As the biggest event of the year approaches rapidly, the list of things to do grows longer. Logically it should be the other way around, but preparing for a festival isn’t always logical.
Things go wrong. People change their minds. Someone can’t go anymore.
After going to so many festivals, I’ve come to realize that its unavoidable. The important thing to remember is that it will all be worth it. If the stress levels are getting to the red though, maybe we could at least give you some tips to make your EDC run that much smoother.
1. First To Come, Last To Leave
Simply put, with all you spent on a ticket I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t at EDC there from the second it opened until your forced out by security. By arriving early and leaving late you’re able take advantage of everything EDC has to offer. When you arrive there won’t be long lines getting in and it won’t take forever when you leave. You’ll get to see as many artists as possible, meet the most people, spend the most time exploring, watch the sunset and the sunrise. EDC has endless opportunities. Why not give yourself the most time to experience them all?
2. Using Your Phone: 101
Although my phone is pretty much never used for communication when I’m at a festival, that doesn’t mean a phone is completely useless. First of all, when you park, before you leave your car take a picture of the nearest landmark. Sometimes dropping a pin can be unreliable on a patch of grey. Secondly make the set times and the map your lock and home screen respectively. Constantly having to open your photos or the app gets annoying after awhile. Thirdly, unless service is strong (which pretty much never happens) keep your phone on airplane mode. That way it won’t die halfway through the festival and if you need to try and contact someone you can just reconnect to the network. Keep your phone use limited and don’t forget to take the whole experience in!
3. Alone But Not Lonely
Maybe this is just me, but I end up alone at almost every festival I go to. Whether it’s because I want to see an artist that my friends don’t, losing them in a crowd, or my desire to explore, there will be a good chunk of festival where I’m on my own. It’s obviously wonderful to be with your friends, but that doesn’t mean being alone isn’t awesome too. Other than the convenience of not having to wait around for anyone to go to the bathroom or get food, EDC is a place where you are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of like-minded individuals. Individuals who are just as thrilled to be there as you. So say hi. Make new friends. It’s easier than you think, especially when you see at least one “free hugs” shirt or totem every hour.
4. Cash In Your Pocket
Some people don’t realize that an expensive ticket foreshadows an expensive festival. Don’t be one of those people.
5. There Are 8 Stages
When you ask most people how many stages are at EDC Vegas, most people don’t know the answer. Why? Because they’ve never been to them all. Sure all your favorite super DJs are spinning at KineticField but you should really check out the other ones too. Perhaps you’ll discover a new style of music you like, but even if you don’t, each stages is a work of art and contributes something unique to the festival. One of those stages is the art car too. Sure it may not have the same level of production as the other non-mobile stages, but that doesn’t mean it should be discounted. Kaskade spun a redux set on the car last year, and from what I was told there was never more than 500 there at a time. How cool would it be to say you were one of the 500 this year?
6. Roaming Gnomes
According to Wikipedia, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is 1.5 miles in diameter. That means at an average pace, it would take around 45 minutes for you to walk a complete lap around the festival. That’s freakin’ huge, and I don’t know about you, but when I saw EDC from the grandstands it looked pretty full to me. The music at EDC is phenomenal, but there is seriously so much stuff to do and see throughout that speedway; you should check some of it out. Plus, there are live performers and even a drumline constantly moving throughout the grounds. If you spend the whole weekend at stages, you’ll pretty much miss all of it.
7. “Where You At?”
Remember how phones are pretty much useless for communication at EDC? Well they are. So if you really want to meet up with your friends for a particular set, you need to set a meeting place. Don’t worry, there are plenty of giant spectacles that are impossible to miss.
8. “C” Stands For Carnival
They might not have any roller coasters that rival six flags, but there’s pretty much every other kind of ride you’d ever want. Bumper cars. Giant swings. A Ferris wheel (VIPs get their own ferris wheel). The coolest thing too is that other than the ferris wheel, the lines for the rides aren’t usually that long.
9. “Get to the Chopper!”
For all of you black card holders out there, Maverick Helicopters offers round trip service to EDC. You can purchase seats for individual nights as well as for the full weekend, and the helicopters get their own private entrance next to the landing pad. That means no lines when you enter in addition to skipping any kind of traffic on the way there. You also apparently get a stunning aerial view of the festival as you arrive. Pretty much everything you’d expect from a helicopter ride.
10. The Golden Rule
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Say what you want about organized religion, but Jesus got it right with that one. Unfortunately we are living in a time where the stigma against raves and the EDM community is at its worst because of a few recent tragedies that have occurred. Well the best way to change that stigma is to lead by example. Be nice. Look out for the people around you. It may sound easy, but it makes all the difference.
