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Performers ride a cart through the crowd during the first night of the Electric Daisy Carnival early Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Published Saturday, June 9, 2012 | 9:35 a.m.
Updated Saturday, June 9, 2012 | 10:23 a.m.
EDC by the numbers
- 8 – Misdemeanor citations
- 1 – Misdemeanor arrest
- 30 – Felony arrests (29 were narcotics related; the other was a strong-armed robbery)
- 2 – Traffic accidents
- 135 – Medical calls
- 6 – Patients transported to area hospitals
- 110,000 – Attendees (per Insomniac Productions)
- 34 – Ejections (per Insomniac Productions)
— Statistics provided by Metro Police
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It's around 4 a.m. when DJ Steve Aoki starts pouring sparkling wine on himself, and one gets the feeling that the first night of Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is finally beginning to crest. Rapper Iggy Azalea appears alongside Aoki; the spitfire's set works the crowd further into a frenzy. Whether pressed against the stage or lingering by an “Electric Lemonade” stand, there isn’t a single person who isn’t dancing for as far as the eye can see.
The dance music and arts festival opened its doors at 7 p.m., letting in an estimated 115,000 fans until the early hours of the morning. Given the scale and nature of the event, the evening went off with relatively few incidents.
"I was very impressed. They're a very well-behaved group. Not a single incident came through on the radio," says Joe Valdastri, a member of the security staff. He says the biggest problem he'd encountered was instances of attendees getting sick after carnival rides or from one too many drinks.
While medical personnel could not comment on issues they encountered, the night's cool weather — temperatures fell to a breezy mid-70s — and abundance of resting spots and water stations appeared to keep instances of fainting and dehydration to a minimum. However, a handful of stretchers carrying people out of the venue were spotted throughout the night.
Andrew Williamson, a festival volunteer manning the water stations, described the thirsty attendees as “gracious and patient,” while noting that lines for water were somewhat thinner than they were last year.
The grounds remained spacious enough to comfortably walk or dance; however, those looking to sit were faced with water bottles, cans, spent glowsticks and other trash that seemed to blanket the entire speedway.
Traffic to and from the event was a nuisance, as attendees waited up to two hours getting in and out.
“You can’t really do anything about traffic, but at least the security line was a breeze,” says Diana, 27, from San Diego. She and a group of friends also attended last year and says that the increase in both scale and attendance has only enhanced the experience.
“We’re crazy about the music, but it’s also the whole scene. There’s nothing like it. Everyone has been really respectful to each other,” she says.
When the sun came up, fans began making their way out en masse, but many remained immersed in the music, rides and art installations. If it weren't for staff kicking everyone out at 6 a.m., the party could keep going all day long.
Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter at @AndreaDomanick and fan her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AndreaDomanick.
Any large gathering of young folks reported to be civil and legal in behavior is hard to criticize.
EDC is great for this city. I was on a plane from Seattle last night with young people that were coming for the weekend to enjoy music, art, and spending their money in Nevada. Insomniac has really put their money where their mouths are and it's refreshing to see. I hope this leads to other music festivals launching in the city. EDC makes Vegoose look like a booger.
I went last night and aside from a few...ahem 'unpleasant' people, the crowd was fun, friendly and there to enjoy life and music. Stupid people will be stupid, and there will be more when the crowds are bigger, simple ratios. I hope everyone stays safe and out of trouble. Perhaps then some of the "stick-in-the-mud" crowd will begin to realize that they were wrong.
My only criticism is that i actually think that there should be a bit MORE security(both private and Metro). We ran into to two guys who had gotten mugged in one of the parking lots. One of them had a broken(possibly) and bloody nose. The security lines at the beginning of the show were extremely slow. Aside from that, ill be back there in a few hours ready to feel the positive vibe from everyone.
This is the perfect city for EDC. Las Vegas has extensive experience in handling events with large crowds of people, and incidents are usually minimal.
I'm totally cool with EDC and can't wait til a next time where I can attend. I love electronica, house and trance music. I liken this event to WoodStock where people from all walks of life, and forms of income gather together in peace and unity in the form of music. This is what it's all about people. there isn't any judging, just people getting together, and having a good time dressing up, as ridiculous as I've seen, ultimately it looks life fun.
This event is good for the economy but waaaay overhyped. It takes 2 hours to get from the strip to the concert stage. The traffic is slow, the security searches are way too invasive, and the alcohol is watered down. VIP passes meant nothing. Do yourself a favor and don't leave the strip and enjoy the EDC crowd partying on the strip.