Two of the worlds largest music conventions happen to take place on two opposite ends of the United States- the east coast (Ultra Music Festival) and the west coast (Electric Daisy Carnival). Heres what our festival expert, Garrett Athans, has to say about both.
Top 3 Reasons why Ultra Music Festival beats Electric Daisy Carnival
#3 – The crowd.
I have never partied with nor seen that many good-looking people in my entire life, 165,000 to be exact. There really is not much more that has to be said about that; this weekend was simply packed filled with beautiful people.
#2 – Production Value.
Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, Vegas may have had the largest main stage to ever hit an electronic festival in the United States, but size does NOT always matter. Ultra’s light boards and motion lights may have been of the same caliber used in Vegas last summer, but the production and ingenuity of the technicians in Miami put their EDC counterparts to absolute shame. From the 25th floor of the apartment I stayed in this weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the main stage (in its entirety) technicians do their magic every night after the festival was over, preparing the stage for the next day’s headliner, testing out their different shapes and colors used during the live sets. The visuals this weekend were second to none the best that I have ever seen, and I absolutely CANNOT wait to see what the true professionals of the weekend have in store for next year.
1. Location.
Until last year’s festival Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, has always taken place at USC’s Coliseum, less than 5 minutes from the heart of downtown Los Angeles. But do to unfortunate circumstances between EDC’s production company, Insomniac, and the city of LA, it has since been forced to move to Las Vegas, Nevada, finding its new home at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It is not so much that Las Vegas is a bad host of a city, but rather Los Angeles is just a much better one. Las Vegas is not as welcoming nor comfortable feeling as Los Angeles; the crowd is much more international in Las Vegas, receiving attendees from all corners of the globe- you truly saw every walk of life in Vegas this summer. It may be simply that I am from LA, but the trek to Las Vegas, incorporated with the location of the speedway itself- a 45 minute drive from the Vegas strip alone, is such an overwhelming hassle when in the past I could wake up from the comfort of my own bed and drove myself 45 minutes to downtown LA from the Orange County.
Ultra’s prime time location in the heart on downtown Miami, not five blocks from where the Miami Heat play, reminded me too much of what it felt like to be in the heart of LA listening to some of the world’s greatest deejays at EDC in 2010. Moreover, having a location not 100 feet from the beach meant the crowd was fortunate to be cooled by the nice ocean breeze in the extreme heat and humidity.
Top 3 Reasons why Electric Daisy Carnival beats Ultra Music Festival
#3 – The hours.
EDC Vegas last summer ran from 8pm – 6 am every night. To watch the sun rise in the indescribable desert sky as such incredible artists as Sander Van Doorn, Nicky Romero or MSTRKRFT (as I saw) are playing was amazing, truly. Kaskade may have the sunset for his Ultra set, but these three definitely had the first sunrise.
#2 – It’s a carnival!
EDC is much more than simply a music festival, it’s a carnival, full of the typical rides you would find at a carnival- swings, mini-roller coasters, freefall drops and even a giant ferris wheel. Imagine watching Swedish House Mafia destroy a 200 by 400 yard dance floor with over 100,000 people dancing to the same beat while you are 150 feet above watching from the ferris wheel; incredible. Even the freefall drop was timed to the drops, being situated at the back of the dubstep stage.
#1 – FREE WATER.
Since Beyond Wonderland in late March of 2011, Insomniac has offered reusable Aluminum water bottles for their many festivals in an effort to cut down the attendee’s waste of cash also on plastic consumption. Pricing their water bottles a $4 a pop before this meant that one person could spend in excess of 20$ a night on water alone. Since then they have offered their signature Aluminum bottles at their merchandise stands at every and any festival they hold- they now even allow you to refill plastic water bottles that are purchased at their events at one of their refilling stations. In comparison to the $5 a bottle this weekend at Ultra and even more the $80 I spent on Friday alone to ensure my friends were set was unheard of. Insomniac definitely has this one covered.
