Jacki here:
Hello and welcome to my latest guest blog. This one comes from Amanda, who I work with at EngErotics (who just so happens to be celebrating our 10th birthday…. go treat yourself with one of our treats!). Amanda is our resident sexologist and CBD researcher, who also happens to just simply be a cool human.
That coolness factor skyrocketed when she passionately told us about her adventures at EDC before a meeting. The way her face lit up and how in love with this experience she was… I knew I had to know more. And so I asked her to write a guest blog!
Here it is!
Electric Daisy Carnival – what people may have heard as EDC – is held every year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That’s right! The same place that typically holds NASCAR races gets transformed into a neon wonderland to host over 200 artists and half a million people of all ages.
It’s a rave. It’s also a carnival. It’s the largest music festival in all of North America. And it is, by far, the one event that I look forward to every year.
I plan my outfits months in advance (pink is typically involved). I think about which trinkets I want to hand out (this past year I gave out handwritten notes of affirmations) and make excessive amounts of kandi (typically while watching previous EDC sets on the TV). If you’re going in a group, it is common to bring a totem – this can be a flag, poster, or really anything on a pole that you can hold up in a crowd to allow your friends to find you easier. One of my absolute favorite parts about EDC is to see all of the creative and funny totems.
If you are wanting to go for your first time, I recommend that you prep for the experience – because it is a grind. On average, I will walk/run/dance at least 30,000 steps a day. It’s from dusk until dawn – I typically don’t get home until after 8 am each day. And it’s a 3-day festival! There’s a reason why they say it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Tips for Attending EDC
- Get there a day or two before and stay a day or two after – you’ll hear many horror stories of people who will need to catch an 8 am flight Monday morning (meanwhile, the festival isn’t over until 8 am)
- Bring earplugs! Not only are they beneficial for your hearing, I truly didn’t understand how much I’d actually enjoy having them
- Stay hydrated – I recommend getting a hydropack. Even better, add in some electrolytes to your water.
- Eat before you go – but also try to eat while you’re there.
- Wear comfy shoes!!!! Comfort > style when it comes to walking over 30k steps a day for 3 days straight
- Be flexible with your schedule – there may be time conflicts with set times, bathroom lines will take longer than expected, meanwhile, you have to try to get around half a million other people to get to wherever you want to go
- Bring trinkets and Kandi to trade
- Have fun and enjoy every single second. Because if you’re like me, you’ll be missing it every day after it’s over
If it sounds like a lot – it’s because it is. But once you’re there, you see all the lights and lasers, you hear upbeat music that makes you want to smile and dance, and in that moment, you forget about your regular life that exists outside of the magical space that you’ve found yourself in.
Favorite artists I’ve seen at EDC
- Troyboi (2024)
- Disco Lines (2026)
- Hannah Laing (2024)
- Mau P (2024)
- Biscits (2025)
You meet the most amazing people while there. Many will ask to trade with you, and they will happily teach you the PLUR handshake if you’re unaware. Even during my first year at EDC, I felt safe and supported surrounded by the nicest and most caring strangers.
Trinkets I have received in previous years:
- Kandi
- Sprouts
- Rubber ducks
- Stickers
- A working vibrator
- Tiny figurines (dinosaurs, sharks, axolotl)
- A Troll doll
Of course, since it’s a rave, there are people who partake in various party favors. But honestly, there is already so much stimulation with the music, the lasers, the fireworks (literally the largest fireworks show I’ve ever seen in my LIFE) – that you can have the best time without any substances (besides water and food – do not forget to eat and stay hydrated!!!).
2027 will be the first year that EDC becomes a two-weekend event – and I’ve been ready to go back ever since I left.
It’s me, Jacki. I’m back and might be ready for a trip to EDC myself? IDK, maybe with an experienced guide like Amanda, it wouldn’t be too overwhelming for my brain.
If you like Amanda’s writing style, check out the EngErotics blog… she writes all of ’em. Every month when I upload and add the pics and make ’em all look fancy, I learn so much. Amanda is incredible at research and presenting facts without drama or pesky emotion getting in the way. She makes complicated information feel accessible.
More than anything, the passion with which she writes is obvious and a big part of why I think it is so easy to learn from her. I love knowing people like Amanda and, even better, sharing people like Amanda with y’all!
Would you like to write a guest blog for me? Send me an email with your idea to jacki at valleyofoh dot com.
kthxbai
