Electric Daisy Carnival 2013 due for Las Vegas

One of the biggest dance music events in the world, the three-day festival drew 320,000 revellers, many of them clad in equally cartoonish and revealing costumes, to the 1,000-acre complex last June 8 to 10.

The Electric Daisy Carnival will move later in the month next year in an attempt to reduce the possibility of gusting winds, which forced the cancellation of dozens of acts during the second night of the most recent EDC because of safety concerns.

"The winds do die down as you get later into June," says Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac Events, which puts on EDC. "We were trying to avoid the heat last time, but the winds are way more of a problem."

After being held in the Los Angeles area since 1997, the EDC debuted in Vegas on June 24-26, 2011, growing substantially in its second year here with close to 100,000 additional attendees.

That caused some serious traffic snarls, with gridlock in and out of the event in June, resulting in hourslong waits.

In an attempt to alleviate such issues in 2013, EDC organizers are planning a newly dedicated route for fan and artist shuttle buses and taxis and added parking staff to help direct the flow of cars.

"We also have additional roads that are going to allow you to get to the speedway," Rotella says. "We got the green light to up our capacity because we did sell out last year, but right now, the event is going to be the size that it was last year, not any bigger, until we know that the access routes in and out are smooth."

Pre-sale tickets to EDC 2013 become available at noon Nov. 7, with prices ranging from $199 for a three-day general admission pass to $450 for V.I.P. tickets.

Tickets officially go on sale on Jan. 9, with pricing to be announced.

Rotella says the EDC staff has been focused on logistical matters up to this point, so no performers or production specifics have been announced.

"The fun stuff we’ve dabbled with," Rotella says, noting that offers have been made to various DJs and producers. "We know that we’re going to create a different experience. We want to stay innovative. What excites me about the size (of EDC) is that it does give us the freedom to do cool things. We can afford to."

At EDC 2012, the speedway grounds became a fantasia of light and sound, illuminated by a dozen massive, interactive art installation pieces, some of which spat flames high into the night air, and a theme park’s bounty of carnival rides.

More than 150 music acts played on a variety of stages, one shaped like a giant, gleaming knight, while 500 theatrical performers frolicked amongst the crowd.

EDC spilled out beyond the speedway as well, with a series of events at clubs on the Strip as well as the EDMbiz Conference at the Cosmopolitan.

Rotella says that the conference will return in 2013, and he hopes to put on an awards show for the dance music industry as part of future EDC festivities, creating a weeklong party.

"I want Vegas to be a destination for people worldwide for a week as an alternative to, like, Ibiza," he says, referencing the Spanish dance music hot spot.

To this end, Rotella lists another large dance music event on a weekend that would bookend EDC, more club shows and a downtown parade as potential EDC possibilities.

In recent years, Vegas has become a dance music capital, with superstar DJs performing here on a weekly basis in luxe, hi-watt settings.

This makes the city fertile ground for EDC, but at the same time, oversaturated with talent.

So what makes the Electric Daisy Carnival unique?

Rotella fields that question with the relish of an infielder wrapping his glove around a lazy pop fly.

"A whole culture comes to town," he says. "People feed off on one another, and the city feeds off the energy that’s here.

"It’s explosive. It’s dance music’s New Year’s Eve."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@review journal.com or 702-383-0476.