This document provides an overview of the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) music festival. It discusses the origins of EDC Orlando in 2011 and describes the unique elements that make up the festival experience, including elaborate costumes, interactive art installations, theatrical performers, and an extensive lineup of electronic music artists. The summary emphasizes that EDC aims to create an environment for self-expression and celebration through music, art, and community.
2. This is the place where our spirits run free, a boundless playground filled with music, adventure,
art, excitement and love. As the vivid colors of the afternoon give way to the night’s neon
dreamscapes, our collective imaginations come alive as we all gather together as one. Journey
with us through a world of super blooming beats and funkdafied freaks.
This is the Electric Daisy Carnival. This is home.
Since 2011, Insomniac has transformed the historic Tinker Field into a whimsical environment
complete with carnival rides, interactive art installations, and breathtaking stages of intense
music. Get ready for two days of magic, Headliners.
ELECTRIC
DAISY
CARNIVAL
The Carnival is back in town! From the stages and the sound to the pyrotechnics and the
performers, there are so many unique elements that go into creating an Insomniac event; but the
most important one is you—our Headliners.
Our goal is to create an environment where you can celebrate life, love, art and music, and be the
truest version of yourself. We encourage you to spread good vibes and connect to your fellow
Headliners by sharing stories, exchanging hugs and giving high-fives. Positive energy is the
core of our amazing community.
Dance, dream and have the time of your life. None of this would be possible without you.
Table of Contents
Music ________________________________________ p 2-3
Costumes ____________________________________ p 4-5
Art ____________________________________________ p 6-7
Performers ___________________________________p 8-9
Adieu _________________________________________ p 10
3. 2
Nestled in the heart of the sunshine state, the
birthplace of Disney World, and other world famous
theme parks is Orlando, Florida. Titled as the Theme
Park Capital of The World and nicknamed “The
City Beautiful”; this metropolis has grown to be
the most populous inland city in Florida and home
to the largest college student body in the world at
the University of Central Florida. At some point in
EDM’s explosion in popularity , Insomniac founder
Pasquale Rotella saw massive potential to throw
one hell of a party in Florida’s City Beautiful, praising
the thriving rave scene that has unarguably been
overlooked due to neighboring Miami’s legendary
and long history as an electronic music hub of the
world. So in 2011, Insomniac threw its first Orlando
edition of Electric Daisy Carnival and it’s been one
amazing ride ever since.
If it’s one thing electronic music does that all
seasoned listeners and fans can agree on, it’s
change before you get too comfortable with the
fresh new thing. In 2011 we saw Dutch house
thrive, festivals weren’t being streamed on YouTube
and MTV yet, Tiesto was still playing trance, Afrojack
shepherded many EDM newcomers with his mega
hit “Take Over Control”, and basic EDM dabblers
were still asking how one dances to dubstep. It
was on this monstrous year that Rotella decided to
try out his party celebrating peace, love, unity, and
respect in the Floridian city.
The Orlando festival’s first year brought
nothing short of heavyweight headliners with huge
names like Paul Van Dyk, Diplo, and Benny Benassi,
but that’s not to say the event wasn’t featuring the
hottest of fresh blood as well. Contributing their
unique and nowhere near as popular (at the time)
sounds were English producer Feed Me, then-
electro boy wonder Porter Robinson, and that one
lead singer from From First To Last calling himself
Music
4. 3
Skrillex. The weekend went off without a hitch
seeing 31,000 attendees Friday and over 40,000
Saturday, signifying something truly special had just
begin in the Central Florida city. Every year EDC
Orlando sees a key set of names that can headline
any given electronic music festival and for 2014 we
can expect nothing less and so much more.
This year attendees of EDC Orlando will
be treated to not only Insomniac’s epic Kinetic
Cathedral structure that we saw at the flagship
Las Vegas event, but yet another quality two day
lineup that features top DJ’s, newly rising icons, and
lesser, but still immensely loved, acts Not seen on
many festival circuits this year, Orlando is receiving
Hall of Fame status producers like Green Velvet,
Harvard Bass, and the insanely wild and fun Sir Bob
Cornelius Rifo (The Bloody Beetroots). Potential
future festival headliners like the creator of buzz,
3LAU, future house trailblazer Oliver Heldens and
the very talented Myon & Shane 54 will also grace
the decks underneath that Florida sunshine. And
of course a strong mix of DJ’s you seem to can’t
stop reading music blog articles about from Cake
throwing pop-star Steve Aoki, to everyone’s favorite
Group Therapy Session leaders, Above & Beyond.
EDC Orlando in its senior year of existence is
definitely far from over and surely here to stay.
EDC Orlando 2014 featured an extensive lineup
including: Steve Aoki, Above & Beyond, Alesia,
3LAU, Alesso, Aly & Fila, Amine Edge & Dance,
Andrew Rayel, Arctic Moon, Arty, Baumer, Brillz,
Cedric Gervais, Claude VonStroke, Cosmic Gate,
Dash Berlin, Datsik, Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus,
Green Velvet, Harvard Bass, HeadHunterz, Henry
Fong, Knife Party, Max Vangelli, Moti, Must Die!,
Protohype, Rebecca & Fiona, Richy, Route 94,
ShowTek, Steve Angello, Sunnery James & Ryan
Marciano, Thomas Gold, Tritional Umek and others.
Music
5. 4
Tens of thousands of people attend Electric
Daisy Carnival each year and everyone celebrates
its electric atmosphere through their unique &
festive outfits. Ravers that attend go all out when
dressing up for this weekend event. Many of them
make their own outfits and others buy online at the
many different websites offering custom pieces.
Here are some of the most famous rave clothing
stores that demonstrate how these one-of-a-kind
pieces are and how creative people can be when
creating them:
• http://www.electric-laundry.com/
• http://raveswear.com/
• http://iedm.com/
• https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLoveShackk
The pictures to the right are just examples of
a few of the highly decorated bras rave girls tend
to wear at these Electric Dance Music events. To
the common public these outfits may come off as
a little risqué but when at these festivals, there is
no judgement and everyone is welcome no matter
what you are wearing and no matter where you
come from. It is all about love under the Electric
Sky and that is why everyone gets dressed up.
Bras aren’t the only things that these ravers
decorate. The whole idea of rave costumes is to
be dressed as a theme, character, color, pattern,
or fantasy. So many people have more than
just a bra. It is very common for female
ravers to have decorated fanny packs,
sunglasses, flower crowns, head
pieces, tutus, socks, shoes,
so pretty much everything
on their person is
glammed up to
match their
outfits!
Costumes
6. 5
Themed group costumes are some of the
most exciting costumes to see at the festivals
because it takes a lot of effort and time to plan
and create costumes for a whole group of people.
Especially if they all need to match or demonstrate
a specific theme or group of characters. For
example, toward the bottom of this page are two
pictures that resemble different group costumes.
The one on the left is a picture of two girls that
are dressed as Indians ; the picture at the bottom
of this page is 3 guys dressed up as Waldo from
‘Where’s Waldo” kids books. As you can probably
tell, people usually dress up to represent their
inner-self or culture, or even to be comically
entertaining to people at the event.
Rain or shine, you must be prepared!
There is no coat rack at these events and they do
not cancel if it rains (I know because this years
event poured & still the show went on). Therefore
your costume must also be prepared for whatever
the event has in store. People take weeks getting
their costume(s) ready for everything whether it is
heat, rain, dirt, smoke, etc. At the EDC store they
sell a variety of things such as shirts, sweatshirts,
sunglasses, and even ponchos. So if you weren’t
focused on what the weather may be like, EDC
has your back. EDC’s General Store isn’t the
only place to buy rave necessities, you can
also purchase light up gloves, pacifiers,
sunglasses, bracelets, hats, etc. All
available to give each Headliner
exactly what they need to
complete their overall look
and to make each
Headliner stand out.
Costumes
7. 6
It’s not all about the music . . . Yes, Electric
Daisy Carnival is centered around the electric dance
music, however that is not all there is to look for
at these types of festivals. During each set there
is plenty of full scale art installations to gaze upon.
EDC showcases some of the most innovative large-
scale art being designed today. From giant misting
daisies perched above the crowd to forests of light
and sound, the entire venue is transformed by these
unique areas built to feature theatrical performance,
special effects, fire displays, water works, and
illuminated art. All of these installations are vastly
created to be interactive with all of its viewers so
that no matter where you are standing you get a
piece of the story.
Like Macy’s Day Parade these huge pieces can
sometimes actually make their way to the main
stages! Some are actually made of lighter material
so that way volunteers at EDC can hold onto polls
and lift them in the air above the crowd (see photo
above), giving them a true vision of an electric sky.
Capture the audience is what EDC is all about
in every aspect. It is more than a concert, its a
creative event where hundreds of people plan to
make each individual Headliner experience the
best one yet. What makes these art pieces so
beautiful is the scale of them. None are built as
life-like, in fact all are highly exaggerated in some
area whether it be the lights, the color, fantasy-like
demonstrations, the texture, etc. Each piece is
made to draw in the viewer and add to the overall
EDC story / experience. The pieces change every
year, but some of the popular ones stay each year.
For example there is a huge stained glass tent that
you can walk through during the day while the sun
is out , and the colored glass creates this beautiful,
rainbow-like atmosphere inside that truly creates a
hippie vibe in this surreal enclosure.
Art
8. 7
I had a little Q & A with my friends about the art
at the event. Below are the results:
What was your favorite art installation?
Sarah: Mine were these butterfly bikes that the
performers rode around the festival in. They had
these huge exaggerated wings that came up over
the handles and behind who ever was ridings’ back
so you could see them stand out from halfway
across the different stages.
How much time do you think they spent?
Ashton: Oh, probably months depending on
which one. There was a metal snake that clearly
was made by some metal workers and to get it to
curl around must of taken A LOT of time. Then they
probably had to take it apart just to reassemble it at
the event. Then they took it one more step further
by making it completely light on fire so you can see
it from the Ferris Wheel.
What happens to the pieces after the
festival?
Krissy: I would assume it would need to be
fixed and cleaned from all the Orlando weather we
experienced this year. But after they probably get
taken apart and shipped to where the next Festival
will take place, not necessarily EDC but perhaps
Winter Wonderland or the other Insomniac tours.
Did you see any interactive art installations?
John: Yes! Well all were visually interactive for the
most part, but this is a electric dance festival so
what kind of place would it be if it didn’t have a light
up dance floor? They had about 25 of these circular
floor pads that lit up to the beat and would change
different colors once you stood, walked, or danced
on them. You could always find the best shufflers at
this installation because the floor lights up with you
and the music!
Art
9. 8
PerformersClowns, acrobats, stilters, contortionists,
magicians, dancers and more! The theatrical
performers at EDC are a huge part of what makes
it so special. We’re always on the lookout for
unique talent to add to our family. More than 500
performers are part of the EDC Performer Family.
“We get to be real-life cartoons, fantasy
warriors, and childhood toys. It’s like stepping
into someone’s dream and making it into
reality for them.” Says Jila Alaghamandan, the
Entertainment Director of Insomniac tours.
From light to night, Insomniac’s production
team has crafted and refined increasingly wild
themes and characters for Electric Daisy Carnival,
Nocturnal Wonderland and more, pushing
Pasquale Rotella’s vision of a rave new world to
Wonka-esque heights. Inhabitants include femme
bots, bumble bees, butterflies, lollipop girls,
clowns, rainbow cranes, toxic bunnies, dragon
knights, billowy dinosaurs, and even a giant stilt
puppet of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas author
Hunter S. Thompson. All these performers create
new modern fairy tales none of us could have ever
imagined.
As Insomniac performer Megan Faxel
explains, “When you work for an Insomniac show,
it’s not only about just dancing, it’s taking on a
role and creating an experience for your audience
they’ve never seen before.” A classically trained
ballerina, she gets butterflies in her stomach
just thinking about getting into character.
Her favorite role so far was playing an
aerialist Cyber Angel at White
Wonderland this past New
Year’s Eve, where she came
out of the ceiling right
when the clock
struck midnight.
10. 9
PerformersThis years event included many theatrical
performers including these girls dressed as colorful
clowns, pictured to the left. EDC also featured a
group of women dressed as the infamous Night
Owl which acts as the guide through the Electric
Forest (one is pictured to the bottom left). There
were also some Brass Monkey ladies, magicians,
aerialists, people walking on sticks, rave dancers,
etc.
Pasquale Rotella, the creator of EDC even
created an online TV series called “EDC Auditions“
featuring unique people from all over the world
with different skills ranging from pyrotechnics,
acrobatics, and magic. He goes bigger every
year and fills each event with hundreds of these
performers to make sure each Headliner gets a
crazy, unique experience year after year. His goal
is to create a visually dream-like experience which
tends to lead to a modern take on the Alice in
Wonderland movie; except in this story you follow
an Owl not a Rabbit.
Make it a point to meet some of these colorful
characters if you go to one of Insomniacs events.
They love to take pictures and play with fellow
headliners. Some may even have gifts for you!
Don’t be afraid to come out of your shell, in fact
Rotella wishes more people would let loose at his
events. These performers have normal jobs, but
once the EDC weekend rolls around they turn
into these amazing talented people who
aim to entertain all who attend. Don’t
take it seriously, just feel the music and
take in the atmosphere!
11. 10
To conclude, EDC is more than a dance music
concert. It lets all Headliners who attend dress
however they want, some more than others, and if
you don’t dress up. . . no one cares. EDC exudes
peace, love, unity, and respect which are the 4
cornerstones for its most popular term called PLUR.
Its also a handshake everyone does when trading
bracelets to one another. This crazy weekend
festival also has many art installations that you
would find roaming from one stage to the other.
Need food or water? EDC has many free water
stations where you can fill up your water backpacks
or water bottles. Then they have tens of food stands
where you can purchase many different selections
of food all on a preloaded RFID bracelet which you
can add any amount before the event or even at the
event at different Credit Card stations.
Need medical assistance? EDC is more than
happy to assist with any medical diseases you may
have or medicine you may need. They’ll even hold
it for you so you dont lose them or get them wet.
I went with someone who had Crohns Disease
and they gave her a wristband, offered her special
VIP bathrooms, and they even had a tent with
paramedics if anything were to happen.
Want more information? Visit the following links
to read more up on Electric Daisy Carnival
or other Insomniac events:
• www.insomniac.com
• www.edcorlando.com
• www.howtoedc.com
• www.electricdaisycarnival.com
• www.fest300.com
• www.facebook.com/electricdaisycarnival
• www.laweekly.com/2013-09-12/news/
pasquale- rotella-insomniac/
Adieu
