
The Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organised by Insomniac. The festival originated in California, with the first Electric Daisy Carnival taking place in 1991 in Chino, California. Since then, the flagship event has moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and is held annually in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, EDC still maintains its roots in California, with past events held in Los Angeles and other locations within the state. The festival has grown significantly over the years, expanding to multiple days and attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year started | 1991 |
| Founder | Stephen Hauptfuhr |
| First location | Chino, California |
| Current location | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada |
| Organizer | Insomniac |
| Type of festival | Electronic dance music festival |
| Stages | 8 |
| Attendance in 2024 | 525,000 |
| Attendance in 2012 | 320,000 |
| Attendance in 2011 | 230,000 |
| Attendance in 2009 | 154,000 |
| Carnival rides | 18 |
| Ferris wheels | 4 |
| Staff | 5,000+ |
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What You'll Learn

The festival's history in California
The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is a globally renowned dance music festival. The festival began in 1997 as a warehouse party in Los Angeles, produced by Insomniac CEO and founder Pasquale Rotella. However, the festival's roots can be traced back to 1986 when Stephen Hauptfuhr started throwing underground parties. Hauptfuhr organised the first Electric Daisy Carnival in 1991 in Chino, California. The festival featured an outdoor carnival and attracted 3,000 to 3,500 people.
In 1995, Hauptfuhr made a deal with Philip Blaine, Pasquale's partner, to grant the use of the name Electric Daisy Carnival to Pasquale Rotella. In 1997, Insomniac debuted the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. The festival has since been held at various locations across California, including Lake Dolores Waterpark in Newberry Springs (1999), the International Agri-Center in Tulare (2000), and Hansen Dam in Southern California (2001).
In 2002, the Electric Daisy Carnival was held at Queen Mary Events Park in Long Beach, California. From 2003 to 2006, the festival was held at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. In 2007, the Electric Daisy Carnival returned to Los Angeles, taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park. The California event continued to be held in Los Angeles in 2008 and 2009, with the festival expanding to a two-day event in 2009.
In 2011, due to controversy surrounding the festival's previous residence in Los Angeles, the Electric Daisy Carnival moved its flagship event to Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite the move, the Electric Daisy Carnival has continued to hold events in California. For example, in 2018, the festival expanded to include an on-site camping experience in California.
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Expansion to other locations
The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is an electronic dance music festival organized by Insomniac. The festival began in 1997 as a warehouse party in Los Angeles and has since expanded to various locations in the United States and internationally.
In 2007, the Electric Daisy Carnival was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, and the following year, it was held at the same location on June 28. The event had approximately 55,000 attendees on Friday and 99,000 on Saturday. Due to the large attendance and growing popularity, EDC began to expand to other locations.
In 2008, the first EDC Colorado event took place on June 14 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in Aurora. That same year, EDC revealed plans to host a two-day festival in California, which took place in June. The following year, in 2009, EDC was held again in Los Angeles, and the Colorado event returned to Aurora on June 13. Additionally, the first EDC Puerto Rico was held in 2009 at the Arena Fairgrounds in San Juan.
As the festival continued to gain popularity, it expanded to even more locations. In 2011, the flagship festival moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, due to previous controversies surrounding its residence in Los Angeles. That year, EDC was held in multiple cities, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Colorado, and Dallas. However, the Dallas event was marred by extreme temperatures, resulting in hospitalizations and at least one death, making it the last EDC held in the city.
Since its inception, EDC has expanded globally, with events held in various countries, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, and India. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is now held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is the largest electronic dance music festival in North America. The festival has attracted a growing number of attendees, with 320,000 people in attendance in 2012 and a total of 525,000 over three days in 2024.
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The EDC experience
The Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organised by Insomniac. The festival began in 1997 as a warehouse party in Los Angeles, California, and has since grown into an internationally acclaimed live music experience.
Attendees of EDC can expect to be immersed in a world of colourful glow-in-the-dark environments, LED-lit flora and fauna, and three-dimensional superstructures. The festival also features interactive art installations, free-roaming carnival performers, and carnival rides. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is the largest electronic dance music festival in North America. It offers a variety of electronic music, including house, techno, drum and bass, and dubstep. The festival has eight stages, each catering to different genres of EDM, with the largest, Kinetic Field, accommodating up to 70,000 people.
In addition to the Las Vegas event, EDC has expanded to include other locations such as Orlando, New York, Colorado, Puerto Rico, the UK, Brazil, Japan, India, and its original location in California. The California event, held in 2008, took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park, attracting approximately 55,000 attendees on the first day and 99,000 on the second. EDC has continued to grow and evolve, with new features such as on-site camping and mobile app ticket purchasing, ensuring a unique and memorable experience for its diverse and dedicated community of fans.
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Attendance and popularity
The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is an annual electronic dance music festival organised by Insomniac. The flagship EDC event is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the festival has also been hosted in various cities across the United States and the world, including California.
The first-ever Electric Daisy Carnival rave was held in Pomona, California, in 1991. It was organised by SoCal promoters Stephen Hauptfuhr and Gary Richards. The rave continued in 1992, 1993, and 1995. In 1997, after two successful Nocturnal Wonderland events, Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival debuted at the 5,000-capacity Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. In 1999, it found a new home at Lake Dolores Waterpark in Newberry Springs, California, featuring four stages. In 2000, the festival moved to the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, attracting 24,000 attendees—an attendance record for a North American massive, according to Las Vegas Weekly. The following year, in 2001, the festival was held at Hansen Dam in Southern California and expanded to multiple stages.
In 2007, the Electric Daisy Carnival was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles' Exposition Park. The following year, the California event was held on June 28 at the same location, while the EDC Colorado event took place on June 14 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in Aurora. The 2008 Nocturnal Festival revealed plans to host a two-day festival in California on June 26-27, which saw approximately 55,000 attendees on Friday and a crowd of approximately 99,000 on Saturday. In 2009, EDC became a two-day event, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, using the entire southern half of Exposition Park.
Due to previous controversies surrounding EDC's former residence in Los Angeles, the flagship festival moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2011. The event attracted approximately 230,000 attendees over three days. Since its move to Las Vegas, the Electric Daisy Carnival has continued to grow in popularity, with an attendance increase of 30% in 2012, totalling 320,000 attendees. In 2024, the festival saw a total attendance of 525,000 people over three days, solidifying its position as the largest electronic dance festival in North America.
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DJs and performances
The Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival that features electronic dance producers and DJs. The festival incorporates a variety of electronic music, including house, techno, drum and bass, and dubstep.
The first Electric Daisy Carnival was held in 1991 in Chino, California, and it has since become a globally renowned dance music festival. In 2001, the festival expanded to multiple stages, and in 2007, it was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles' Exposition Park. In 2011, the flagship festival moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway since.
Over the years, EDC has featured many renowned DJs and performers. Some notable names include Infected Mushroom and Paul Van Dyk, who headlined the Colorado event in 2009. DJs Markus Schulz and Steve Aoki performed impromptu sets on the Insomniac Wide Awake art car when the second night of the 2011 festival had to shut down early due to high winds.
The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is the largest electronic dance music festival in North America, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees. The festival features eight stages, each catering to different genres of EDM, with the largest, Kinetic Field, accommodating up to 70,000 people.
In addition to the music, EDC offers a unique multi-sensory experience with three-dimensional superstructures, colourful glow-in-the-dark environments, LED-lit flora and fauna, interactive art installations, and carnival rides. The brand has created a passionate community of accepting fans who embrace the philosophy of unity, love, self-expression, and respect.
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Frequently asked questions
The Electric Daisy Carnival Festival (EDC) originated in California. The first EDC was held in Chino, California, in 1991.
The annual flagship EDC event is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, EDC events have been held in various other locations, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, the UK, Brazil, Japan, India, Colorado, and California.
In 2011, due to previous controversies regarding its residence in Los Angeles, the flagship EDC festival moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.









































