I seriously can’t believe how much fun I had at EDC 2018. A weekend that started as a last minute decision became a totally great experience -- but don’t they usually start that way? I was hesitant about attending EDC this year because this weekend coming up I have Lightning in a Bottle, and I didn’t want to be too exhausted or get sick. I told myself, you know what, f-it, yolo, I’ll just not go too hard at EDC.
Then I saw the sunrise two nights in a row. And I regret nothing.
Truly I still didn’t go “hard” I’d say, I only attended the festival on Friday and Saturday because I couldn’t take off another day of work to go Sunday night. This way I also gave myself some time Sunday to recover. I am still a little in shock of how late I stayed up each night, how time just flew by and all of a sudden it was 4:30 am.
EDC is an absolutely crazy place. I’m struggling with how to explain it exactly… if you like to party, this is the event. There’s so much going on, there are lights on everything and music coming from every angle. It’s a carnival for adults with rides and alcohol and costumes.
Insomniac is the best at throwing big production raves in my opinion. Their events are a combo of Disneyland-meets-Cirque-du-Soleil — two of my favorite things. My favorite part though of any event is getting ready, and you can see at Insomniac shows this is a lot of other people’s favorite part as well. We get to be creative and be colorful and just have fun.
We left for the festival around 6pm and it didn’t take us too long to get there. We had some fun moments in traffic with other headliners as we approached the event. At one point we almost missed a turn and had to cut in, and the other car said we only could if I (the passenger) did a shot with them. We “cheer” sd from our cars and they let us in. A couple minutes later we ended up next to them in some stopped traffic and I popped out to trade kandi really quick. It was hilarious because everyone was yelling from the other cars cheering us on. I live for these vibes.
I went with one friend to EDC, Rob (@PinkyPinkston on Instagram) this year. Rob’s great because he’s always down for whatever and we have a lot of fun together. He doesn’t mind if I lose him for a bit to take photos and stuff. Plus it’s always nice to go with a guy just to feel safe.
Once we got to the festival we took the route that leads you down the bleachers, where you get a full view of the whole racetrack as you walk in. This is my third time to EDC and my first time ever walking in this way, and I’m so glad I finally got the chance to! It’s one of those moments people always talk about, and I felt like I’d missed out so much before.
They give you a few moments to take a photo then make you go down all the way. It’s pretty cool to see the WHOLE event from that view.
Once inside we had tons to explore. Seven main stages, art cars, rides, interactive art pieces, sponsored interactive areas and so many people to meet. I feel like every step you take at EDC you’re meeting someone new. People just love to talk to new people here!
Friday night, and I’m not totally sure how it happened, but I ended up meeting this group who had these cool bikes they were riding around the festival. They invited me to join them so we rode around and even went behind the stages to ride on the racetrack!
That whole night flew by, Kaskade’s set was amazing, per usual, and that was about when I realized that I TOTALLY lost Rob so I struggled with failed texts then finally found him. We danced through a few more areas then made our way back to the exit. On the way there we found this awesome art piece that had a LED ceiling and was playing classical music. Everyone was just laying underneath it relaxing. I knew one of the songs and busted out some ballet moves which ended with a round of applause from everyone there. What a moment.
We headed home, made it out of the parking lot really easy at 4 am and went to bed.
Saturday AM I pretty much felt like I couldn’t do this another day, but we rallied and headed to the pool to relax. After spending some time in the sun and eating some lunch I decided it was nap time, so we did a 2-hour nap before it was time to get ready for day 2.
On Saturday, I wore a mix of pieces from “old” outfits I’ve worn to raves. The top I actually wore to my very first EDC back in 2014. I liked this look a lot because it was one that I really couldn’t see myself wearing to any other event besides an Insomniac one. There’s definitely a look and feel to EDC that’s different than say Coachella or Lightning in a Bottle. As someone who loves fashion, I love that I get to dress uniquely to each of these events!
Saturday we left the hotel a little earlier, more around 5pm and had no traffic getting in. It was nice to see the festival grounds with some daylight before the sunset. I liked being able to take a lot of photos during magic hour as well!
We had VIP access passes so Saturday we spent a lot of time checking out the VIP areas. At EDC these are over the top with so much more to do and see. One area had arcade games, and another allowed us to go backstage behind the DJ booth!
We also saw a pool and even a ball pit which to play in. Inside one of the VIP tents, we found two people with typewriters offering free haikus. Mine said:
On the runway and
In the crowd she knows both sides
An aerial view
I really loved seeing the crowd from the Quantum Valley VIP area best, and it was here that we watched the fireworks Saturday night.
Each night the fireworks at EDC are something else, they’re over the top and a perfect addition to an electrified night. I had these awesome glasses they were giving out at the Smirnoff Experience that changed the light into little hearts, and watching the fireworks with these was so cool.
As we were leaving for the night I turned back to look at the grounds one last time and could not believe I was watching the sun come up over the mountains. Time flies when you’re having fun.
We got to our car and it took us roughly an hour to get out of the parking lot this night. The traffic flow out was terrible, the only way we were able to get out was to weave through parking rows.
We ended up driving home Sunday am, which gave me a little FOMO for day 3 but I had to be realistic, Lightning in a Bottle is my favorite event of the year so I needed to rest for a few days so that I can live it up there.
EDC was an amazing time though. I got to meet a lot of awesome people and dance for hours and hours. I just love how late EDC goes when most of our big production raves end at 2 am. According to my health tracker, I climbed 9 floors each night of EDC with the number of steps I took. This equaled roughly 10 miles each night. You’ll all be happy to know I didn’t even have to break out my knee brace once this weekend :) I was taking it easy!!!
Well that was a super long recap, and there’s still a lot I didn’t cover, but I’ll share little bits as I go with photos I post of people’s outfits. So be sure to watch as I share them all with you! I’m glad I decided to go to EDC, sometimes the last minute decisions are worth it!
All photos were taken by @FestFashions
