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| - I just bought my ticket for EDC 2014, and it made me reminiscence about EDC 2013...and that brought me here! I hope my review can show you future EDC 2014 goers what to expect, both good and bad.
First off, if you find yourself balking at the ticket price, I'm going to let you know that it's worth every penny. I didn't fully realize this until I walked into the venue and found myself at the top of the bleachers staring at the expanse of the speedway, over what is essentially everyone's playground for the next three nights.
The production level is through the roof! You can tell that Pasquale and his team really cares about the experience of the headliners (what they call us festival goers). The speedway is transformed into a LED lit wonderland. There is something for every EDM lover here. Each stage is lovingly designed to have great visual impact, and the sound quality is amazing. There was even a roving stage shaped like a boombox.
There is always something to do or see. If you no longer feel like dancing crazily to music, you can take a break by going to the multitude of carnival rides, exploring around the art installments, watching the parade, or even just sitting down in the grass and talking to new people. Don't be shy, most people will jump at the chance to talk to a stranger during some downtime. Heck, you can even get "married!" Even though it's three days, I still don't feel like I had enough time to see everything the festival had to offer.
If you're worried about crowds, the only times you will run into anxiety-inducing amounts of people are at the front of the larger stages and maybe at the shuttle line. I personally don't need to be right up there at the fence, actually it's less fun to me because there's no room to dance. Even though a massive number of people go to EDC, they end up spreading pretty evenly across the Speedway.
The reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 was the shuttle fiasco on Day 2. They wouldn't let anybody line up for the shuttles for a half hour or so (not sure why), and the crowd got visibly restless. Things got pretty un-PLUR. The Insomniac team handled it as best they could and handed out waters to everyone, but there must have been a way to avoid doing that altogether. But experience is knowledge, and I fully expect to not have that problem this upcoming year.
Other cons of the experience can be avoided pretty easily. The food and water prices are, like any festival, exorbitant. If you want to avoid the $5 water bottle price, buy the Insomniac branded canteen beforehand (~$10) to get free refills at the water stations. As for food, I made sure to eat a hefty meal before entering the venue. Hate port-a-potties? Well, you're kind of out of luck there, but I never experienced long lines because they placed so many bathroom stations throughout the venue.
Tips to optimize your experience:
* Go with a small group that shares your interests. You may look cool rolling in 20 deep with your posse, but it's not as fun when you spend the majority of the time disagreeing on what stage to go to.
* Put your valuables in something secure like a fannypack or backpack. Your pockets are not safe! It's quite easy to forget about your phone when you're jumping around, and by the time you realize it fell out, often it will be too late.
* Prepare your body for the beating it's about to take, especially if this will be your first rave. Don't underestimate partying from sundown to sunup for three days in a row. If you're also buying tickets for dayclubs in the morning, yeaaah good luck with that.
* Don't stick to the plan! The day I had the most fun was when we had a very loose schedule of who to see. Instead, we wandered around to places we would not have gone had we been rushing to see another artist.
* Don't choose The Daisy as your meetup spot. Just don't do it.
Basically, Insomniac provides everything you need to have the experience of a lifetime, just bring your good vibes and be prepared to eat, sleep, rave, repeat.
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