Electric Daisy Carnival

5 stars, Amazing, Epic, Phenominal, Perfection, Bliss.

If you like house you must go, if you dont like house you must go because you will fall in love with it here. Loved how EDC was set up in 2012 amazing festival, had all the top DJs in the world and they all absolutly killed it. I WILL BE BACK EVERY YEAR!!

I was at Met Life Stadium for this event a few weeks ago and witness alot of crazy. I got there a bit late because I had a family function earlier that day but it rained so heavily I honestly did not miss much. The price of this event was very expensive, I mean seriously VIP tickets were $200 a day. I was lucky as can be that I won them from a twitter contest. I was shocked to be honest, both days of VIP, was very grateful.

The main theme is a day time into night time RAVE, no other way to describe it. Maybe not like the ones in the Mojave desert or EDC Las Vegas but those are hard to duplicate. There was the EXPERIENCE OF 4 STAGES- 2 DAYS. 100,000 SUPPOSEDLY people there. So many smiling faces, so many women dressed very scandalous for this. There were litterally hundreds of artists there performing. Over 70 DJS in all. There were even Carnival Rides to go on for your entertainment, Interactive Art Installations and one GIGANTIC OWL.

The day I was there was Saturday and there was a mess of people there. Martin Garrix was the first one I really saw I believe. He was definitely a fan favorite. He did a really long set.
http://youtu.be/AmJLR_9ivqw

Crazy live like in this video

I was there really for the main artists like Krewella, and yes I got to see her, but was so far away. I left the VIP section early and wanted to really mingle with the people.
http://youtu.be/JqVbVfhM2EY

I was honestly even further back for this group, it was that packed.

End of the night there was Carl Cox and Loco Dice playing together in the only inside venue. I was there for a bit and saw many pretty ladies.
http://youtu.be/Q-FyhYdlcw8

I knew about Carl Cox for years so it was actually nice to finally see him.

Ended up also catching about 30 minutes of AFROJACK set. He went on last and his particular stage. It was really good, and crowded so I didn;t stay whole time.
http://youtu.be/5eNGO1PdxN0

This was AFROJACK in case you didn't know who he is.

HARDWELL was also a main act and he did his thing too.

*All in all, a great experience, and a really hot day of moving around here and there. I got some water and there were free refilling stations. I still almost felt like I was dehydrated. Had a monster drink and that helped too. I would come back again another year. Each stage was great.

Are you a fan of EDM? Do you like listening to EDM with bass so strong it feels like its banging on your chest? This was my first EDM concert and it will definitely not be my last. At most concerts you gotta worry about some idiot who's had too much to drink acting violent and like a complete moron. This event was different. Everyone was really friendly and showed mad love.

These types of events have a bad rep. People think there's nothing but a bunch of kids high on Molly barely wearing any clothing. I didn't see any kids there high at all. But I did see some people barely wearing any clothing. I wore jeans and a t shirt and no one cared. The ladies who were half naked, no one cared either. You're allowed to express yourself here without judgement. It was awesome

I think I'm going to make this annual event a tradition. Oh, I purchased the VIP tickets. Out of all of the perks you receive being VIP the best one is the air conditioned bathrooms. I didn't have to wait on humongous lines to use a porta potty

I feel betrayed and lied to.

When you purchase tickets to EDC, it says "rain or shine." It even says it on the shiny colorful tickets you get. THEY DON'T MEAN THAT, PEOPLE! On Saturday of this year, it started drizzling... raining... well, okay, fine, pouring buckets... and they made us all go inside the stadium for at least a whole hour! Liars! Can you imagine all those people huddled up in the parking lot making their way inside? Needless to say, it was a zoo.

Otherwise, EDC was an incredible 2-day experience and I can't wait to go again. I didn't think I'd love it this much, especially having gone to Coachella last month and thinking this would pale in comparison. But it had the elements of Coachella that I loved while having its own qualities that made it unique. Obviously go if you're into the music (EDM, house, dance, electro house, D&B, techno, dance punk, hardstyle, dubstep), or if you just want to witness the atmosphere, I guess. Speaking of which, girls are all in crop tops, high waisted shorts, and floral headbands. Sounds cliche, but it was fun dressing up! I saw maybe 10 concerts within the 2 days, which I believe is worth the money. I also very much appreciated the real bathrooms available inside versus the standard portapotties.

Beware: there is a very small variety of food (Papa John's, chicken fingers, and fries. That's it) and the prices are outrageous. $7 for French fries whatwhat! Also, security is over the top. They don't let you bring in makeup or water bottles (because apparently these things are made of ecstasy??...)

Transportation that I took from NYC: metronorth from Penn Station to Secaucus, then bus from there to Metlife. $10.50 roundtrip and so easy a monkey could do it.

In any case, go and dance like no one is watching!

This is the best festival I have been to in my life. It's a 3-day electronic music festival that also features carnival rides (hence the name).

I went all 3 days (originally had tickets for Saturday and Sunday, but won a Friday ticket through a contest).

Travel to and from wasn't bad at all. There were several options to choose from, but I opted for the $5 bus that went from Port Authority directly to the stadium. This bus is for any big events held in MetLife Stadium. The mass exodus out of the stadium is always something to gripe about, but the lines were done VERY efficiently and everyone boarded in a neat fashion.

The lines to get in were long, but it moved pretty efficiently. Luckily for me, I got there early enough on all 3 days to avoid the crazy long lines. Some of my friends took an hour when they came later.

The venue was the perfect size and they even had a stage inside MetLife Stadium, which was really awesome, especially after the recent Super Bowl win for the Giants (though they didn't play here, it was still cool to be on Giants territory).

All of the stages were far enough to not have much interference from neighboring stages, which was good. I tend to walk around a lot and not really settle on one stage so I can experience all of the different DJs playing. I ordered several $7 beers and 2 frozen margaritas (in those fun big tall cups!), but no food. However, there was a very big selection of cuisines to choose from. The sound was pretty amazing as well. It was a little too loud in the front of the stages, but that's sort of given. I won't really comment on the DJ's performances as that's more of a preference thing than a review for the festival.

The best thing about this carnival is that they have lockers for rent. My friend and I split the $70 3-day rental and it was the best $35 I ever spent. I was able to stow away my sweater and other miscellaneous items during the festival so I could move freely. You're also allowed to keep things in the locker overnight if you get the 3-day rental, which was perfect for the eye drops I was forced to buy at the general store, since they didn't allow us to bring any in.

A semi-little known fact (I say semi because the lines were still pretty long) was that there were bathrooms available for use in the stadium (2 separate womens bathrooms, to be exact). After I figured this out on the second day, I only used these bathrooms instead of the gross port-a-potty bathrooms. The stadium bathrooms were surprisingly clean. The lines were a little bit longer, but it was definitely worth the wait.

The carnival attractions are pretty cool, too. They had a bunch of random exhibits and rides. The rides were pretty fun and a nice little rest from all of the dancing.

Overall, this was a VERY fun experience for me and if they decide to have another EDC, I'm definitely in.

Saturday, 5/24/2014

* $150/ticket
* $30 for parking
* Over 2 hours waiting in line for the Will Call (tickets already pre-bought)
* After obtaining tickets from Will Call, General Admission tells me that my ticket was already scanned (meaning someone used my ticket)
* After haggling with General Admission and finally entering the event, it rains
* It rained heavily, the music shut down for a decent amount of time, and thousands of people huddled into the stairs of MetLife stadium
* Everyone tried to buy food -- that was a disaster

Get to the Chase:

Pros:
1) AMAZING sets, (Armin killed it)
2) Great venue (Large enough to not feel unable to move, small enough to get to all the stages in a reasonable walking distance)
3) Flawless execution (no disruptions like what happened EDC Vegas 2012)
4) Affordable (not daylight robbery prices like Sensation or Ultra)
5) Plentiful water stations

Cons:
1) Drinks and Food were clearly exploited...1 gatorade $9, 1 hotdog $6+...thank goodness for free water
2) Not allowed to keep the caps of purchased drinks...no idea why... (maybe to encourage to buy more...or to deter illicit substances???)
3) Have to have the foresight to bring your own canteen/camel back to refill water, otherwise buy some overpriced branded water bottle

SO. MUCH. FUN. I'm so glad EDC came to NYC this year! It was such an amazing time, granted I only went on Saturday so I can only speak for that. The train ride to Metlife Stadium wasn't bad - probably took a total of 20some minutes? There is a transfer at Secaucus though where Police made my chug/dump my 4loko before getting on the second train to Metlife.

Once you got there the line to get in is massive/chaotic/crazy. Legit mob of people trying to squeeze through. However, it actually look less time than anticipated. We probably got in within 30mins? There are lines for everything, bathrooms, beer, hotdogs, alcoholic slushies, rides, VIP room. Bathroom were DISGUSTING by the end of the day! Water bottles were $5, slushies were $16, I, myself, didn't buy the beer or hotdogs so I'm not sure how much they were but everything as expected was overpriced. I'd liken it to an adult Disney.

The music was sickkkk though! Alesso's set was my favorite. Calvin Harris was equally amazing! My friends and I expected everything to be on grass or the field but it was all set up on the parking lot.

I am going through withdrawal right now. Ugh, can't wait for next year.

Came here all the way from California. I was so excited to meet new people and rage. It was disappointing. Not going to lie. It is about the size of a massive like beyond wonderland or escape. I expected bigger stages, bigger rides, and better venue. I didn't like how we were all in the parking lot of this stadium and it was all asphalt. I would love to sit down not on hot asphalt. The music was really good. The line up was so sick and I was really happy with it.
The vibe was not as nice as what I'm used to on the west coast. Not to sound stuck up about my area but some people were just not into the music like I was and when I'd talk to them they'd just not friendly. Lining up for the buses I was still pretty hyped up and trying to be friendly with everyone.
Really thankful to all the people who invited my sister and I to after parties. Miss you guys! So sad it ended at 11. Waaaay too early.

AMAZING. Seriously, amazing. Go Go Go - you will not regret it.

The pros:

1) Mind-blowing lineup. ATB, Armin, Aviccii, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Calvin Harris, Erik Morillo, the guys from Swedish House Mafia - and more. And that was just Saturday's line up! Sometimes I found myself running between the four main stages because so many good people were playing at the same time!

2) It's an ALL day event. I only bought a day pass (it ran Fri - Sun - i bought Saturday's since the lineup looked the best). It runs 12 - 11 PM and THE PARTY DON'T STOP (to quote Kesha, hehe).

3) Full of fun, young people. I'm not sure I saw anyone much over 30 there and since you have to be 18 to get in - it's like 15,000 people running around during the summer who are all eligible, fun, and down to dance.

4) Easy to get to. I trekked out to Meadowlands via NJ Transit from Penn Station (as a true city girl - i was worried about it - but NJ Transit was CLEARLY expecting us). Just follow the people in neon if you get lost. They even stock piled trains getting out of the stadium so people could get home faster. +1 for NJ Transit!

5) Awesome sound system, visual effects and special effects. They shot off at least 15 minutes of fireworks as Aviccii finished his last set. Each artist had cool background images and some had laser/light shows too. I was impressed for a stadium, especially since it's mostly outdoors.

The Cons (not many)

1) The line to get in took FOREVER. With Gen Admission passes, we waited well over an hour to get in. Then there was a separate line for them to check bags. There was ANOTHER line to get wristbands for booze. Too much waiting with little to no line organization.

2) There's almost nowhere if you need to sit in a shady spot. It's all outdoors and only one set was covered, so bring a hat or come a little later in the day.

Know before you go:

1) Bring cash. It's a concert. Beers cost 10 bucks, waters are 5 bucks, and shirts cost 30+. There were a few ATMs but avoid the surcharge (and lines) since almost no vendors take credit there.

2) Buy VIP passes if you can. The entrance line was more than an hour long, even coming a couple hours late. VIP lets you take a faster line. You can also buy liquor in the VIP areas (only beer with the general admission passes). Lastly, and most importantly, there were 'real' bathrooms for people with VIP passes. The definition of GROSS is a Portapotty!!!

3) People dress up. It's a sea of neon green, yellow, and pink. Plastic sunglasses, tutus, Gumby costumes, Harajuku girls -- it's all good. Seriously, no judgement. I was pretty conservative and wore capris and a bright tank, which was just fine too.

4) There were lockers available for rent if you don't want to carry your stuff.

5) They were fairly strict about what you brought in. No unwrapped cigarettes, no big backpacks, no open water/juice/etc.

GO GO GO. And dance your ass off!

My first EDC was in Vegas (2013). However, this was my first time attending EDC in NY (my hometown) and I couldn't help but compare them to each other so throughout this review you will see some comparisons.

MY THOUGHTS
EDC NY was nice but I been caught the Vegas bug. I really don't think any other EDC can compare to the scale, lineup and vibes found at EDC Vegas so ill make sure for my next EDC I make it to Vegas again!


READ THE REST FOR MORE DETAILS

The scale/Location
Compared to Vegas the scale was tiny. The main stage wasn't even half the size of the one that is put up in Vegas, but it was still a very beautiful stage. The entire festival took place outside of the stadium (which I heard was a deviation from the past years). Every few paces you are reminded that you are in the middle of a parking lot and dancing on one of the hardest floors. There's no patches of grass or dirt anywhere. Something that EDC NY lacked that EDC Vegas does have is multiple areas for you to just relax/eat at. Whether it was at the stadium seats, in/around art installations, in cooling stations or at tables scattered around certain eating locations.


Music/Festival Rides
Both days I arrived at 3pm and got to see most of who I wanted to see and got on the swings and the craziest ride that was there (one where you are swung back and forth while your seat rotates). I also got on the regular swings that go around. There was also a wonder wheel thing and that superman looking ride where you lay down. I shouldn't have to say this but I will, the Vegas lineup is always going to be better than any other EDC lineup. Memorable sets include Kaskade, Seven Lions, Martin Garrix (Ive never desired to see him but it happened and it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be so its memorable), Laidback Luke, Knife Party, Tiesto, Flux Pavilion, Arty, Loud Pvck, and Calyx and Teebee. Others that I decided to give a chance to but wasn't too impressed by were Carnage, Hardwell, and Benny Benassi.

Entering/Exiting the festival
I got into the festival just a little bit faster on Saturday than I did on Sunday. You have to make a line for both getting a pat down and getting your tickets checked (and also your id i think but I can't remember). When I exited the festival on Saturday I made sure to leave 15min before it officially ended. This meant to get on the shuttle me and the people I was with only had to wait about 20 min. However, when exiting on sunday I waited til Knife Party's closing set was over and this meant our wait to get on the shuttle was about an hour and a few minutes.

Art installations
There were some art installations here and there but they weren't as impressive or large as the ones I got to see in Vegas. One of the most memorable art installations included a giant golden Buddha and an area surrounded with small daisies and dancers nearby.

Food
The food was actually better than the year that I had attended EDC vegas. There were even tacos sold in addition to the usual chicken fingers and fries, and MrsFields cookies/brownies. I can't remember all the options from the top of my head but there were MANY you just had to walk around to find them. When going to these festivals one reason I like to go once they are open is so that I can get an idea of the layout.

Vibes/Weather
The vibes were good. Never did I see anything that was off putting but maybe I was just too caught up in having a good time with the beautiful people I went with. The skies were a clear blue on both days and the weather was hotter than I thought it would be.

Bathrooms
There weren't as many bathrooms as the ones that are provided in Vegas, and there weren't any stations for you to wash your hands, which meant the bathrooms got disgusting real quick. I always tried using them earlier in the day when they were still a bit decent and then would mostly hold it in for the rest of the night=}