Electric Daisy Carnival Experience: The Full Review

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is classified as an international festival that caters to the electronic dance music (EDM) scene. The festival occurs during the warm summer months within the US and Puerto Rico. EDC was originally founded by Insomniac Events. Anually, offshoots of Electric Daisy Carnival occurs in different venues within California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, and Texas.

Electric Daisy Carnival, like many other music festivals in its class, once only spanned a single day. Since EDC’s explosion in popularity, success that coincides with the mainstream rise of EDM, the festival spans over multiple days. The largest North American electronic music festival and dance music event is Electronic Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, featuring 230,000 festival attendants in 2012 with an additional 70,000 in 2013.

EDC now has plans to expand to London in the near future, cultivating its international presence.

EDC Vegas 2013 Mix

Electric Daisy Carnival Ticket Prices

Electric Daisy Carnival tickets range in price from one venue to another. Expect to spend anything between $200 – $300 if you purchase your tickets during the initial sale. Resale tickets typically surge to anywhere between $300 – $500. Don’t pay more than you have to! Purchase your tickets as soon as possible.

Are Electric Daisy Carnival VIP Tickets Worth It?

Are you considering splurging for VIP EDC tickets? Here’s an overview of the VIP amenities.

VIP guests of EDC are capable of entering through an exclusive festival entrance – the perfect thing for late comers who are residing in the area. I can think of more than a few things to do in Las Vegas beforehand.

VIP guests also have access to exclusive viewing decks that overlook the multiple stages. It’s a bit of a Catch-22 here though – capacity is totally limited. The place has a tendency to fill up during the late evening and it’s possible to be turned away despite the extra money you paid for the ticket. Full cash bars are available throughout the various decks.

VIP guests also have access to exclusive restroom facilities, which certainly helps detract from the festival vibe. But is that really a good thing?

Some of the other perks arte a bit gimmicky and don’t really justify the price of VIP – access to a VIP Ferris Wheel and being issued a lanyard and badge. Hmm.

Are Electric Daisy Carnival VIP tickets worth it? Our editors voted a resounding no. Too many of the VIP perks are designed to limit your festival experience, provided you’re even able to secure space in the VIP areas. The point of an electronic music festival is to be among the big party – save your money here.

What’s the EDC crowd like?

Electric Daisy Carnival is considered the fanatical EDM fan’s version of this festival genre. While the clientele is diverse as attributed to the sheer amount of festival attendants, you can bet a healthy majority of the crowd lives and breathes electronic dance music. For all intents and purposes, EDC is perhaps the largest traditional version of a rave occurring annually.

With the otherwise diehard EDM mentality in play, it’s worth mentioning that the casual fan might not find a home here. In fact, many first time EDC attendees are turned off from the prevalent rave culture that seems to rule out here. If you’re the easy roller type, EDC can be a seriously fun excursion. If you’re a little more conservative, we recommend testing the waters of smaller festivals like HARD beforehand.

What Music Should I Expect to Hear at EDC?

Electric Daisy Carnival is a veritable hub for genres such as electronic dance music, touching on aspects of house, drum and bass, techno, dance punk, hardstyle and dubstep. The 2013 lineup boasts a lofty billing. Artists include 12th Planet, A-Trak, Afrojack, AVICII, Baauer, Bloody Beetroots, Boys Noize, Bro Safari, Calvin Harris and Major Lazer. Many of the featured artists at Electric Dainy Carnival are former players at the festival.

While the lineup is undoubtedly a dream scenario for EDM fans, with the sheer amount of talent on the roster it’s essentially a nightmare for time conflicts between different artists. Make your EDC festival schedule ahead of time – well ahead.

Weather at Electric Daisy Carnival

Before answering what the weather will be like, we should first ask, ‘Where you headed?’. EDC Las Vegas is perhaps the most popular variety of the festivals locations, so let’s start there.

EDC Las Vegas, alongside the other locations of this festival, occur within the sweltering months of summer. The Las Vegas landscape can be quite uncomfortable during the peak of afternoon – if you’ve experienced the Coachella weather you more or less know what to expect. Don’t be surprised when conditions start peaking around 100 degrees during the worst stretches.

Sweltering afternoons make for incredibly pleasant evenings. We strongly suggest dressing lighter on the west coast venues for EDC – east coasters may consider bringing along an additional layer for the occasionally chilly late evenings.

Electric Daisy Carnival Fashion

Electric Daisy Carnival has scaled back on being the stereotypical rave in recent years. While the furry boots and candy bracelets are engrained in the culture – you’re sure to see at least a few – don’t worry about showing up without these overdone accessories. You’re not the odd one out.

Dress for comfort. Our favorite EDC fashion is the type of easy and simple creations that allow the wearer to dance their ass off. That’s the whole point!

Expect warmer temperatures and dress for a good time. Scantily clad ladies are a regular part of the crowd but personally we choose to believe in leaving more to the imagination.

Electric Daisy Carnival Drugs

No shocker here, EDC drugs are widespread. It seems like the drug culture goes hand in hand with the rave culture, but that’s not entirely true. Regardless, with the sheer amount of people present for the festival you’re likely to find an abundance of marijuana and molly. Ecstasy is very popular among the younger generations of EDC attendees.

Hallucinatory drugs have become more common recently but festival goers are generally looking for the type of drugs that won’t detract from the total amount of dancing that occurs.

Electric Daisy Carnival Food & Beverages

Mercifully, EDC allows for free water refills at a variety of stations throughout the venue. You’re covered as far as hydration goes. Eating is another story.

We won’t bother delving into the variety of food trucks present at EDC thanks to the abundance of different venue locations, but in our experience, they’re pretty standard fare. Expect quick meals such as Mexican inspired cuisine and the average slice of pizza.

If you’re feeling adventurous, see what kind of trouble you can get into at a popular restaurant in the Las Vegas area beforehand. Live a little!

Electric Daisy Carnival Bathrooms

We’ve had some bad experiences with bathrooms at EDC in the past, however it’s a situation that seems to improve year to year. Just take note – one of the VIP amenities includes separate bathroom access – that wouldn’t seem like a measurable upside unless the general admission bathroom situation was slightly lacking.

Train your bladder ahead of time or stave off the heavy drinking.

Electric Daisy Carnival Art Installations

Is it just us, or is Electric Daisy Carnival obsessed with lights? Not that we have a problem with that sort of thing.

There’s perhaps no more sparkly festival than Electric Daisy Carnival, dance lighting a huge element every year. Expect massive structures with the familiar flower theme scattered throughout the grounds.