See also:
* Electric Daisy Lineup Revealed!
*Ultra or EDC: What's the Better EDM Festival?
In just a few days, Orange County will be a ghost town as all the cool kids will be joining 300,000 electronic dance music fans in the desert for the 16th annual Electric Daisy Carnival held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This three-day music festival, held Friday June 8th through Sunday June 10th, features seven stages, breathtaking audio and visual production, hundreds of performers and over a hundred world renowned DJs and producers. We put together a list of five must see acts and attractions to help enhance your experience at this giant amusement park of flashing lights, hard beats and few clothes.
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5. The Wide Awake Art Car and Art Installations
The Insomniac “Wide Awake” Art Car made it's debut at the infamous Burning Man Festival in 2011 winning the “Best in Show” Award for art cars. Make sure to look for the Wide Awake Car as it features a Funktion One sound system, flame cannons and a mechanical owl along with some of the best up-and-coming DJs and artist. Orange County's very own Kedd Cook, Long Beach-raised Shae B, Gotta Dance Dirty's Bones and Burn Unit will all be joining the talented group on the Wide Awake Art Car. There's also art installations all over the grounds of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to add to your festival experience as you dance, dream and discover new worlds, definitely worth checking out!
4. Carl Cox & Friends Stage
Good news for tech house enthusiasts. The legendary Carl Cox & Friends Stage is making it's way to the West Coast. Part of what we love about festivals like Ultra Music in Miami is the astounding showcase of different genres of EDM we can't always find in our OC venues. The Carl Cox & Friends Stage is always rocking the dance floor Ibiza style, with an energy and atmosphere that promises to be something special at this years Electric Daisy Carnival. With acts like UMEK, John Digweed, Green Velvet and Danny Tenaglia on the bill we recommend closing out your Sunday adventure in the dessert dancing to some serious house beats with Cox until the sun comes up.
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3. Carnival Rides
Part of what makes EDC so special is the carnival atmosphere attendees get as they immerse themselves in the sensory experience that takes you far beyond just the love of music. The lines may seem long but we highly suggest you take some time from your hectic schedule to hold on for dear life on one or two carnival rides throughout the course of the weekend. With slides, swings, merry-go-rounds, ferris wheels and more to choose from, we promise it will be worth your precious time. Nothing will compare to the rush and euphoria you will feel as you indulge in your favorite ride as you can see, hear and even feel your favorite DJ playing on a massive stage with some of your closest friends.
2. Blue Man Group and Steve Aoki Collaboration
In the spirit of Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival will give festival goers a one-of-a-kind artistic collaboration between the Blue Man Group and Dim Mak Records' own Steve Aoki. This is the perfect chance to see a real Las Vegas show featuring color, humor, music and technology which takes center stage every night at the Venetian Casino. Combine that with Aoki's entertaining stage presence and energy and this performance is sure to take music, art and theatrics to a whole other level. Taking place on Saturday June 9th we suggest getting to the Dim Mak Records Stage early because you don't want to get stuck watching this innovative performance from afar.
1. Q-Dance Stage
If you only take one of our suggestions, we must stress the world-famous Q-Dance Stage which makes its U.S. debut Friday through Saturday at EDC. For years hardstyle fans have demanded the Dutch entertainment company bring their ultimate festival experience state side and this year, wishes have been granted. Even if you don't like hardstyle or hardcore techno we recommend checking out the stage at least once to have your mind completely blown with its production, pyrotechnics and A-list talent. Their DJs include the likes of Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers, Wildstylez and Technoboy which are all fairly rare to see in the US. Known for their lasers and extreme production capabilities Q-Dance will surely have one of the most raging parties Vegas has ever seen.
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