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Nicole Haiimpoor
Photo Credit: Jake West for Insomniac Events
From May 17th to May 19th, the electronic dance music community was treated to a whirlwind of drone shows, fireworks, and surprises as Insomniac, the mastermind behind Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas, delivered its 2024 edition of the festival. EDC continues to take the festival to a new level each year, showcasing exactly why it remains the most important electronic music festival out there. This was not one to miss — here’s a peek of the action.
Over three nights, a vibrant and lively community of over 525,000 attendees gathered to celebrate life, love, art, and music under the Electric Sky, bringing the unique world of EDC to life. Featuring more than 230 artists across nine stages, the EDC Las Vegas lineup is carefully curated each year to highlight the diverse foundations of dance music culture.
This year‘s edition of EDC had the theme of kineticCIRCLE, aiming to celebrate the circle of life and emphasizing community bonds and shared memories dancing under the Electric Sky.
Additionally, the Cathedral stage had been brought back 10 years later to kineticFIELD.
Each night at 1:41 am, attendees got to experience both a drone show and firework show. The drones illustrated various figures in the sky, including the kineticCIRCLE, a pulsing heart, ‘EDC Las Vegas’ written out, ‘welcome home headliners’ written out, and designs from previous years’ kinetic stage design.
Welcome to #kineticFIELD! ✨ 10 years later, the Cathedral has returned in a grand new way — uniting past and present. 💫
We hope some of you feel the nostalgia this weekend and that all of you create new memories that last a lifetime. ✨🌼 pic.twitter.com/gANTgm5Mrc
— EDC Las Vegas (@EDC_LasVegas) May 18, 2024
Revamped Layout and Activities
Acknowledging past bottlenecks and overflow issues, Insomniac implemented significant changes to the festival layout. Several stages, including bassPOD, wasteLAND, neonGARDEN, and quantumVALLEY, have relocated on the grounds in attempts to control the past discomfort and crowd flow from stages and walkways.
EDC Las Vegas also had welcomed the YeEDC Saloon, bringing a touch of country to the electronic music festival.
Proposals are common at EDC. If there were no proposals at another festival, that would be totally normal in my eyes. At EDC, it would be alarming without marriage proposals.
A particularly heartwarming one went down this year during the kineticFIELD performance of electronic music icon Benny Benassi, who invited a man to pop the question to his girlfriend onstage while their love-song “Cinema” played.
As every year, there were many wedding ceremonies held at the chapels within EDC for numerous couples to be wed throughout the weekend.
STIIIZY, renowned as the leading cannabis brand in the U.S., secured an exclusive sponsorship role at EDC. Making their inaugural appearance at EDC, STIIIZY crafted an immersive activation, showcasing their expertise in cannabis cultivation amidst the electric atmosphere of the festival.
Photo Credit: STIIIZY
The activation boasted a stunning 30-foot cannabis grow replica, adorned with 180 lifelike plants and equipped with 24 grow lamps, providing attendees with an engaging experience. Additionally, a dynamic spin wheel offered festival-goers the chance to win coveted STIIIZY merchandise and prizes, culminating in over 7,500 email sign-ups and a surge of interest in STIIIZY’s premium products and strains from eager attendees.
Performance Highlights
– A surprise “special guest” on Saturday’s circuitGROUNDS lineup sparked speculation about several possible artists.
Redditers had gone back and forth at the idea of it being Skrillex to follow Four Tet’s set, or a b2b between Skrillex and Four Tet. Considering it was sandwiched on the schedule by Four Tet’s performance, fans naturally thought the two were reuniting with Skrillex for another historic b3b set following last year’s Coachella weekend two headlining set. started out as an afterthought but quickly exploded in the social media realm when Fred again.. revealed himself to be in Vegas.
When the time had come, Fred ultimately performed solo and gave a fresh sound to the festival. It almost felt as though everyone present for his set was pouring out as far back as they could to hear and be a part of the surprise moment.
SURPRISE @fredagainagain1 🫶#EDCLV2024 is too good to be true. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/evnkItMMnv
— EDC Las Vegas (@EDC_LasVegas) May 19, 2024
– Following Saturday night’s surprise guest Fred Again, Dom Dolla’s EDC set was one of those sets that truly continued to ascend. Kicking off with his new unreleased track “Girls,” which debuted this year at his Red Rocks show and Coachella performances, the crowd was on fire as track after track met with another banger. Dom Dolla’s meteoric rise in the electronic music scene, with his unique style of house music, has connected with global audiences, making him one of the most exciting producers in the industry.
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– Married DJs Subtronics and LEVEL UP tore up EDC with their first-ever b2b set. Subtronics had a solo set at the mainstage on Friday and only added to the hype for the highlight anticipated b2b. Their performance featured some unreleased collaborations, so fans of the two dubstep producers can look forward to official “LEVELTRONICS” releases in the near future.
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– As Zedd closed his Saturday night mainstage set with his generational dance anthem “Clarity,” hundreds of drones in the sky formed the words “Z3 8/30,” revealing his third album and its release date. He formally announced the album, Telos, via social media this week.
Embracing clarity with open arms. 🤗 @Zedd #kineticFIELD pic.twitter.com/SpQNBAzA5C
— EDC Las Vegas (@EDC_LasVegas) May 19, 2024
– Alison Wonderland, who headlined the EDC mainstage at 3 am on Saturday night, also made a surprise appearance on the Rynobus art car throwing down a powerful techno set
Makeup and beauty overall is a significant outlet of expression within the rave community.
In a groundbreaking move that merges the worlds of music and beauty, Australian DJ and producer Alison Wonderland also made waves with the announcement of her upcoming makeup brand, Wonderland Beauty.
Wonderland Beauty promises to bring the same creativity and innovation that defines Alison’s music to the realm of cosmetics. EDC attendees had the exclusive opportunity to preview products from Wonderland Beauty at a meet and greet Sunday at Zouk club in Hilton’s Resorts World.
Photo Credit: DONSLENS
– DJ Snake performing mainstage at kineticFIELD took the mic to criticize Tomorrowland seemingly unprovoked. “EDC is way better than Tomorrowland,” he said. “For real. F*** Tomorrowland.” Snake took his contempt a step further after his performance by doubling down on X, where he wrote, “EDC VEGAS > TOMORROWLAND.”
DJ Snake calls out @tomorrowland at @EDC_LasVegas in front of tens of thousands of attendees 😲 pic.twitter.com/KgzdKznLP0
— We Rave You (@weraveyou) May 19, 2024
Other notable performers included Steve Aoki, Kaskade, Alesso, Diplo, Deadmau5, Sara Landry, Eli Brown, Odd Mob, James Kennedy from Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, and many others.
EDC Las Vegas veterans know the festival is a marathon, not a sprint.
And those who drank enough electrolytes were rewarded Monday morning on the Mesa in Camp EDC, where Mau P and John Summit threw down around 7 am closing out this year’s chapter of the music festival.
nothin like a sunrise afters pic.twitter.com/PF40rpEvUK
— John Summit (@johnsummit) May 20, 2024
One of the most intriguing aspects of the stacked performances was the breakdown of artists by their respective agencies.
From powerhouse players like Wasserman, United Talent Agency (UTA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to smaller boutique agencies, each agency’s influence was evident in shaping the diverse roster of talent that graced the stages of EDC Las Vegas 2024.
Photo Credit: Booking Agent Info
With the graphic provided by Booking Agent Info, among the headliners represented by Wasserman were DJ Snake, Zedd, Alison Wonderland, David Guetta, Diplo, and John Summit. United Talent Agency (UTA) brought in heavy hitters like Timmy Trumpet, Paul Van Dyk, Kaskade, Deadmau5, and Infected Mushroom. Liaison Artists showcased talents such as Jamie Jones, Nicole Moudaber, Eric Prydz, Ferry Corsten, and Markus Schulz. William Morris Endeavor (WME) featured artists like Sofi Tukker, Steve Aoki, Peggy Gou, Malóne, Martin Garrix, and Alesso. Creative Artists Agency (CAA) boasted a lineup including Prunk, Purple Disco Machine, Kyle Walker, Marsh, and Da Tweekaz. Corson Agency had a strong presence with acts like Darksiderz, Geo, Sound Rush, and Sub Zero Project. David Lewis Productions brought in Andruss, Armin Van Buuren, Matt Sassari, Mau P, and Nifra.
This behind-the-scenes glimpse added an intriguing layer to the festival’s dynamic lineup, highlighting the intricate web of connections and collaborations that brought the music to life.
Key takeaway for those wanting to attend next year:
Being in Las Vegas many rideshare drivers shared with us that they would not be driving anybody out to the festival or picking up from the festival as they have shared the return is not worth the hours of standstill traffic they Indore whether that’s dropping people off at the first or bringing them back to the strip.
I believe purchasing a shuttle pass is essential to attending EDC Las Vegas. Of course there’s the option of self driving but coming back at early hours into the next day at sometimes 6:00am or even later, who wants to be driving when they don’t need to be?
With the conclusion of another magical EDC Las Vegas, Insomniac wastes no time in looking ahead to the future.
Initial details for EDC Las Vegas 2025 have been announced, with dates set from May 16th to May 18th, 2025. As veterans and newcomers alike prepare to lock in their place under the electric sky, the legacy of EDC continues to evolve, promising even more surprises and unforgettable moments in the years to come.
Future Owl Passes will go on sale May 24th at 12pm PT, more info here.
