EDC Las Vegas Survival Guide
Partying for 3 days with 100,000 people under the electric sky is not for the faint-hearted. There are millions of bright lights and loud sounds to potentially cause you a world of confusion. People dressed in costumes stumble about and inevitably push against one another in front of heavily crowded stages.
To help you out, I’ve put together a guide based on my experiences going to EDC twice. Hopefully this gives you some insight as how to make the most of your time in Vegas as well as how to party safely.
Getting To Vegas
Needless to say, you have be in Vegas to go to EDC.
I travelled out of Vancouver both times I went and flew out of Bellingham due to considerably cheaper prices (by several hundred dollars). Bellingham is a small town south of the border in the US that provides direct flights to Vegas. Book early, as prices for flights and hotels goes up exponentially the closer it gets to the event.
To get to Bellingham, you can either take a shuttle or drive.
Shuttle
Quick Shuttle offers service to Bellingham airport for about $45 USD a person and picks up at various locations in Greater Vancouver before driving down to the airport.
Driving
If you chose to drive down yourself, parking is provided at the airport for about $13 a day.
I also met a lot of people from LA at EDC due to its close proximity. They all say that the drive from LA to Vegas for EDC is torturous due to the heavy traffic. What is usually a 5 hour drive, I hear, can take up to 10.
Getting From the Airport to the Strip
Once in Vegas, there are a number of options for ground transportation.
Taxi
Taxis line up at the airport to pick up passengers. Once inside the taxi, be sure to tell the driver to take the shortest route to the Strip. Sometimes they will ask you, sometimes they will simply take you on a joy ride on the highway that provides great views of the Strip but takes more than twice as long.
$10 or so will get you to your hotel via the short route. $25 will get you to your hotel via the scenic route.
Limo
If you want to splurge (since you’re in Vegas and all) and have a big group, something around $80 will get you a limo to your hotel, complete with free bottled water and the opportunity to take photos and show off that you are in a limo in Vegas.
Getting To The Venue
The racetrack where EDC is held is NOT on the Strip, nor is it close. On a quiet day, I imagine it would be about a half an hour drive. The streets are usually rather empty, as the route is sparsely populated, so the roads are not built to accommodate the huge floods of traffic that EDC brings in. To get to EDC, it takes over an hour.
Shuttle
A shuttle is probably the easiest way to get from the Strip to the venue. Shuttles pick up passengers at 10 different hotels around the Strip and run back and forth all night long. Shuttle passes are bought beforehand and a proof of purchase is required to pick up a shuttle bracelet that stays on your wrist all weekend.
It’s a bit annoying considering you can’t loosen the bracelet to take it off and cutting it makes it invalid but considering everything you have to keep track of, this is a good thing so you won’t wind up losing your bracelet and therefore stranded. If you have narrow hands like I do, however, you may be able to slip it off when you don’t need it.
Shuttle bracelets were $60 when I went in 2012 and $75 in 2013. I’m not sure what they cost now but it’s most likely more.
Driving
If you have a car with you or rent a car, you can drive to the venue. There are huge parking lots to accommodate vehicles and you may see trailers blasting music to a dancing crowd right in the parking lot.
Taxi
Taxis are not advisable unless its a last resort. A taxi ride I hear can cost hundreds to dollars depending on how long it takes you to get through the traffic. If you choose to take a taxi, they are everywhere on the Strip and there is a large group of them waiting at the festival exit to take you back to your hotel.
Pace Yourself
There’s only so much YOLO you can partake in before your body refuses to YOLO anymore. Pace yourself. You have three 10-hour nights to YOLO. Don’t wear yourself out on the first night and end up unable to enjoy the following nights before you are too sick to go on.
The first night of the first time I was at EDC, I arrived at around 8pm. As soon as I got off the shuttle, I saw an unconscious girl getting carried away on a stretcher. It’s just not worth it. Why spend $300 or whatever the price for tickets are now only to be done before the party even starts?
Wear Comfortable Shoes
I cannot stress how important this is. When I went in 2012, I wore flats since I think runners are ugly and I regretted every second of it. The racetrack is mostly paved with rough concrete and there are parts that aren’t paved at all. This can be painful on your feet and huge crowds of people means that the chances you’ll get stepped on by someone wearing sturdier shoes than you is high.
As I was leaving one of the nights, I saw a girl walking the gravel path from the racetrack to the bus in bare feet. I don’t want to imagine how much that would hurt. She was holding a pair of high stiletto heels in her hand.
Be Careful With Drugs
As harm reduction groups put it, we neither condemn nor condone drug usage.
Many people choose to go to festivals in an altered state of mind. Some want to enhance their experience, others want to YOLO, and still others find it hard to function in crowds without a buzz going.
The issue that seems to relate to drug usage at festivals is that many festivals are all-ages and it is overall hard to get alcohol. Those who are under 21 at festivals in the US cannot buy alcohol, therefore their other options are: 1) arrive intoxicated, which is difficult considering the trek to the venue and the long lines to get in or 2) use drugs.
Even those who can legally purchase alcohol at festivals find it difficult to do. Each drink costs some $8-$10 therefore it can get very expensive very quickly. Alcohol also tends to make people need to use the restroom, which requires pushing through crowds, losing good spots in front of stages, and getting separated from friends.
For those who chose to use drugs, remember most festival drugs are illegal, therefore their sale is unregulated. This means that you may not be getting what you think you’re getting and even if you do get the drug you ask for, chances are high that it has been cut with other, potentially lethal substances.
For example, you may think you’re getting MDMA but you might instead be getting a mix of MDMA, speed, bath salts, and other chemicals. If you follow any news source over festival season, you’ll see that someone tends to die at every event. Why? Because as far as reports go, people take what they think is MDMA but instead are taking something that has been cut so much that the effects of MDMA are weak. They keep on taking more to try to get the high they are looking for until some sort of toxin in the mix kills them.
If you chose to use drugs, do yourself a favor and buy a testing kit. They are very affordable and can test a wide range of different drugs, the reacting color of the test chemical and your drug indicating to you its purity and/or what it has been cut with.
You can buy test kits here.
Me? I love the music and am more than happy to party sober.
Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate
It can get hot on the dance floor and I’m not just talking about the huge throngs of half-naked people. That many people packed together all dancing creates a lot of heat and can cause you to sweat and dehydrate. If you look at the news throughout festival season, people sometimes die at these events, usually from a combination of drug use or alcohol and dehydration.
So hydrate. EDC provides many free watering stations throughout the venue with people who will fill your water bottle or hose you down if you ask.
Also make sure to keep the level of electrolytes in your body up. I usually don’t drink sports drinks due to my laziness and inactivity but I will buy some Gatorade ($5) so my blood sugar doesn’t drop too low. Fruits are also sold at vendors around the venue.
Don’t Count on Cell Reception
Music festivals are often held in locations off the beaten path that can accommodate loud music and large crowds without disturbing neighbors. Often, these areas do not get a lot of visitors therefore cell service is not equipped to handle tens or hundreds of thousands of people with cell phones trying to contact each other all at once.
If you’re lucky, you may be able to send someone a message or have a call go through but don’t count on it. Often, a message that gets sent is not delivered for hours or until the end of the night when the high density of signals disperses.
Plan Meeting Times and Points with Your Friends
It’s very easy to get separated from your friends at festivals. One person wants to see one performer, another wants to see another performer, someone else is hungry, and yet another needs to use the restroom. Long trains of people can sometimes be seen weaving in and out of crowds or often times people simply disperse.
Since cell phones are essentially useless at a music festival, it’s best to set meeting points at the same location throughout the night.
I personally find the lockers at EDC to be a great meeting spot. They contained to a small area and are well lit so its easy to spot familiar faces. My friends and I set meeting times every other hour at the lockers. Those who chose to could come regroup and those who didn’t could carry on their own merry way.
EDC, being held in a racetrack, also has numbered sections around the center of the venue with benches under each number. Those can easily be set as meeting spots as well, such as: “Meet at 11 at the 11.”
Also, don’t panic if you can’t find your friends. So long as you have a safe way back to your hotel (your non-removable shuttle bracelet guarantees it), you will be fine. People at raves are generally very friendly and more than happy to welcome you into their circle.
Keep A Map Handy
The grounds are huge. With the darkness split by flashing lights and multitudes of people wandering about, it’s easy to get lost.
The exit from the venue is easy to see since it is through the raised bleachers viewable from everywhere in the venue but if you’re on a mission to see as many performers as possible as I was, a map will help you navigate. There is also a list of set times printed on the back.
Bring Your Own Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer
Using the restroom at EDC is an adventure all on its own.
The restroom area is what I like to affectionately call Porta Potty Kingdom. Porta potties are arranged in a big square and lined up in rows in between. They are smelly, dank, dark, dirty, and not cleaned until the end of the event. The toilet paper and hand sanitizer that is provided is gone halfway through the first night so unless you want to end up feeling disgusting, bring your own.
And Most Importantly: PLUR
The raver code of conduct PLUR, or “Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect” exists for a reason. Everyone is there to have fun, let loose, and enjoy some of the pleasures of life. Treat everyone with respect, offer to assist those who are having a bad time, and be safe.
As Insomniac puts it, EDC serves to unite all people as one under the electric sky.
