Archive for electric daisy carnival

Follow-up: EDC Las Vegas.

June 29, 2011 carleys edc, electric daisy carnival, las vegas, Other, Podcasting

An aerial picture of EDC; from the Las Vegas Sun

An aerial picture of EDC; from the Las Vegas Sun

The Electric Daisy Carnival coming to Las Vegas was something that had people buzzing for months before it’s arrival. EDC took place here, in Las Vegas, on June 24- 26. The festival, which was kicked out of Los Angeles after a fatality last year, was lengthened to three days this year, as opposed to the usually two. This had many people excited, and many people worried, but the Electric Daisy Carnival took place smoothly, and no fatalities were reported.

Over the three day event, party goers saw popular DJ’s such as David Guetta, Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, Benny Benassi, and Skrillex. The house was packed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with attendance reaching 230,000 people, according to Insomniac Events. According to the LA Weekly, nearly 72,000 people attended on Friday, 80,000 on Saturday, and 63,000 on Sunday. However, the Las Vegas Sun reports higher numbers, with around 75,000 attending on Friday, 85,000 attending Saturday, and 80,000 attending Sunday.

Many people were expecting the worst, but the event appears to have gone good. There were said to have been around sixty arrests, and 330 medical emergencies were also reported. There was one situation, however, involving counterfeit wristbands, and the assistant director of security for EDC. Aaron Hernandez and Pathomrat Kunawongse were both arrested for the scheme, and allegedly admitted to being involved. This was after someone at the printing company came forward, not wanting to take part in the illegal activities.

Overall, the Electric Daisy Carnival went well. Although over 300 medical emergencies may seem a bit high to many, when the amount of people who attended is taken into account, the number is actually quite low. Insomniac released a statement declaring the event a success, and announcing that they have already begun planning next year’s carnival. The statement went on to thank “the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County Fire Department, and Dr. Dale Carrison and the teams from Medic West, American Medical Response and UMC,” and was posted in a blog by the LA Weekly.

The Electric Daisy Carnival, without a doubt, brought a ton of publicity, as well as tourism to the city. If the event continues to take place without fatalities or issues, it would surely be a good thing for the city. To everyone who attended, I hope you had a fantastic time!

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EDC: Is it Worth it for Las Vegas?

June 23, 2011 carleys edc, electric daisy carnival, fatality, insomniac, las vegas, Other, sisolak

Although the Electric Daisy Carnival has been going on for years, since 1997, this is it’s first year here in Las Vegas. The EDC buzz has been going for months, and while many are very excited about it, others are worried. The Electric Daisy Carnival does not have the best reputation, being linked to injuries and even deaths. EDC is usually in southern California, and was increased to two days in 2009. However, after the death of a 15 year old girl in 2010, the event was banned from Los Angeles. Nearly 195,000 people attended the event.

Now it is scheduled for the last weekend in June, for three days, here in Las Vegas. It was also scheduled for June 19, last weekend, in Dallas. One person died at the event, and dozens of others were hospitalized. It came out today (June 23) that another fatality has been linked to the event, bringing the fatality count to two, in 2011 alone. Did I mention that the Vegas event hasn’t taken place yet?

Although many are excited for the Electric Daisy Carnival to come to Vegas tomorrow, and rightfully so, no night worth of fun is worth a person’s life. One of the people worried about EDC’s outcome is Clark County Commissioner, Steve Sisolak. In an interview with Channel 13, Sisolak said, “We took extreme precautions in Clark County for the festival, and I’m hopeful that will be sufficient.” During my interview with him, he seemed worried but optimistic, and was definitely anticipating the weekend.

He acknowledged that it would bring a lot of publicity, tourism, and money to the city and county, but stressed that this was not worth a life. “My concern is for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens, as well as hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit our great city not only this weekend, but everyday,” Sisolak said. According to Sisolak, Metro has been working with Insomniac, who puts on the event, and the Speedway for over four months formulating a traffic, safety, and security plan to make sure the event goes smoothly. A medical plan is in place, including nurses, emergency room doctors, and ambulances for transport during the entire time EDC is taking place.

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