The rumors of Insomniac’s deeper expansion into San Diego appear to be true with OMNIA San Diego’s liquor license transferring hands.
Insomniac Events has been a dominating force in the dance music scene for decades in Southern California with its flagship festivals such as Beyond Wonderland and Escape Halloween, as well as club nights at Exchange LA and Academy LA. While they’ve traditionally touched down in cities like Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Costa Mesa, one further South towards the border, San Diego, has remained rarely touched by the behemoth brand.
The question of “why not San Diego?” has hung in the minds of ravers who reside in America’s Finest City and make the trek North with each passing event and stacked club night for years. There were nights hosted by Insomniac at Bassmnt SD, and one-off tours, like when Dreamstate touched down with Paul Van Dyk years ago, but a true expansion never occurred.
More recently, it seems the tides have shifted in the favor of San Diegans. Towards the end of 2020, Insomniac announced the Chula Vista Drive-In concert series, but those shows were unfortunately canceled due to concerns surrounding the pandemic. Then, this past year, they hosted their first-ever standalone event in San Diego with the emergence of Audiotistic San Diego, which featured a stacked lineup over two days at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.
Now, it looks like Insomniac is set to expand even further in San Diego by taking over OMNIA San Diego.
OMNIA San Diego, which formerly hosted major names in the scene like Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Marshmello, and more, remained shuttered since the onset of the pandemic – even while other local clubs have begun hosting shows once again. Many were left to wonder what would happen to the massive venue in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter downtown, but rumors of the club changing hands to Insomniac began to swirl in late 2021.
Beginning with quiet murmurs from sources in the industry, the speculation surrounding this new expansion bloomed in later on last year. A casting call for San Diego was advertised on Instagram by Insomniac with their sights set specifically on finding new team members who were bartenders, promoters, artist liaisons, and more. EDM Identity has independently confirmed that interviews took place for these new jobs. Further, sources have said that the club will be rebranded with a new name, NOVA SD, as well.
The takeover of OMNIA San Diego by Insomniac appears to have been solidified after a transfer of the nightclub’s liquor license was posted to the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control on January 10. Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac’s Founder and CEO, is named alongside Jason Strauss, the co-founder and co-owner of the Tao Group, among the licensees.
While no official details have surfaced in regards to the nightclub’s new name or re-opening date, EDM Identity has reached out to Insomniac for more information. Stay tuned for further updates.
