Okay, I’m finally over the festival flu, and I’m ready to share my 14th Electric Daisy Carnival experience with y’all! With over 166k Headliners attending each night, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, this was probably my biggest EDC. I had a fantastic time, but there were a few bumps down the rabbit hole for Insomniac’s 26th Windy-C (sorry-not-sorry for the pun).
Quick SparkNotes about Electric Daisy Carnival 2022
Insomniac added a ninth stage called bionicJUNGLE for house lovers. The new addition featured Lee Foss and Felix Da Housecat.
NFTs were everywhere. Canadian star Grimes, who played a DJ set at cosmicMEADOW, and Jauz’s surprise guest Snoop Dogg were some of the few who debuted their new crypto projects this weekend. A Bored Ape even appeared during one of the midnight drone shows.
LV police diverted traffic around the speedway, so leaving the anti-PLUR parking lot wasn’t too bad. It took us about an hour to get back to our hotel each night.
The rave drip was on-point this year. Saw a lot of vibrant tanks and fishnets, furry boots, anime-themed costumes, and a whole mess of glitter! Oh, and let’s not forget about the sea of Rezz, Seven Lions, and Illenium jerseys throughout the weekend.
Frolicking Between circuitGROUNDS, quantumVALLEY, and neonGARDEN.
The talent at circuitGROUNDS this year was unreal: Tinlicker, Nora en Pure, Jason Ross, KX5, the list goes on! My favorite set, though, was no other than Eric Prydz!
For 75 minutes, Prydz created an experience so immersive that I forgot about the ginormous festival happening behind me. Illuminating visuals of stars zipping around lush planets, lightning storms, and androids whose glossy shells reflected the radiant colors of space teleported me into a Prydaverse of electrifying synths. It was a breathtaking journey across a dazzling universe as he played “Allein,” “Every Day,” and “Juletider.”
To the right of CG was quantumVALLEY. I missed Ilan Bluestone’s set, but I did catch Mat Zo, Craig Connelly, and freakin’ MaRLo. It was an emotional end for the Australian’s set as Triode and Linney (who sang live) appeared on stage for their rendition of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.” (RIP)
Just outside of QV was neonGARDEN. NG stayed true to its underground roots with a minimalistic design compared to the other eight stages. Between the dusky neon lights sweeping the crowd and the onslaught of techno reverberating off the stacks of steel containers encasing the dance floor, I felt like I was at a rave within a festival. Joseph Capriati, Charlotte de Witte, Anfisa Letyago, Deborah De Luca, and I Hate Models were some artists I saw over the weekend. Though, Adam Beyer’s three-hour set was my choice of the best act at NG.
A Negative And A Positive.
My biggest complaint about this year’s EDC is about the bathrooms by BP and NG. There was only one opening used as an exit and an entrance, so people would get stuck trying to leave or enter. There were times when I feared a trampling situation would happen. Of course, the frustration caused a few fights, and a few people got their phones stolen while crammed in the herd of ravers. The situation got better on the second and third day of EDC.
Stepping away from the negatives, one cool thing about this year’s EDC was seeing people my age or older Under the Electric Sky. Josh, 35, a travel nurse from Texas, was one of the many who brought his parents.
“My whole life, my dad has shown me different cultures, places he loved as a child, and things he didn’t have growing up,” he said. Josh knew his father would enjoy the festival because they share an interest in art, and his stepmother loves to dance. “Now my dad has a crew for next year and already has his VIP tickets secured, lol.”
“They wanted to stop everywhere and take pictures; it felt kinda like I was parenting small children because if we got separated, I couldn’t just text them to find them,” he said. Despite having the parental roles reversed, Josh could not think of any way to better celebrate his 7th EDC than by sharing it with his parents. “I think the most fun part for me was at Tiesto since it’s one of the few artists they knew; watching them dance and really enjoying the set was priceless.”
My Take Away
Reading everyone’s posts online about how they wish they were still with other Headliners Under the Electric Sky made me realize the most significant thing EDC offers is a connection with other people. I felt more PLUR this year compared to the last five years. I believe the Electric Daisy Carnival can create these magical moments of love and joy through music and adventure.
Of course, I don’t want to discredit other people’s negative experiences because some things are out of your hands. But if you take the risk, I believe you’ll find a community willing to help elevate your experience (if it’s within their power, of course).
Not sure when I’ll stop going to EDC, but it won’t be soon. I hope to see y’all next year Under the Electric Sky.
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