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STARK RAVING CARNIVAL

In what was considered quite a coup last year, Las Vegas played host to the one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals, the Electric Daisy Carnival. The brainchild of Pasquale Rotella, who helms Insomniac, the company that produces this annual event, EDC, as it is known, has a storied past, dating back to 1997, when the first event was held at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

“I went to my first electronic music event when I was a teenager, and I absolutely fell in love with the people and the atmosphere. I’m an organizer by nature, so I started throwing the types of parties that I would want to attend. It began with weekly warehouse parties; and at the age of 20, I produced my first large event, “Nocturnal Wonderland” in Southern California. I’ve been hooked ever since,” recounted Rotella, adding, “This is our sixteenth year hosting “Electric Daisy Carnival,” and it has now expanded into  multiple cities including Seattle, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, and of course, Las Vegas.”

Not without its share of controversy, Rotella shared that they took a lot of extra steps last year to ensure the safety and security of year attendees, “Fan safety is our top priority at all Insomniac’s events, which is why we have implemented an 18+ policy, invested in ID scanners and maintain a zero-tolerance policy.“ Other changes made included an “extra day” – it used to be a two-day event and now it’s three – same as last year’s.

A lot was riding on this event – expectations were high – as the event organizers estimated that it generated $42 million in revenue to the city of Los Angeles, where the past few events were held. According to a study  commissioned by the producers of EDC, last year’s Vegas-based event “pumped more than $136 million into the Clark County economy.” Here are more stats – the festival generated an estimated $8.9 million in tax revenue for state and local government – the equivalent of 1,400 full-time jobs, bringing in $55.5 million in income for workers in Clark County. And there’s more – attendees generated spent more than $19.5 million on accommodations; $16.5 million on food, $10.5 million on transportation, $9.3 million on entertainment, $7.8 million on gaming and $7.2 million in retail purchases.

But the ravers don’t care about economic impact, they care about who’s in the line-up – well, here’s a sampling – Afrojack, Aarmin van Buuren, ATB, Avicii, Benny Benassi, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Erick MOrillo, Gabriel & Dresden, Kaskade, Martin Solveig, Moby, Steve Angello, Stev Aoki, Tiesto, will.i.am and more. Of course, expect an additional 500 theatrical performers – including fire twirlers, aerialists, dancers and stilt walkers, plus numerous full size amusement rides atnd attractions; interactive art installations, pyrotechnics and special effects, state of the art production, not to mention the largest stage in North America.

Asked if he had a most-memorable EDC moment, and Rotella answered, “Seeing the sunrise at EDC in 1999 at Lake Dolores. It was magical to watch people truly enjoying themselves under the desert morning sky at the lake. I actually have an image in my head of the fans at EDC Vegas doing the same, as the sun rises from behind the distant mountain silhouette.”

-Rachel M. Sugay

EDC, June 8-10, 2012, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 3-day General Admission – $275 plus applicable fees; 3-day VIP – $500 plus applicable fees. Visit www.electricdaisycarnival.com/lasvegas to purchase tickets.