Words don’t even begin to express the amount of happiness and joy that took place at the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Tinker Field Stadium in Orlando. Back for its fourth year, with three breathtaking stages, creative costumed performers, magnificent art installations and five thrilling carnival rides, Insomniac (the event agency that plans EDC) once again set new grounds for stage production and electronic dance music (EDM) performances.
Over 31,000 people came out to experience day one of the festival, witnessing performances by Alesso, Flosstradamus, Datsik, Dash Berlin, W&W, Cosmic Gate, Cedric Gervais, 3lau, Yellowclaw, Dirtyphonics, plus many more.
Entering the gates, festivalgoers dropped off their problems and worries from reality into the trash and entered a magical and mystical playground filled with peace, love, unity and respect. Smiles could be found on every single face in the festival, including the security guards and the police. Fans were greeted by Insomniac’s Ground Control team, a friendly group dedicated to making sure every fan stayed happy, healthy and hydrated throughout the event. As always, the festival provided free water, ensuring easy access for staying hydrated.
“EDC is an amazing experience that takes place in an all around positive atmosphere where people of all different types come together to support inspiring dj’s and dance under the electric sky,” 18-year-old Sara Booton, who attended EDC Orlando for her first time, said.
Festivalgoers had one word for all three stages at the festival: breathtaking. This year, Insomniac debuted two new stage designs. The first, like its sister stage from Las Vegas, the Kinetic Cathedral stage served as the main stage and included LED screens, which created the illusion of detailed stained glass windows. Two towering twin owls with expressive eyes, illuminated by LED lighting stood at either end of the stage. Standing 90 feet tall and 240 feet wide, the Kinetic stage marked the largest stage Insomniac has ever built at EDC Orlando.
The second new design at the Neon Garden stage featured a two story tall Buddha statue that watched over the crowd. The Buddha was back-lit by LED panels and surrounded by tented bamboo structures, giving the crowd cover from both the sun and the light rain. At this stage, fans enjoyed the sweet sounds of trance music.
The third design at the Circuit Grounds stage was decorated with colorful chameleons and tree frogs with extensive lasers and intense visual light shows, providing fans with heavy dubstep and heart-stopping bass drops.
Korey Alberts, a 22-year-old student at the University of Central Florida has been to EDC Orlando all four years.
“It’s quite an amazing experience to see so many people come together for one unified event. I’ve been to EDC Orlando four years in a row and it was never a small event from the start, but it has grown tremendously,” Alberts said. “The production has become more creative and more intense than any year prior. Great vibes, great people and great music is what makes this event so memorable!”
For the first time, EDC used RFID wristbands (similar to those used at TomorrowWorld), which not only served as a ticket into the festival but also as a personal wallet. Fans had to activate their wristband online where they could add money in the form of “daisy dollars.” All purchases from food to merchandise were made easy with just a quick scan of the wristband.
In case you missed this heartwarming music festival then check out Distraction’s photo recap below. EDC Orlando takes place in November each year so be sure to keep an eye out for when to grab tickets for next year!
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words and photo_melissa mallin.