EDC, Electric Daisy Carnival, is a huge EDM music festival that has been in Las Vegas for over five years. This year was its 20th anniversary and my first ever visit to a huge EDM music festival. Here are some tips and advice for anyone hesitant about going.
1. It really is as hot as you think it is.
Do not be silly, a festival outside in Las Vegas in the middle of June is very hot. I brought a fan that could be worn around my neck along with a paper fan. My friend let me borrow a bandanna for ice to wear around my neck and that was a life saver. I also bought a water bottle to stay hydrated. The festival has water stations everywhere for you to refill. I also recommend having a spray bottle fan in order to stay cool.
2. It matters who you're with.
I always say that it does not matter where you are, but who you're with. This is very true for a music festival. I myself went with a great group, especially for my first one. You need people who will look out for each other, such as making sure that you're drinking enough water, sitting with you if you need to sit, or just moving to a different stage if you guys are not really feeling the music. My group and I had a meet-up spot if we ever lost each other, but, luckily, that never happened.
3. Meeting up with people is harder than you would think.
I went in with the intention of meeting up with about five different people and I met up with no one. Trying to text to meet up at a huge music festival, while also enjoying the music and the moment, can almost be impossible. Some people Snapchat and document their whole time while they are there, which is fine, but I ended up putting my phone away in my backpack and having the best time because I was fully engaged in everything.
4. People are friendly, go with it.
Usually, when you go to a concert, you do not exactly expect to talk to a lot of people or make friends. However, at EDC, if you do not, you're missing half of the experience. As much as you're there for the music, meeting people and getting to know different people is amazing. I met so many cool people from all over the world.
5. Kandi
At EDC and other music festivals they have this thing called "Kandi," which basically are different beaded bracelets that you exchange with people. Festival-goers make the bracelets, they are colored, and they all say different things such as "edc las vegas" or song lyrics. (People get really creative with this.) People typically exchange them with people when they have a really good conversation with them or they enjoyed their company. Since it was my first EDC, I went in with no kandi and did not give any away, but I left with so many and I now have a cool memento of the cool people who I met.
6. Stay until the end.
The festival itself is three days long and it goes until dawn every night. I highly recommend staying until the morning if you can. Watching the sun rise with cool people while listening to great music is indescribable
7. It really is as fun as they all say.
I was pretty worried going to EDC, since EDM is not really my first scene of choice, but I honestly had the time of my life. I went in thinking that I would be that girl who dies at EDC and that I would lose all of my friends (basically any dramatic and scary scenario). However, if you follow these tips and want to have an unforgettable experience, I highly recommend going to EDC at least once.
