Every year, for three days in mid-May, the eyes of the dance music world turn to Las Vegas, Nevada, the now 13-year home of Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).
Though official attendance numbers have not yet been announced, well over 525,000 ravers from all over the world are expected to have visited EDC Las Vegas 2024 over three days last weekend—May 17-19—firmly cementing the event’s status as the largest electronic dance festival on the continent.
Nearly 400 of the world’s best DJs joined them to perform from dusk until dawn across EDC’s nine stages and five art cars. Beyond top-notch electronic music performances, attendees were treated to world-class stage production, towering art installations, immersive activations and experiences, live performers, and more.
This year brought many changes to the EDC we’ve come to know and love over the years, from venue layout tweaks and new experiences to dazzling new stage designs. Most, if not all, were welcome and delivered on promises to improve “bottlenecks,” “flow,” and “overcrowding.”
Whether you’re a festival veteran returning to old stomping grounds or an EDC newbie, the United States’ preeminent mega rave is a big undertaking, but it keeps us coming back again and again.
Vibes: A-
With musical performances running nearly 24 hours each day somewhere on site, EDC Las Vegas certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. But even with daytime temperatures exceeding 95 degrees, we were dazzled by the collective energy of the raving masses at this year’s festival.
Our fellow campers at Camp EDC went all out for the Homecoming Party on day zero, and we were met with even more positive energy once inside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Minimal pushing, plenty of “excuse me’s,” and the warmth and welcoming attitude of our fellow ravers made this year’s festival one of the most “PLUR” EDCs in our team’s recent memory. We had so much fun connecting with music lovers from across the globe.
Attendees showed out in their fest best, and EDC’s tagline, “All are welcome here,” was truly felt in what was one of the most colorful and widespread celebrations of self-expression in the scene.
This is what makes EDC special. Despite the fact that Insomniac is a multi-million-dollar company and EDC Las Vegas is a highly visible, corporately sponsored event, it remains remarkably true to the ethos of “the rave.”
The large crowds and intense partying that come with EDC can sometimes be overwhelming, but overall, we felt safe and respected. Our team did not personally encounter any particularly bad vibes all weekend long.
Though arrest numbers were up from one year ago, Las Vegas’ KTNV reports that these totals were still much lower than in the festival’s earlier years, and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department declared that there were “no major incidents or injuries reported during the entire weekend.”
Production: A-
EDC Las Vegas 2024 showed off six redesigned stages: kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS, stereoBLOOM, wasteLAND, and bionicJUNGLE. Almost across the board, the new stage designs met or exceeded the caliber of production we’ve come to expect at EDC Las Vegas.
The highlight and cornerstone of EDC’s 2024 production endeavors was the regal kineticFIELD main stage, which took on a cathedral look complete with LED stained glass windows that displayed each of its previous design iterations through the years—a fittingly “full circle” homage to a fan-favorite design from ten years ago.
Elsewhere around the festival grounds, wasteLAND’s industrial look towered over fist-pumping fans of hard dance, steroBLOOM’s new LED screens looked out of this world, and bionicJUNGLE took us deep into the rainforest with faux vines and foliage.
Another of the biggest changes to EDC’s stages was neonGARDEN’s return to megastructure. This year marked the first time the house and techno hotspot had been enclosed with a roof since 2021.
We were excited for this change, but it also meant neonGARDEN was smaller this year. Though we missed the thunderous presence showcased in previous designs, once inside, neonGARDEN’s unique production elements shined, including lots of lasers, furiously swirling spotlights, and glimmering disco balls.
Production elements at circuitGROUNDS were also subject to slight downsizing this year, with its usual arena of LED screens wrapping noticeably less further around the crowd.
Elaborate drone shows returned this year, much to the delight of festivalgoers below, and EDC’s famous nightly fireworks display again made attendees stop on the spot and crane their necks toward the sky. Sound bleed between even the closest of stages was never a problem.
The immersive experiences and activations throughout Downtown EDC delivered, and the festival’s costumed performers roaming the speedway were on top of their game as always.
Music: B+
EDC set conflicts are always tough. With so many huge artists on one roster, it is truly impossible to see every act you’d hope to. Couple that with the lengthy walk times between many stages at peak times, and you’re better off picking a few can’t-miss sets and just following the vibe for the rest.
The collective talent at EDC is truly second to none, and you’re bound to discover new sounds and artists as you bounce from stage to stage.
Top-billed EDC debuts grabbed our attention in particular, including sets at circuitGROUNDS from Peggy Gou, Four Tet, and special guest Fred again.., who delivered another instant-classic DJ set with unreleased tunes and his trademark live instrumentation.
Carl Cox and Nicole Moudaber were unmissable as usual, building classic techno soundscapes both solo and in their anticipated B2B to close out night one at neonGARDEN.
Sara Landry’s performance marked a major moment for hard techno, after she was moved from neonGARDEN to circuitGROUNDS earlier in the week due to expected high attendance.
Over the course of the weekend, our team also enjoyed both performances from Subtronics—solo on kineticFIELD and B2B with his wife and fellow DJ, LEVEL UP—and additionally wonky bass sounds from ATLiens and LSDREAM.
Other highlights came from DJ Snake’s kineticFIELD performance, during which he gave EDC his vote over the lauded Tomorrowland; Zedd’s album announcement at kineticFIELD; Club Space’s neonGARDEN takeover with Jamie Jones and Loco Dice, among others; Alison Wonderland’s Rynobus techno set; and WORSHIP’s sunrise cosmicMEADOW performance.
Venue: B
Venue layout was, of course, the biggest change at EDC Las Vegas this year. wasteLAND, bassPOD, quantumVALLEY, neonGARDEN, and bionicJUNGLE all changed locations, and Downtown EDC found a new centrally located home.
We felt the new layout helped with traffic flow and overcrowding at stages immensely.
Let’s be clear, EDC is massive. Walking from stage to stage at EDC is consistently the most taxing of festival maneuvers we’ve faced, especially at peak attendance times. However, the changes in stage positioning made far better use of space inside the 1.5-mile racetrack.
Though there was still some hefty crowd bleed between circuitGROUNDS and bassPOD during the Saturday night headliners (Fred again.., Dom Dolla, Hedex, and Subtronics B2B LEVEL UP), we were able move throughout the venue much more freely overall.
Having trance at quantumVALLEY and house and techno at neonGARDEN in close vicinity to each other was also pleasantly convenient, especially for those in VIP, which had a joint section at both stages.
Downtown EDC’s central location just seemed to make sense, art installations were beautiful, the new House of Dunkin’ art car experience was a remarkable case of well-crafted corporate sponsorship, and vendors and other activations were easy to find in their own respective areas.
With over one-half million people attending EDC Las Vegas, the festival is, and always will be, crowded. This definitely adds an extra layer of exhaustion to the weekend, though only at a minimal fault of the organizers.
There are only a handful of urban venues that can even come close to handling an event of this size, and they’re certainly not building them much bigger than the Speedway. All-in-all, as annual EDC attendance continues to swell, the new layout was a win that will hopefully help Insomniac maximize the venue for years to come.
Though bar lines were rarely, if ever, long, we did notice a significant lack of refillable water stations throughout the venue. There were six total water stations, half of which were located in VIP. Lines weren’t too long, but having a few more dispersed throughout the GA areas of the venue would have been very welcome.
VIP passes seemed to hold their value this year, making it much easier to bounce between stages with smaller crowds in VIP areas, in addition to shorter restroom lines and other amenities.
However, it’s worth noting that with only one exit, leaving VIP was a hassle at peak times, especially at circuitGROUNDS.
Overall: A-
In 2024, EDC Las Vegas once again captured our hearts, from our EDC veterans to those on our team experiencing their very first EDC. Organizers listened to widely publicized attendee feedback and came good on much-needed improvements to crowd control.
After celebrating the company’s 30th birthday last year, Insomniac’s landmark leap into year 31 largely went off without a hitch. We look forward to seeing how the Insomniac team continues to meet new challenges as the festival continues to grow.
The excitement and energy at the Las Vegas Motorspeedway and elsewhere around Sin City were palpable all week long, and the massive endeavor of Electric Daisy Carnival truly speaks to just how far electronic dance music has come, from the underground to the big time.
We were delighted to find that, at least with EDC Las Vegas, the PLUR has come with it.
A perfect close to the weekend came at the Camp EDC afterparty on Monday, where ravers, still awake from the night prior, joined the night’s headlining DJs (Mau P, John Summit, Diplo, Sara Landry, and more) to dance in the early morning sun. a perfect cherry on top
As friends old and new traded stories, relaxed and played yard games, it was a starkly wholesome moment amidst the chaos of the weekend that we won’t soon forget. It was raving to the fullest.
Featured image courtesy: Insomniac Events. Credit: Orhun Uygur.