After making its first foray off American soil in London last July, Electric Daisy Carnival continued its international expansion March 15 and 16 with the inaugural EDC Mexico. The south-of-the-border version of the massively-popular EDM-fueled carnival took place over two days at a Mexico City speedway called the Autodromo Hernandez Rodriguez, and hosted close to 80,000 “headliners” (how EDC boss Pasquale Rotella affectionately refers to attendees). Avicii, Zeds Dead, Baauer, Steve Angello, Boys Noize, Showtek, Cajmere, Loco Dice, Cazzette, Krewella, Clockwork, Kaskade, Flux Pavilion, Digweed, Araabmuzik and more performed. Below are five differences between EDC Mexico and the Las Vegas festival.
1 – Ocesa, one of the biggest concert and event promoters in Mexico, co-hosted the show. EDC promoter Insomniac generally partners with local muscle anytime it's producing an event away from its Vegas and California home turf.
2 – Dos Equis made it more interesting. The prominent Mexican ale funded two of the three stages and a VIP area outfitted with a slide, ball pit and pillow pit. Remember, 18 year-olds can legally drink in Mexico, so the target demographic is larger. Giant inflatable spheres that bounced over the main stage crowd were branded with the brew's double-X logo. By the end of night two, the ball pit balls were sticky with beer—as Team EZ's go-go clowns discovered upon sliding in.
3 – EDC's Latin American cousin was all ages. While the flagship Sin City fest is 18-plus, Mexico didn't discriminate—even though an adult beverage paid its bills. The mascot performer piloting the illuminated EDC sign apparently posed for a photo with a baby. Let's hope the little guy had earplugs.
4 – Hours have always varied from venue to venue, with attendees at EDC Vegas raging on until five thirty in the morning. Mexico's gates were open from 2 pm to 2 am, a tamer curfew that still left plenty of time for the full EDC experience.
5 – Vegas dwarfs its satellite events. Mexico was two days instead of three, with three stages (four if you count the Mayan art car), five carnival rides, two large-scale art installations—a plot of giant glowing flowers and a Rabbit Hole—and a significantly smaller roving performer cast that still included clowns, daisies, dollies, ice cream girls, military brats, monkeys, inflatable dinosaurs, toxic bunnies and stilt bees.
This story originally appeared in Vegas Seven Magazine.
