Electric Daisy Carnival Review - Day 1

The 16th annual Electric Daisy Carnival took place for the second time at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and brought every flavour of what our American cousins call Electronic Dance Music (EDM) to the Nevada desert.

Hosted by Insomniac, the massive three-day event was bigger than ever, reflecting the way EDM has now worked its way into the heart of mainstream whilst still managing to retain the sense of community and unity fostered in the underground.

The weekend saw over 320,000 people have their minds blown by the fully immersive event which mixed countless DJs across seven stages, live acts and a whole range of performance art to create a truly unique experience.

As well as the distractions from the stages, what really sets EDC apart from other festivals is the sheer range of spectacle going on all around, with skydivers appearing to casually drop in from the heavens, giant fireworks displays and all manner of costumed performers lending the site a twisted carnival feel.

Day 1

Entering the arena for the first time the crowds were greeted by a glittering wonderland of lights, with fairground rides, enormous stage displays and neon sculptures all twinkling beneath the dusk sky. 

CHECK OUT PICTURES FROM DAY 1 OF EDC RIGHT HERE!  

Knife Party and Sebastian Ingrosso helped build up the crowd on the kineticFIELD mainstage, before things really took off with a hit-packed set from Afrojak, who dropped track such as his own Vancouver and Bloody Beetroots and Steve Aoki’s Warp 1.9.

The frenetic Aoki later teamed up with the Dutchman over on the cosmicMEADOW stage, as did rapper Iggy Azalea, whose stage-diving helped bridge the gap between the crowd and the performers.

Keeping the energy levels up next was the man currently touted as ‘America’s Best DJ ‘ - Kaskade. 

With the main stage’s enormous screens featuring lyrics to many of his tracks the set at times took on the appearance of rave karaoke with much of the crowd singing along. For those used to partying in Europe the sound of a Kelly Clarkson vocal being dropped into the mix was confusing, but it appeared to delight the largely domestic crowd.

Other highlights of the opening day included the reunited Gabriel & Dresden and Fabian Campos, whose set took on a particularly Vegas feel with Playboy Bunny Holly Madison dancing on stage.

CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW OF DAY 2 OF EDC HERE  

Gavin Cullen