Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is simply a raver’s paradise. If you like dance music even the slightest, this is the best place on earth to listen to it. Surrounded by a whopping 175,000 like-minded people every night, electronic music shines brightest under the electric sky. From the massive stages to the beautiful art to the mesmerizing music, EDC has it all.
From dawn to dusk has been their tagline for 13 years at the Vegas Speedway. Prior to that, the festival resided in LA but was outgrowing its grounds. The Las Vegas Speedway might be the perfect place for a music festival. It offers everything attendees and the production team need. With Camp EDC right next door, some ravers can even go in and out as needed.
I have been to many festivals all around the world and EDC still resides as my favorite. While I am always open to new festivals and others’ opinions, EDC reigns supreme in my head. It has created the most core memories of any festival I have been to. I strongly urge you, if you have never been before, please visit this beautiful place in May. You will have the time of your life.
The Grounds – Las Vegas Speedway
The Las Vegas Speedway is a 30-60 minute drive from the heart of Las Vegas. It is basically in the middle of the desert making it the perfect place to go wild. No restrictions on noise, fireworks, pyro, or lasers allow the production team to freely go all out. And they do!
Over the last few years, they have been expanding Camp EDC allowing the festival to go deep into the morning. If you are brave enough, you can experience EDC from Thursday to Monday expanding your experience. While I have never done it, my friends have all loved it and praised it. You can before and after parties.
I choose the hotel and shuttle experience which I enjoy cause it allows some for peace, quiet, and sleep. There are many shuttle stops throughout the city. I like that you can do some exploring in the daytime when you are trying to recover.
The EDC grounds are packed with activities and more things than you can get too. I am a huge fan of downtown EDC which features the chapel for marriages, dating shows, small stages, Kandi casino, and more. Big shoutout to the new House of Dunkin stage which was giving out free coffee and munchkins.
There are also tons of rides around the festival with not terrible lines depending on what time you go. The Ferris wheel is the most popular and well worth the wait. I also highly recommend going to the top of the speedway bleachers to see a fireworks show one of the nights. It is the best place to take it in besides seeing a set during the amazing show.
The Talent
Every year EDC’s lineup is more stacked than you can imagine. This year was no stranger to that. The hardest part is when the timetables come out and you must choose between artist conflicts. You end up also needing to rationalize how you are going to make it from one side of the festival to the other; of course, these are good problems to have.
I am a big stage hopper but my favorite stage is Circuit Grounds. It is the 2nd largest stage at EDC and always features a wide variety of sounds from House to Techno to Dubstep to DNB. The production is always top tier and this stage has the best layout for visually themed artists. Eric Prydz, Martin Garrix, and Excision are all known for their visual experience played here. Other massive names like John Summit, Dom Dolla, Sara Landry, Sub Focus, and Peggy Gou played here.
The mainstage Kinetic Field is a sight on the eyes. The larger-than-life stage features absolutely insane drones that would make art in the sky. It was actually mind-blowing at times. The massive stage was themed as a cathedral this year for KineticCIRCLE; a theme 10 years in the making. There was always ample space to dance here as long as you knew the right spots (hint: go left facing the stage next year). Zedd, Alesso, Mau P, Kaskade, Fisher, John Summit B2B Green Velvet, Subtronics, Illenium, and so many more graced this beautiful stage.
Neon Garden is my 3rd favorite stage. Solely for Techno, the newly redesigned stage with a roof back on top was packed every set. The light fixtures at this stage go wild. This is a stage that will probably be expanded in the future. Techno has been on an insane rise in the last few years and it was shown here. Carl Cox, Lilly Palmer, Adam Beyer, Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, and many other talented artists had everyone moving their feet.
The other stages were all beautiful in their own way including Cosmic Meadow, Basspod, Quantum Valley, Wasteland, and Sonic Bloom. Basspod is another stage I wouldn’t be surprised is expanded in the future. Bass Heads had that stage held down every set thrusting their bodies to the floor. While dubstep reigns supreme it was great to see Drum & Bass shine there as well.
Concluding Thoughts
Go to EDC Las Vegas. This was my first time back in 7 years and I am upset it was so long in between. It was just like how I remembered the first incredible time I attended. Go with your loved ones, go with your friends, it will be a trip you talk about for the rest of your lives.
With EDC continuing to grow every year, the question becomes, will a 2nd weekend open up? While this might remove the magic of one weekend shenanigans, it might make the most sense for the festival going forward.
There is an unprecedented demand for dance music and while we all agree there was a golden age of dance in the early 2010s, we might be going towards another. Or we might be in it and just not realize it yet.
I am excited about where EDC is going and know they will continue to keep ravers in mind. While PLUR lives at EDC, do your best to keep it alive in your everyday life.
