We recommend bringing a chair or blanket.

FALLEN STAR(S)
Participants should bring a charged smartphone and compatible headphones. For seating we recommend bringing a chair or blanket.

Princess Lockerooo’s The Fabulous Waack Dancers: The Big Show
Attendees must have a valid ID to order alcohol.

Spectrum: Society of Wonder
Seating will be available on the lawn, we recommend bringing a small lawn chair as well as blankets and jackets for your comfort.

WOW Festival is operating under UC San Diego’s guidelines. UC San Diego does not permit animals other than registered service animals on campus. 

Service animals trained to perform specific tasks are welcomed at UC San Diego in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Per ADA, service animals are dogs or miniature horses individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.

UC San Diego food vendors will be open during the WOW Festival at multiple venues across the campus. For a list of vendors and their availability please visit our Food and Drink page.

Pro Tip: Use our WOW Festival Google Map to plan your meal around the same area your event is located.

Please be aware of the below restrictions as you plan your WOW Festival experience. If you have any questions please contact our Patron Services at (858) 550-1010.

WOW Festival guidelines

• Guests are not permitted to bring their own alcohol to WOW Festival or the UC San Diego campus. Alcohol will be available at the Epstein Family Amphitheater and must be consumed at this location. 

UC San Diego Campus 

• Weapons are prohibited on campus. For more information please visit here.
• Only service animals trained to perform specific tasks are permitted on the UC San Diego Campus.
• Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, the use of unregulated nicotine products and the use of electronic smoking devices (which includes e-cigarettes) is strictly prohibited on all University controlled properties. Visit Smokefree.ucsd.edu for complete information about this System-wide policy.

UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater 

Prohibited items include: strollers, large backpacks, large blankets, flags, tobacco products, alcohol, cans, bottles, ice chests, picnic baskets, lawn furniture, weapons of any kind, umbrellas, pets, hula hoops, musical instruments, laser pointers, bicycles, and skateboards. Cameras with a detachable lens of any kind and professional recording devices are not allowed, including GoPros. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].

Please reference the Patron Notes section for each project that you’re interested in participating in/attending, located towards the bottom the event page.

Some WOW Festival projects will have limited seating available. For projects with a required reservation and a limited capacity, attendees should plan to arrive on time to ensure their seat or place; shows will not be held for latecomers. 

If you are not able to stand for long periods of time, we recommend that you bring a folding lawn chair or picnic blanket for projects where you may enjoy sitting, but for which no chairs are provided.

If you are experiencing an emergency while on the UC San Diego campus, please call (858) 534-4357 (534-HELP) if using a cell phone. Notify the police of the injured person and location. For a full list of campus emergency contacts please click here.

Note: When using a cell phone to call for an emergency on campus, dial (858) 534-HELP. Dialing 911 from a cell phone will reach the nearest California Highway Patrol, and not the UC San Diego Campus police.

Please contact La Jolla Playhouse Patron Services staff by phone at (858)550-1010 or email at [email protected].