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.