When Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando announced that they were adding a third day at no extra cost to Headliners, the crowd went wild, and didn’t settle down until the massive festival was over. November 8th, 9th, and 10th 2019 were days filled with a distinct energy that could only be curated by Insomniac, who somehow manages to make every one of their festivals feel like you are attending for the very first time.
With an additional 10.5 acres added to the festival grounds and a fourth stage, stereoBLOOM, the 225,000 Headliners experienced quite the treat. With artists new to EDC’s lineup including ANNA, Cray, Fisher, Gorgon, City i_o, Nora En Pure, San Holo, and Zhu, Headliners were thrust into a divine musical experience that will stay with them for years to come.
According to Insomniac, “kinecticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS, neonGARDEN and stereoBLOOM represented a distinct union of technology and nature, where elements mixed to ignite the senses and inspire the imagination. Across the four stages, 77 lasers, 74 flame units, and more than 1,600 lighting fixtures and 5,000 video tiles created a mesmerizing visual experience throughout the entire festival”.
Insomniac is truly king when it comes to curating music festival and you can tell by their seamless design elements and operations. The food booths featured signs and easy to read menus, all in the same font. At other festivals, trivial details like this are overlooked, but the organization of EDC’s design truly shows the thought process that goes into all of it.
Friday featured talent from all over the world, including Arty, Charlotte de Witte, Da Tweekas, Deadmau5, Kaskade, Lady Faith, and Timmy Trumpet. stereoBLOOM stage was popping off with a wide range of hardstyle artists which was a new and exciting thing for many Headliners. It was wild to see how much bigger circuitGROUNDS has grown over the years, a stage that now draws thousands as they revel in the beautiful bass. neonGARDEN welcomed Headliners into the underground with non-stop techno goodness throughout the night, as VIP Headliners at kineticFIELD enjoyed complimentary hookah, a glitter bar, kandi making stations and even cotton candy making stations.
Saturday came quickly, introducing artists like Above & Beyond, Blunts & Blondes, Excision, Layton Giordiani, REZZ, and SVDDEN DEATH, and closing with an epic and rare United States appearance by Adam Beyer. Insomniac’s ground team worked hard throughout the weekend to keep Headliners hydrated, and made sure to continuously check up on them to make sure they were taking care of themselves. There was even a wedding that happened at Kaskade’s set! That just shows the amount of love that EDC brings to Orlando and all its attendees. The growth of DJ’s can be witnessed firsthand by Headliners that come back year after year, as they take the stage and their talent blossoms while the crowd dances the night away.
Sunday brought trance music to stereoBLOOM and house music to neonGARDEN as Headliners could be seen from far and wide enjoying rides like the ferris wheel and merry go round. A true carnival ensued as dancers could be seen prancing through Daisy Lane and a little hot air balloon carried a performer throughout the grounds. Alison Wonderland, Camelphat, Diplo, Eric Prydz, Gorgon City, RL Grime, Seven Lions, Wax Motif, and W&W graced the stages with debauchery, and Zhu closed out circuitGROUNDS with one of the best sets I’ve ever seen in my festival-going career.
The crowd throughout the weekend was notably welcoming, lively, and mature. Headliners were looking out for each other and making sure others were having a good time. This sentiment is so important as we journey on throughout our lives with the fond memory of EDC Orlando 2019 shedding light on our futures. With dates already announced for EDC Orlando 2020, Headliners already have it in sight on the horizon, and if it’s anything like 2019, lives will be changed in the greatest of ways.
Featured photos by: Alex Perez, Ivan Meneses, Calder Wilson, Adi Adinayev and Insomniac Events
