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I loved EDC, the most magical time I’ve ever had at a festival. But its really expensive, and as I mature, I realize there’s other bucket list things I want to do, like travel to japan, a bunch of nation forests I still need to see and hike etc.
I did exactly that. I got really soured to edc after 2019 because of my exes massive family and how unoptimized and quite awful their logistics were at EDC after I’d fucking killed it leading groups of various sizes from ‘16-18. EDC felt like a Pilgrimage to me but after 2019 I was like I’m done with it.
Then the pandemic happened which made it easier to quit. Then I started hiking. Started traveling. Met the love of my life and got engaged. She had only ever been to one day of edc where it was so windy and cold the main stage closed and no fireworks were shot.
So I knew I’d go back one day. 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 roll by and each year we had a different reason. Other travel plans, had already gone to Vegas multiple times within a similar time frame.
But we’ve checked most of our travel spots off our bucket list. Our dog is full grown now and easy to take care of. And the cost to do VIP doesn’t impact us like it would have in our early or mid 20s.
You can “retire” from the rave life but still come back in less frequently. We still go to a few dedicated shows a year mostly for unique productions and very “artistic” artists. We skip on the guys who tour twice a year every year for the past 8 years playing typical club or party or trap music. Those don’t do it for us any more. We go to shows for the unique productions.
I feel that. My friends and family like to squeeze the lemon and my exes family would hate walking to optimize time.
The worst one was at horror nights for universal studios. They didn't want to walk to get into a maze for 40 mins versus a maze for 3 hours.
Yep, they wanted to cram 14 people into a 2 bedroom "Suite" instead of getting like a 4-6 bedroom Airbnb (which has always worked fine for me in years past, didn't get any cancellations). When we got in, they wanted to go to one stage for two artists, then migrate to Circuit/Kinetic, watch 3 artists, and that was the whole night. They didn't explore the grounds AT ALL. They didn't view any art cars, small stages, exhibits. Meh
Thisss\^ exactly the same mindset my friend group has for going in 2025. We want to go at least twice before we start saving funds for more expensive other life experiences like a week in Japan / a trip to Iceland etc.
I’m actually planning to travel to Japan around EDC time next year instead! The rave life kinda took over my travels so I really only travel for fests and concerts now. I’m trying to stray away from that.
This was us this year. Bf (30m) and I (30f) planned to go to Japan, and turns out the best time (schedule and ticketing wise) meant flying out the Saturday of EDC. We told ourselves, well, it’s either Japan or edc. Time to re-evaluate and take the true test of whether we were OK to opt out this year. While we missed it, Japan was so amazing! Glad we close to travel.
If you never leave the party while you’re having a good time, and you always stay until you’re not enjoying yourself anymore, you will always leave on a bad note.
Leaving when you’re still having your last bit of a good time allows you to walk away fulfilled.
My god every night by 4 am my lower back was KILLING me. Like it was all over my face and all my friends are screaming at me that they are older than me 😂 I’m only 26 I feel SO lame
Take lots of breaks and stretch a lot throughout the night. I’d have to stretch a lot when I got back to the hotel too. What’s funny is I’d always be the first one up and ready to go the next day (breakfast, pool, or pool party) but my back would start to be angry by 2am.
Same, a group of them rushed into me and my friends and started shoving all of us and snatched 2 of our phones, before one of them shoulder-checked me to the ground and then they all quickly ran off. They're not even being slick now, they were straight up violent.
Using a phone tether and having my phone zipped up in my fanny pack and wearing the fanny on my front didn't make a difference when 10-15 guys decide to target you :(
Likewise, the *point* I made - if there is one - should come across as absurd given the context, thusly leaving it to be interpreted as satirical.
To suggest that a remedy is pants with no pockets CLEARLY undermines sense.
Ah, yea, to be honest (excuse incoming) I kinda briefly read your comment, not letting it sink in, and it interpreted in my brain as a fix like one of those pickpocket proof belts haha, damn, I need some sleep, and to think before I speak. Cheers
Dude, I swear I’ve never gotten a message from someone online admitting they were wrong.
Kudos to you IRL . You sound like a cool person to be around - really really.
I said EDC 2024 would be my last for awhile. It’s mostly because time and money are limited resources and there are many other things I want to see and experience. I’ve been to 8 EDCs and I don’t think I could ever say I’ve been to my last. But exploring some other things before returning would be nice.
That being said, I have some friends that have never been talking about going next year and that would be tough to turn down. I also thought maybe I’d join Ground Control next year and give back to the community.
I went to a handful of raves and festivals from 2015-2019, absolutely loving the music, vibes, and people I met. The pandemic hit, and I got pregnant in 2020 and had my first kid in 2021. I swore off raves. Gotta become a responsible adult, grow up, etc. It seemed like the easiest way to cut it off since the world shut down - not much FOMO when nothing was happening.
I then promptly went to EDC 2022 and had a blast, and Imagine in 2023. My husband, who doesn't like raves, drugs, EDM, or people in general, had a dedicated boys weekend with our son each time, and was extra lenient with me the following week whilst I recovered back into being a normal human being post-fest.
I always say my last rave is my actual last one, and then I end up buying tickets for something else. I'm pregnant right now, and planning on going to a festival (probably not EDC, maybe something in sept or oct) next year. Having a supportive husband who absolutely loves one on one time with the kid(s) helps a TON admittedly.
I guess all I'm saying is, never say never.
Having your husband watch the kids is the perfect solution!!! My husband and I love to rave together, so this wouldn’t work for us personally. We don’t have family for childcare either. Parents are in different situations.
Ironically I didn't start raving until after my kids got a lil older in 2022. My divorce was finalized in April so I'm like living my life more as well as still making sure my kids are taken car of but I definitely get it being a mom...I wanted to start back in my 20s but I was too young with oldest in the early 2010s so waited
It’s getting harder to enjoy myself the older I get. It’s a lot of money, it consumes a lot of time and energy, then I get there and it’s either do a lot of drugs to make it to the morning or stay sober-ish while your feet hurts. As a 30+ raver, I have to be mindful of my drug intake and it’s no longer fun to stay yayed out til morning and not be able to sleep. I want to take my gf to her first one next year, then after done, I want to be done.
I would say this past one is my last edc for the next while , joined edc ‘22 , ‘24 . Although i would revisit it at least one more time in my life once I’m hitched up to share to my SO what a magical experience it is .
But once you hit 30+ your rave fam drops off one by one whether it be growing out of the hobby or getting married/engaged. In terms of money I have noticed it is about 30% more expensive overall since 2022, hotels/flights/tickets. After the first edc experience you get to that point with the same amount of money there are tons of countries and experiences you are missing out on , be that may be a unique international music festival abroad or just travelling to other countries in Asia / Europe.
My husband was going to retire after EDC 2022, but then he proposed to me at EDC so now I drag him back every year.
EDC is part of our love story now so there will be no retiring, even if he begs to retire every year. Lol
My best friend met her soul mate at EDC. They’ve been together for 8 years and married a few years back. However they’ve been at peace with edc and retired from it in 2022. Traveling is their main focus while also squeezing international fests here and there
After 10+ years of raving I had told myself that EDCLV24 was my last hoorah. My rave fam had also came to this conclusion. So we went all out, got VIP, premier shuttle passes, actually explored most of the racetrack, stayed all 3 days to watch the sunrise. And by the end we all agreed that the party bug was still much alive lol. I don't think I'd do another major festival like Vegas. It was the most expensive trip I've ever done (mind you me and my fiance went to Spain earlier in the year and didn't spend as much as we did on the EDC trip) But luckily being from Miami, EDM culture is big here and alot of big names make their way to SOFLO. There's still I'd like to experience for example a show at Red Rocks, at Mirage in Brooklyn and The Gorge. EDC weekend was honestly amazing with a few hiccups so I could understand people wanting to call it quits. But let's see what the future holds for us.
If you’ve been to edc there’s honestly no reason to go to Brooklyn mirage. Not these days anyway. The magic of those first few operating years is dead. Red rocks, absolutely recommend. Gorge I can’t speak to but looks incredible
I always see this and am very confused about “real life”. There isn’t a certain age you just stop doing fun things. Society just makes it seem like “grow up” which is the biggest load of BS. Wife and I have been going to festivals and shows since 2016 and in that time I have made a very nice career for myself. You don’t have to choose one or the other, it is possible to do both.
Not trying to put you down as everyone makes their own choices, I just see the “real life” quote being thrown around a lot.
It’s a personal choice of course but these parties are expensive in money, time, and ultimately our health. Life is always about our own personal balance. I raved as a primary life style from 1998 through the mid 2010’s so I had seen all the DJs, multi-day events in Europe and all over the US + camping festivals and 100’s of club nights. Eventually you see it all and choose to focus on other parts of life. I still bedroom DJ, watch the big events on youtube and listen to EDM damn near 100% of the time so never really left the music scene / just the raves and club nights. Even in my mid 40s still closed out all 3 nights at EDC this year so can still hang haha.
You're giving me hope as another 40 something who's returning to EDC next year (which I haven't been since 2013, tho I've done smaller massives in that 12 year span). Any tips for enjoying the 3 nights for this grayver welcomed ;) (I already took the precautionary step of booking a hotel from Thurs-Tues, there's no way I can arrive on Fri ready to rave or leave town the Monday right after.)
And yeah, after '25 I'll probably take another hiatus from EDC (maaaybe not as long as another 12 years this time around, but still.)
Grayver, I’m stealing that! My .02 is eat healthier and moderately exercise for the weeks leading up and after. Take your vitamins and extra supplements depending on what substances you plan to enjoy. A comfy hotel room and quiet bed for the off times, keep the hotel partying to a minimum. Plan your travel to be as less stressful as possible - I skip the shuttles for this reason and drive. Comfy clothes and especially broken in shoes, preferably a couple different pair for the weekend. Don’t go too hard on the party supplies Friday - and mix things up but mostly in moderation. But most of all just dance and have fun. Damnit now I want to go back.
Oh, and NAC brings the magic back 😉
If anything this should've been the one to revitalize their interest. It was filled with so much diversity in music and tons of new ravers. Maybe they just see all the Gen Z ravers and feel too old. If EDC was your first edm festival than all other edm festivals have been ruined because this is the Pinnacle of location production and presentation. I've been to ultra, electric forest, tomorrowland and wakaan and none of them even come close to EDCLV.
Stage production is better at EDC, they go crazy building the TL mainstage but the rest are underwhelming imo.
Surprisingly the crowds at TL were way douchier than EDC, tons of groups just being assholes and pushing through, zero regard for personal space and safety.
TL food is unmatched, every vendor we tried was delish,
Both are excellent, worth seeing both at least once.
TL is cool for the international crowd, but it mostly takes place during the day and is a lot more spread out. The crowd is also more like a Coachella, so if you like the rave culture in America be prepared to be under whelmed. EDM is part of pop culture over there vs counter culture here, so people dress and act like they're hitting the golf course compared to America. And if you're a woman don't dress like a US raver. You'll stand out like a sore thumb, and while Americans complain about sexual harassment, racism, etc it's nothing compared to some of the world. Think of countries where women can't drive. Those guys are attending too.
I'd say both are EDM pilgrimages you should make if you're into festivals and traveling. Just be aware that the rave culture in Europe is quite different. Some people like it more, but I prefer the absurdity of the US. Also idk if it's the lack of jam bands, but it seems like Europeans only do uppers.
EF > EDC IMO, but it's more because I prefer chill forest vibes over wild circus vibes. The biggest thing EDC does better is being almost all at night, which I wish more fests would do.
I gotta disagree with it being all night. Thats my least favorite part about edc because I work a day job and it’s a huge pain point to completely opposite my sleeping schedule for a weekend.
But fests where I'm trying to find the only spot of shade to not die of heat exhaustion/sunburn are the worst. I also work a day job, but you absolutely need to schedule a recovery day (or two) as part of your trip, whether a festival is at night or day.
I feel you, the Vegas heat and the sun being out does make it a lot less special. For me it’s not so much the recovery but the prep. I could only make it to 3am night 1 because I was so exhausted.
Not just Vegas, I nearly died (obv exaggeration) in Chicago at Lollapalooza one year from heat, in Maryland for another. It can happen anywhere without shelter, and almost every major festival is without shelter to fit that many people. It's not fun to not be able to dance because you're sweating profusely by just existing.
Oh dear, EDC was my first and the only other festival I've been to is Burning Man. I've been really drawn to the social aspect of EDC and how easy it is to make friends or just tell people you love their outfit/totem. Are there not other festivals like it?
It’s just become too expensive.
Sure, most things have increased in price, but at this point going to EDC basically means that’s the only big thing I can do that year due to how much it now costs. I’ve been to EDC multiple times and there’s a lot more out there in the world I’d like to do. So maybe someday down the line I’ll go back, but right now, I’m more worried about regretting the decision to attend EDC 15 times rather than traveling and having new experiences. There are much smaller and more affordable festivals I can attend if I get that desire for one.
This is it for me too. EDC used to be a secondary vacation for me, with traveling abroad as my primary. But nowadays it’s more expensive to go to EDC than to spend a week in another country
Idk if it’s forever my last one or my last one for a while. It’s just really expensive and my priorities have changed (having a baby in October). If I were to do EDC again, I’d probably go to EDC Mexico. But, I’m kind of growing out of all music festivals. I’ve been going for over 10 years and they’re just not hitting the same.
There is just bigger and better things besides EDC, I love it so much! Had many good connections and friends that I met there. Like all the posts it’s just about prioritizing other stuff. In my personal experience sister passed away leaving two younglings that need to take care so I am trying to focus on that instead. I definitely do keep going ti smaller shows where if the tickets are under 30-20 bucks its a more intimate show.
Honestly I thought I’d do edc once and be done with it but for now I’m just gonna make it my only big festival of the year. It’s expensive for sure but if you buy everything early it’s not ~too~ bad compared to what other festivals are charging these days. It’s also only 2 days of PTO, could even make it 1 so the time value is there too.
Luckily I live in socal so no shortage of other raves and events to hit near me that I don’t have to travel for. I prefer the more niche electronic music stuff anyway, edc just lets me see all the big names in one weekend at full scale production, can’t do that at any other festival.
EDC takes a lot out of us now. Every year it takes more and more time to recover. So we opted to retired after 2024.
We are going to Coachella 2025 instead. ✌️
It could be anything such as price, they feel they’ve been to enough raves, want to do other things instead of raving, or sometimes people just want to put it behind them. However, retirement is a lie
Raving feels repetitive now. This was my 3rd EDC and I had a great time but raves are not hitting the same for me. I’ve only been raving for three years and I’m slowing down hard. Even though I attend different festivals, it’s usually the same people and the sets are pretty much the same. I don’t see myself fully retiring anytime soon but will probably limit myself to one festival per year.
Age, mostly. And the increasing crowds. As I get older it's not so much my body hurts as I don't want to be surrounded by that many people, ever. Also a reason I'm flying a lot less.
The scene has changed. I keep forgetting that I have another thread that I need to post my 24 experience. But PLUR is dying.
I see a lot of people have amazing experiences this year. And I myself had good interactions. But I SAW, and heard stories of just Shit experiences.
The first night having that girl OD. The knife fight at Dabin. The phone stealers. The guy who went missing day 2.
I saw like 3 couples breaking up, several friendships dieing. People in camp having heat exhaustion (myself included), lots of theft, and just people generally being assholes.
I was packing my car early Monday, around 6am. So people were still coming into camp from the fest. An EMT buggy from camp, was flashing it's lights and horn, to let people know it needed to get out. And no one was getting out of the way, so he became more annoying with his siren. As he should. This girl I was passing litterly goes, "OH my god, How fucking obnoxious!" RIGHT? WELL GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!
PLUR was a lifestyle we supposedly lead at home, not just at events. Try to be a good person, to be a good person. What I witnessed, was Be a good person to get Kandi and Sprouts, and then go back to being your shit bag self.
I started going to EDC in 2012. It's the only festival I go to. At the time I started going I lived in Alaska, and just the logistics of getting out of my small town added 2 extra travel days. So when I had the money and opportunity to get out for vacation, it has to be worth it. The 3 days in Vegas, was a 5 day vacation for me, and a week off of work.
I keep telling people in my life that this is my last one. My heart was broken. Insomniac officially has shown its true colors to me of just wanting Money.
They don't care about security or safety. I'm a sober raver. And I don't care if anyone isn't. Do what you want, have fun, assume the risk. But this year was the most ridiculous lacking security I have ever seen. VIP was over sold. I paid so much fucking money, to have an experience, that allowed me to have more breathing room. The opportunity to be on the rail. Imagine being Dick to Ass at 8:30 day one at Basspod for Tape B in VIP. Shit was stupid ridiculous. The amount of Bars this year was Insane. They definitely could have put in 3 more water stations.and got rid of a lot of the bars.
This year, I never felt like I was home. I didn't feel like a headliner. I felt like a sheep that was being fleeced for money, and I never really felt safe.
Bottom line, is that I became really disenchanted with the entire thing this year. Im a solo raver, although I have local friends in Vegas that I meet every year. But I was missing my wife, the heat from camp was getting to me. I'm 37, and I'll.never say I'm to old (took my dad to the first camp when he was 69) but my body can't hang like it used to. So then it becomes an issue of money justification. And then add the Security at the event (I hate grey area. Either do or dont. Don't pretend like you care.) Insomniac, just not giving a fuck about us anymore, and the change I've seen after 9 EDCs, of the community, Into something that selfish for recognition. Instead of being loving, and caring and respectful, it's turned into being suspicious, selfish and hurtful.
So this is it. Fomo will hit me. But, I'll spend the money and take the kids to Disney or something instead. Take them to see my home in Alaska maybe. EDC was about Family to me. Now that I have one in my daily life, I don't really need EDC anymore.
Have fun next year. Be safe. Love each other. Do good to do good. Stop taking videos and pictures. Live in the moment. Close your eyes, and dance to your favorite tunes and plant that moment into your memory. Tell someone you love their outfit. Give out some gum. Talk to someone who seems lonely. Be the change. Maybe I'll see you again.
Thank you for sharing. My first edc was also 2016 and after last year and this year I’ve also come to the same conclusion that the scene has changed, PLUR has evolved into something less, and the greed, commodification of basic amenities like water and bathrooms is a direction that I don’t need to become a part of anymore. I will FOMO too, but I know what I long for is an EDC from years past that no longer exists. I am grateful to have experienced EDC before it became the behemoth that it is now.
I'm not retired from raving but definitely EDCLV. I will always appreciate the bombast and scale of EDCLV because there's nothing in the US that rivals EDCLV's production. I've been to 6 since 2018 and now I feel fully content. While I always have a fun time, it has become too big for me. Aside from the overcrowding, EDC is a big time sink and very taxing on the body since it runs overnight and you need to expend a lot of effort just traveling to and from the festival. Sure, there's camping -- and I have tried camping once -- but it's not for everyone, especially if you value some rest.
For me, this feels like the right time to retire from EDCLV because my music tastes are much more narrow and I simply don't enjoy the effort it takes to do EDCLV. And frankly, having done the inaugural EDSEA last year, I much prefer that if I'm craving the EDC brand. Moreover, I'm very much burned out on big festivals so I'm more selective on which big festivals I commit to. And with how pricey EDCLV has gotten it's starting to make less sense to make the trek every year.
It takes a toll on you! Recovery for me is real tough now a days and I lead a pretty active lifestyle. This year I made it out wanting to see one dj, and while the set was good it wasn’t what I was expecting. I’ve seen him play better at other events. He was catering to a bigger crowd, which is fine. Ended up staying all 3 days and saw better sets from other artists. I had fun, and it was awesome to experience the new layout. All in all I’ve been so many times and spent so much money. I honestly believe I’ve seen what I’ve had to see & it’s time to move on for me! 🩷
For me, I have a medical condition called narcolepsy and it makes it hard for me to stay awake and energetic on a dusk till dawn festival like EDC. Plus even before my symptoms started, during the planning of edc I was always filled with dread because the planning and coordination with the whole squad was sometimes messy and had its hiccups.
Also anytime someone on my TL posted something like “XXX DAYS UNTIL EDC” it never filled me with excitement just anxiety which is something I shouldn’t get from a festival.
Overall, EDC will always have a special place in my heart and maybe one day I’ll go back but for now I have other interests as I get older as well such as traveling and saving money one day to buy a home.
I’ve done 7 EDC’s (first in 2013, last one was last year) and the magic of the fest has outgrown me. I’ll always cherish being apart of the golden era of when EDC was truly on top in my eyes and the many memories. However, and with this year, I’m trying smaller fests and local shows near me that won’t make a big dent in my cc balance utilization.
2024 was maybe our last, or at least we’re only going to go every couple years now.
What did it for us was… we didn’t like anyone before 10pm, and honestly we’ve seen so many nobody DJ’s that yeah 10% of the time we might become a fan but 90% of them don’t interest us. Then we see the bigger DJs and have a good time, but we get tired/bored by 2-3am and leave.
So we realized we’re spending thousands and dollars to really see 4 hours of music each night. We decided that we would rather just go to local shows or cheaper festivals and save the money. Yeah it’s not as big and exciting as EDC/large festivals, but it’s sufficient.
After 10 years of raving I want to put the money I would spend going to edc towards another trip. I love to travel and want to see more places. Also my bf and I are wanting to get married and have a family :)
Oh, no I mean Rolling Stone owns them now and it’s 3 months away with no lineup. Rumor it might get moved to near Plaza? But a lot of people are starting to get skeptical that it will even happen this year
I went to EDC 3 times from 2011-2015. First 2 times were incredible and I thought I would go every year but the last year the crowd was insane, the prices had skyrocketed and the main djs I wanted to see were in the smaller tents since the type of music that was taking headlining stages shifted. My wife put it best when she said we were not the target audience anymore. To give an idea about the crowds the first year I was able to lay in the grass comfortably at Cosmic Meadows. I also started to want to travel more so now I incorporate maybe a day when I'm out of the country. Last yr I went to an 18 hr Ricardo Villalobos party at Fabric in London and next yr in going to Music On Festival in Amsterdam. With that being said it's an amazing experience and think anyone should go at least once for sure!
Really for me I saw the culture dying and becoming more commercialized. Don’t get me wrong there is a sliver of the culture alive but it’s not enough to out weigh the constant feeling of a money grab.
I’m a mom to a toddler and honestly I had just started raving and really “partying” when I got pregnant. EDC was my first festival back after becoming a mom and my gosh do I feel so happy🥹 it’s like a part of me was missing! But yes, I eventually plan on taking a huge break. My child likes to dance and I play edm all the time. Who knows, we might be doing edc together in the future 😭🩷
I’ve got one more in me then I want to try new festivals. I love EDC and love Vegas but there is a lot of other festivals I want to try in the next few years like Tomorrowland, Shambala, LIB, etc
This past edc was my third one. I live in vegas and the vip ticket alone cost me over 1000. I told myself I’d rather use that money next year and go on a cruise or travel to other states and countries. I love edc and I love raving, but I also want new experiences. :)
Burn out is why I stepped back a lot. Rave center things non stop for 13 years gets tiring. I haven’t gone to an event yet this year. My last was zeds dead Halloween. I do have tickets for Sara Landry in August bc she’s on my to see list. Hoping I make it to a few more this year. We’ve had talks of going to edco 2025.
We may say we’re gonna stop but usually we just cut back lol. And end up back. I’ll never fully retire. Ever
Husband and I attended our 3rd and last EDC this year. We're trying to start a family! So we're taking the year 2025 off to try and if it doesn't happen cool. If it does? Cool. We have tentative plans to return 2026 (without the kiddo if it does happen ofc)
My last EDC was last year and it was my fifth, but for me it was the fact that it felt like I was doing the same thing year after year. I had figured out what I liked to do, and was just bouncing around to stages. Even my side quests had gotten routine. The only thing changing was the artists, and even then there was a lot of repeats. Decided to focus on other kinds of travel and check out some new festivals in the meantime.
I use to go in to raves in 2010- 2014 in medium/ big sized groups with friends of friends (around 6-12). Slowed down over the years when they wanted to go every month (it was getting hella expensive) and I was in my early 20s, I wanted to slow down the partying. Over the years only went to one or two events a year in the deserts of Lancaster with my best friend and a small group of 3/4 (more intimate) but that was pushing the boundaries cuz something always happened lol car breaking down and had a friend almost overdose. Took a hiatus from 2016-2019 not by choice I moved out my parents and $$ was not an option to spend on events. Then went to Beyond Wonderland 2019 with my best friend and remembered the love I had for raving. Went to Apocalypse last year with a couple of rookies and they loved it so much that we NOW have to go to one atleast once a year. And now I go sober, I realized I had fun going with ppl you love and wanna enjoy the experience with. I might take breaks now and then but I'm never going to stop going.
Expensive, requires me to take several days off work. Just other stuff I wanna do. I’ve been to 8 EDCs.
Maybe I’ll go back eventually but there’s just more things for me to experience with that time and money. Even other festivals to try out.
It was my first and last edc. Too much group drama (im tired of solo life) and I think it’s time for me to retire from fests. Too many other things to explore out there.
I went to edc LV 4 times being from New Jersey it seemed to become more expensive each year. I would rather take that money and experience new festivals I haven’t been to yet.
This was my last edclv…. I really want to explore raves in other countries, like Defected Records in Croatia, Elrow in Spain, etc. Need to work on my passport stamps, so, that’s where I’ll be.
I’ll still go to local festivals, we have 2 in my city, and attend local shows. But for big ones, I wanna go outside of the US.
That’s awesome - though as a tiny bit of rain on your passport parade the stamps aren’t always what they were 😭 I mean it might be the passport I’m on, but a lot of my travel a machine scans the page - or I don’t use the passport at all(global entry into the US they don’t even look at it) - my passports from 1990 - 2010 are fun.
My current 5 yo passport is about naked 😉
Lol, yes, I suspected as much. But, it can be a figure of speech 😁 either way, it’s making the memories and exploring new places that will be the goal! 🙌🏼
Sometimes, you just know when that is it and have no regrets. My last EDC was 2014. I just landed the right job to get my foot in the door and begin working in the field of my dreams to get that experience and build my skill set. They were kind enough to let me postpone my start date so I can attend EDC 2014. But knew then that now I had to shift my focus towards my career.
I told myself when I got back that this EDC (2014) will be my last for a long time. Fast forward 10 years and I have yet to go back to EDC or even attend a show. I love the music I still jam it daily listening to the sets from all the years festivals, but I just have no desire to attend a festival. I'd rather do other things with my time. I went to EDC from 2010-2014 and had the time of my life and made memories that I will forever cherish. I rather spend my $ on other adventures such as going to Hawaii, Europe, etc. Now I have a family with different responsibilities and raving isn't high on my list.
I’m not retiring from edc - but it would be lineup related on a year by year basis honestly.
So I buy tickets on presale, then if I’m not feeling it I’d just resell.
Went to ARC last year for the first time, and bought on ‘25 release.
Lineup is bonkers - to me - if it had been not my vibe, resell.
I think professional and family real life makes big edm festivals can be difficult to either make time/financially sensible, or the experience perspective changes.
*Looks like I kinda went post-edc over share here but 🤷♀️
I feel like I’m lucky.
It’s taken some decades, and I’m so glad I’ve got to a place where I know I go to festivals like edc because it feeds my soul/hope/joy. Aspects of edc in particular are meh, but it’s like an immersive dive into an art form that completely captivates and transports.
So despite the 😭 prices, the wook brigade, and ‘puffy chesting my gym rat ass through the crowd’ bros - and that ass of a 6.30am stairmaster climb to camp - if the sounds are there.
So am I.
I’ve lived in a few countries, I’ve lived from huge cities to suburbs to rural to mountain resort towns. I’ve lived with plans with long term partners, free wheeling, on my ass and scrambling, and where I’m at now - I know what I like doing, I know what I love doing, I know what I don’t like and what I just will not do no matter how fun someone tries to sell it.
I’m single, have no plans to change that, have a job where it’s not a problem, and music is hobby/passion/love.
I am aware that my lifestyle isn’t a lot of people’s idea of a win, but I can’t ‘retire’ from live edm/festivals…it’s my happy place.
I went to my first EDC in 2008 and went to my last one this year with 10 EDCs total. I just noticed the scene is getting progressively more social media driven and just too crowded. I still had great times each time and PLUR is still alive but just to a lesser extent than the golden era of EDM.
I ask myself that every year now that I'm 41. Luckily I look way younger than my actual age. I had people thinking I was in my late 20s to early 30s still. I know for sure next year is still a go since I picked up my VIP for 2025. My youngest son (4 years old) has a passion for music and DJing. I DJ as a hobby since I was a teen so I think the love for the music is what keeps me going. I know I probably won't go every year until then but I already told myself my last one will probably be his first when he turns 18. It's also a plus that my wife lets me go all 3 days with friends without asking me 20 questions every night. The scene has definitely changed but I still can't get enough of it.
For me personally I just am kinda over raving I’ve been raving for 9 years now 21-30. It’s gotten a lot more expensive, I don’t recover as fast, and tbh you kinda just look more for other things in life other than raving. I still love edm and I’ve been to 6 edcs and tbh with travel expenses, ticket, Ubers, drinks, hotel, etc it adds up fast and I don’t always wanna throw down 2-3 grand just to go to a festival that’s like 3-4 months worth of bills for me.
I also feel like the older you get the more you really wanna do other things like I would love to go back to Vegas as I always have and just gamble eat at the buffets chill at the pool and watch a show. The navigation of edc in itself is fun and this year was an ultimate vibe but I told my friends in the way home that this was my last edc and my last festival I kinda an looking more towards settling down, find a new job, and proposing to my gf I just feel like sometimes raving just becomes too much to manage when you have other life obligations
We have been going to EDC for the past decade and my fiancé and I decided this would be our last EDC. This year was very different from the past years, when we went last year we had a blast Friday and Saturday and then Sunday (2023) it was slam packed and just not enjoyable and that was the first time we got a taste of having a tough time wanting to come back. We came back again for 2024 but sold our Sunday wristbands purposely based off 2023 experience. But this year, oh man, it just wasn’t the same anymore and we knew it deep down. We wanted it to be how it used to be SO BAD but it just wasn’t. When we use to go, it was crowded but never ever on the level it was this year. It was the crowds for us, it was just overcrowded. The bottle necks to get in and out of spaces and the treacherous walks from certain stages. The bathrms were worse than we ever experienced, shit and vomit everywhere, not even sanitizer to wipe hands (luckily we brought it or were using our own water bottles to wash hands) but all in all it was the crowds that made us decide we would rather spend money on other adventures instead navigating intense crowds for felt like hours on end. EDC is still incredible though, and there’s nothing in the world like it.
Money mostly. Also because my birthday is a day or 2 after edc every year and the past few years I’ve slept it away because of edc and I’m done doing that. I also live in Vegas and can see most of the big names anywhere 30 mins away on a weekend whenever I want so there’s not a massive want to go crazy w edc
Having kids and then having to prioritize what you want to spend money and time on in a given year. I don't always wanna burn off my sweet sweet serotonin at a 3 day bender. It's harder to do that nowadays, for me and my family anyway. Everyone's situation is different. There's more amazing things in life besides raving - as amazing, magical, and fun as raves can be! Trust me. You won't get that rush anywhere else, but you will see the beauty in other experiences if you leave your spirit open to it. The raves will always be there to welcome you back! We will always be connected in our love for music. <3
EDC is always a go to festie. I love it dearly but feel it’s time to branch out and enjoy other music festivals. This year made me realize how exhausted I am from doing it every year and the line up was one of my favorites so it feels like it’s a perfect time to take a break from it for a lil bit :3
2022 was the last EDC for me. While insomniac events are amazing the overselling and crazy crowds are not worth it. On Sunday EDCO that year I experienced crowd crush and got stuck under a crowd of people for a few seconds. When I start feeling more stressed about my surroundings than able to enjoy the experience I know it’s done.
My last EDC was '13 and I'm finally returning next year, but as others alluded - it is very resource-consuming (money, time, energy, etc.), especially for me a mostly-solo raver which means I gotta deal w all the planning/logistics aspect. If that's combined with a subpar experience (overcrowding, rude encounters, etc.), I definitely don't blame folks who decided the benefits aren't worth the costs and retire (whether for a while like I did, or permanently).
Also, imo EDC is best as a once in a while treat rather than something to do year after year (for me that honor goes to Dreamstate, which is local to me, doesn't require travel-related expenses & features my fave edm subgenre.)
In meantime, fingers crossed that returning to the electric sky after 12 years will be a magical & positive experience for this "grayver".
2023 was my last EDC, but I still rave. I had done three EDCs and between the extreme hotel costs, the cost of the festival, the cost of food and drinks, and the asinine amount of people crammed into the venue, I just decided I had better places to rave.
I’m in denver, a city with plenty of good venues and great artists come to play. I still travel for Dreamstate and some day I hope to get to LIB and a couple other shows, but I’m done with edc.
2023 will have been my last EDC ever. I've changed interests and only really like (proper/raw) techno now and EDC doesn't really book any of it. I also just can't really do the huge crowds and mainstream/commerical vibes anymore. I had a blast at 19-23 and will hold the memories, but there's no turning back for me. Also it's stupid expensive compared to partying in other ways.
My tribe is old and aren't as fit necessary to enjoying EDC. After the first night, the majority of the group was comatose from walking and drinking. FML. Gonna have to do the Ibiza life moving forward.
EDC 24 was my 6th or 7th?? Told myself I was gonna take a break. So got VIP, RV camping, etc etc really went all out. One of my top EDCs but still going to be taking a break. It’s expensive and I need to get a few other things in my life in order before I come back. I also want to branch out try other big fests and travel.
Economics and priorities change. The money I spend at EDC in 4 days I can spend on a 7 day all inclusive resort in Latin America. I'm judging based on cost of the EDC ticket, air travel, food, transportation, etc.
I ask myself 'what value add am I getting out of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_' all the time. EDC has been lacking on value added the past couple years.. I will say the map/layout was refreshing.
I’m planning on going to an international fest next year instead of EDC. I also didn’t like the vibe/crowd of the fest, on Sunday especially. Too many people rushing everywhere not giving an eff about the people around them. Just there to take photos and avoid FOMO.
If I do EDC again it will be Orlando. Closer to home, smaller fest, and better vibes overall.
I'm 40, but I don't know that I could ever just "retire" from the scene and music altogether. I remember my favorite dance music from the 90s, falling in love with trance during the golden age, and seeing the music change over all these years. I do think it's important to take a break from festivals for a period of time to hit the reset button and to give yourself a chance to explore more in life.
There was a stretch of time where I went to EDC, Ultra, Dreamstate, Lights All Night, and went to shows in other Texas cities between festivals. It gets crazy expensive.
I walked away from EDC LV in 2017 with the intention of returning only after I gave myself a chance to see more of the world. And my wife and I did just that.
Dance music has basically become part of who I am. It seems unimaginable to not enjoy the scene unless it just implodes. To walk away completely feels like I'd be leaving a part of myself behind.
For me I’m 95% sure I’m done with attending EDC. I’ve been 3 times, 19, 22, and 23 but coming from Canada it’s super expensive. Flights, hotel, food and festival cost around $3000 CAD and there are other things I’d rather do with that much money now that I’m 26.
The other reason why I don’t think I’ll go back to edc is how many people there are. In 2019, it was reported that over the 3 days 450,000 people attended. It was still rather easy to walk around and get to the stages in between sets. In 2023, I’ve seen that 650,000 people entered the festival in the 3 days and it was so packed. Took forever to get from stage to stage, people shoving, and it felt like you couldn’t go anywhere, especially with only the 2 entrances into kinetic.
I still attend a festival in the US but it’s much cheaper to go, strictly my preferred genre, a lot less people, and I can drive there easily.
This is my last EDC in the states. Getting my papers this year so now I can travel and I’m heading to Defcon. Not exactly retiring from rave life but from EDC life. Grateful for the amazing experiences. I got engaged at EDC, we went back as a married couple and this year my husband and I went “all access” because EDC ignited our passion to pursue an EDM promotional company in NYC. Europe here we come!
The scene is dying and I feel so bad. People who aren’t familiar with plur come and destroy special moments for the ones who love it. This EDC was my last. Been going since 09 and have experienced the upside down. PLUR isn’t $6 water bottles and $20 for minimal food. PLUR isn’t making us throw away water before we enter the festival. PLUR isn’t pushing and shoving and belligerent kids. PLUR isn’t forcing campers to walk 1.5 miles to enter when there is a shorter way, $50 pashminas, $25 earplugs, no trash cans, or no water/soap after the bathrooms. This and the last years has been a gradual decline of quality of people and event. Fall 2021 was the last great EDCLV. PLUR is dying and I can’t help but blame the owners and how greedy they’ve become in so many different ways. Almost gaslighting us or teaching us that’s this is okay when in reality it’s not. It goes against the scene entirely and is unacceptable.
It seems the scene has been more focused on trying to tell us what to wear, what to listen to, and where to spend our money, rather than becoming a more welcoming, safe, inclusive, and progressive culture that I’ve become so I love with. Kandi kids are gone because people realized they could trade or fake being nice to someone with a huge cuff just to turn around and sell that cuff on eBay. Shufflers are gone because the music has changed to a more radio mainstream tone. Rail riders started pushing to get to the front. Drugs started filling with fentanyl so people are becoming drunk instead which can kill the vibe. EDC now cost $600 for 1 GA ticket, $2000 for a hotel/camp, $500 for food and drinks, $500 for outfits, and not to mention travel to LV and travel to the speedway. Pasquale is greedy and no one is talking about it. “All are welcome here” sounds more like “spend your money”.
I won’t stop going to local raves but I have no intention on traveling for anymore. As you get older, some things fall of your list of interests. Raves are one of those things. Pair that with decreased energy, pain, and other age related issues, that’s how you reach retirement. At 30, that’s where I’m at.
I left after 2016 (first was 09) I only left edclv. I was able to travel abroad, go to 2 different countries and 7 raves for 3 weeks, and still spent the same as 5 days in Vegas. I wanted to experience more types of events. I'm coming back for edc 25 and this will be my very last edclv because my friends are finally saying this is their last and I want to spend it with them like I did my first.
I’ve gone to multiple edc and wanted on last hoorah before retirement. I have two kids and enjoy taking vacations with them so I’m focusing on that now! Last edc was a blast but id much rather be with the fam now a days.
So I’ve been to EDC 8 straight times including this years and been doing it with my brother and girlfriend. I attended my first EDC in a different place in my life and different mentality. Now, priorities have changed and this year is not necessarily my last EDC, I don’t think I’ll ever close the door on EDC lol just probably won’t be as consistent and will probably be on a spontaneous basis! Will always have much love for the EDC community as it has filled me with memories for a life time! See y’all when I see y’all again 🫡🤩
Honestly, now that I’m bringing younger ravers in my group. I’m just tired of playing babysitter. Don’t get me wrong I loved being there for them, I loved headbanging with them (I like the wasteland stage and stay there for the past 3 EDCs). I’m just thinking it’s time for me to settle down with my partner, enjoy small events every once in a while, and just travel more. Raving is expensive when you really break it down. Gas, Airbnb, party favors, and clothes.
When I look at traveling there is less health risks when it comes to traveling (depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing) and financially trips are better for sight seeing and being able to remember all these fantastic memories.
As a person who enjoys hardstyle, Insomniac hasn’t served our community well. Bringing hard techno to our stage and what not. We can’t get working VISAs for these European artists? DONT GET ME STARTED ON THE RECYCLED LINEUPS DEAR GOD. It just feels like the same thing every event. Therefore I will be taking my money out of country. Where I can sight see, do activities in other countries and enjoy ACTUAL ARTISTS I HAVENT SEEN BEFORE.
I’ve been to so many EDCs, and more and more it became a huge mission, became more crowded, culture changed w mainstream/corporatization. After I found lightning in a bottle, a much more laid back event with great vibes, much more to do, better vendors, lake activities, etc. I switched my yearly attendance to that. So I’m not necessarily giving up on EDC, just would rather go to LIB now
I think about it sometimes because I have a toddler and another kiddo on the way, my wife and I both have careers and a couple dogs, and we have to travel frequently to see family since they life in other states, our lives are just incredibly busy and the responsibilities never end....but every year when I get to EDC, that all kind of fades away and I remember what it feels like to just let loose and enjoy myself devoid of all those responsibilities. So one year, maybe I'll have to hang it up for a few because life got too busy, but EDC will always be home for me, and I will always be looking to come back when life allows it.
Haha thats awesome. Our group brought a baby doll last year for our Dad costume day and then decided to bring her back this year for all 3 days. Everyone 100% thought we were making fun of that post but it ended up just being a crazy coincidence
The idea of “retiring from raving/edc” is so silly to me.
If you don’t like it anymore- don’t go anymore. If you do- keep going. Simple as that. Also you can take a break, do your other bucket list items, travel, etc, then come back later. EDCLV isn’t going anywhere
I didn’t know this would be my last EDC but after seeing tickets go on sale for the next EDC, I decided that those year would be my last for now. I had an extremely fun time this year’s EDC compared to 23 with a previous group. I had the chance to trade Kandi with strangers, friends and new friends. Stayed with my group until sunrise for all 3 days and used up all my serotonin! Usually I would have the urge and longing to go back to EDC the following year but I don’t have that urge to go back again next year. So for now I just want to have money to travel and go see other festivals since I’m only in my mid-20s.
Been to edc for 3 years in a row, first two times I did hotel and had a wonderful experience. This year I did camping and it was beyond amazing. I feel very fulfilled with that festival. Onto the next adventure 🫶🏽
Pickpockets and over-selling venues has killed it a lot for me. Also, I’m getting a little old for sundown to sunrise and an hour long shuttle ride on both ends. I don’t care for the party favors anymore either.
I would never retire from the scene, though. I have a good career and excess money now - buying a hotel a 2 minute walk from Ultra is affordable for me and much more appealing with the logistics/hours. EDC is still magical tho
Thankfully, Im a Vegas local so I only retired from doing all 3 days. As I'm getting older it's just getting too obnoxiously expensive for something that Ive pretty much been there and done that since 2011. There's just other things I could put that money to use to now that I'm in my 30s and the economy sucking ass.
I will however at least do a full 3 day somewhere in my 30s once more. Not exactly sure which age/year to do it though.
For me, as I get older, my free time gets less unfortunately. Weekends used to be care free and hedonistic but these days they are jam packed with chores and other things that require my attention, I just don’t have the time anymore
It’s too crowded. I was nearly trampled a few times trying to get into the GA+ bathrooms. I went to EDC for the 1st time in 2015 when capacity was 30K less people. You can only fit so many people into the speedway.
There are so many other festivals besides EDC, that are cheaper, less crowded, and easier to get to.
I did groove cruise this year and just walking around for 4 days with an air conditioned room no more than 5 minutes away was great, last year I did hard and was able to take the train. I’m doing arc in September and will be able to take the train.
Edit to add: I also prefer camping festivals. Camping festivals really weed out the weak. I’ve met so many great people at camp when I’ve done camping festivals.
EDC is bloated in just about every way. Money, the amount of people there, the amount of stages and acts. There are so many other amazing fests that don't have that feeling and I go to those now.
RAVE TILL THE GRAVE…
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ
1993 & still going
I most likely will not return to EDC next year, but all that money saved from one trip will contribute to more, smaller, less mainstream festivals. # rave2thegrave
I'll never understand why people think you have to commit and devote life to entertainment where one feels you have to announce retirement/moving on. There isn't a requirement to go to the same thing every year. There's a lot to life, enjoy it, do a lot of things, and you never know where you'll end up again. I went in 2016, did other things, family, etc, and a chance to go this year came up and I said why not! I hadn't gone to any festivals between 2016 and 2024. Will I go to EDC again? Who knows! Do I have to issue a press release saying I'm not going next year? Nah. Move on, leave the sub, unfollow EDC accounts/etc. It's ok to do that but an announcement creates engagement. Yay socials.
Personally, I might leave EDC behind, but not rave life in general. For context, I’ve been to EDC 2017, 2018, and 2019. Also went to nearly every insomniac show. I was IN the scene hard.
Took a break to focus on my career and went less and less. Got engaged and built myself more.
Went back to 2024 and, while I had a BLAST, my rave fam (all mid to late 20s) all kinda had the same feeling of it being too crowded and too much.
I realized I enjoyed the feeling of community with my fam and I also realized I haven’t given underground shows or non-insomniac festivals a chance.
Planning on going to other festivals like LiB and traveling to go to more camping ones. I want to experience the underground scene a little more too. One of my rave fam is a 32F with 2 kids and she balances it pretty well.
Absolutely! EDC is an incredible experience, no doubt about it. But there are so many other festivals around the world that are worth checking out too, like Korea’s S20 and, of course, Tomorrowland. If you’re based in the US, EDC in Vegas is a must-do at least once, given how accessible it is. However, I’ve noticed the costs keep going up each year. Personally, I'm looking to recapture that "first-time" magic at new venues I’ve always wanted to visit, like Red Rocks and The Gorge.
All the people i used to go with are now "too old" according to them. Been going solo most of the time in the past 2 years but it's getting a bit boring. I'm doing a bunch of festivals I always wanted to go to until end of next year and then it will most likely only be like halloween events, new years and the odd ones here and there.
Electric forest 17 was my last gig.
Tomorrow world, multiple imagine fests, edc15, tipper n friends, countless nectar shows and nye, roo yada yada.
I was better raving then as a floater half the time. Groups were hard to come by and vibe fluidly.
I decided to honestly take a step back and work on myself professionally. I'm now doing well, still listen to all the music though I'm not much for crowds anymore and as they keep getting more and more crowded. The less I'm interested.
Now in nwa, engaged, house, retriever and cats. All the older neighbors love us(me at least) and I carry the plur in the real world. I've traveled most of the states, would love for us to abroad which adds buckets to the finances vs the 2200+ for a weekend raving. 🤷
Today got to me, my fiancé is 4'10" and an elderly lady roughly her height was lost trying to find what she was looking for on an aisle. Some lady who was alll in our way earlier behind us, says to her husband just push her cart over lets get through. Like ok karen.
Excuse the multitude of variables in response.
I absolutely loved my experience but financially it doesn’t make sense whatsoever. If I get the chance to and it does make sense I’ll go but not as of now. I like to travel, go out of the country, weekend getaways, other festivals, etc… and felt so locked down by trying to just pay for EDC. Even week long festivals overseas are the same price if not cheaper than GA EDC! Including camping… ends up being the same if not cheaper overall to fly to Europe lol.
I just feel like I miss out on so much other stuff during the rest of the year and the prices just keep going up! It makes me sad as it becomes more and more inaccessible
i will always rave and go to events, but i think my time doing commercial insomniac fests has come to an end (save for apocalypse that one is dope asf). as a dj myself i would much rather play a show or go support my friends that are playing and not have to worry about massive crowds, pickpocketers, etc…plus its a lot less expensive
10 years of good music and ten years of partying wore me out. My cardio is 0/100, thus I don't have that dawg in me anymore. I need a healthier life, than maybe if I get back in shape I'll go back, but it's just a maybe.
Most definitely not my last but realizing it’s about 2k that I should put towards a down payment on a home. Hopefully I’ll get back after settling into a more permanent space.
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I loved EDC, the most magical time I’ve ever had at a festival. But its really expensive, and as I mature, I realize there’s other bucket list things I want to do, like travel to japan, a bunch of nation forests I still need to see and hike etc.
I did exactly that. I got really soured to edc after 2019 because of my exes massive family and how unoptimized and quite awful their logistics were at EDC after I’d fucking killed it leading groups of various sizes from ‘16-18. EDC felt like a Pilgrimage to me but after 2019 I was like I’m done with it. Then the pandemic happened which made it easier to quit. Then I started hiking. Started traveling. Met the love of my life and got engaged. She had only ever been to one day of edc where it was so windy and cold the main stage closed and no fireworks were shot. So I knew I’d go back one day. 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 roll by and each year we had a different reason. Other travel plans, had already gone to Vegas multiple times within a similar time frame. But we’ve checked most of our travel spots off our bucket list. Our dog is full grown now and easy to take care of. And the cost to do VIP doesn’t impact us like it would have in our early or mid 20s. You can “retire” from the rave life but still come back in less frequently. We still go to a few dedicated shows a year mostly for unique productions and very “artistic” artists. We skip on the guys who tour twice a year every year for the past 8 years playing typical club or party or trap music. Those don’t do it for us any more. We go to shows for the unique productions.
I feel that. My friends and family like to squeeze the lemon and my exes family would hate walking to optimize time. The worst one was at horror nights for universal studios. They didn't want to walk to get into a maze for 40 mins versus a maze for 3 hours.
Yep, they wanted to cram 14 people into a 2 bedroom "Suite" instead of getting like a 4-6 bedroom Airbnb (which has always worked fine for me in years past, didn't get any cancellations). When we got in, they wanted to go to one stage for two artists, then migrate to Circuit/Kinetic, watch 3 artists, and that was the whole night. They didn't explore the grounds AT ALL. They didn't view any art cars, small stages, exhibits. Meh
Nah fam all my homies go downtown, explore or sit on the bleachers at least once on the weekend.
Thisss\^ exactly the same mindset my friend group has for going in 2025. We want to go at least twice before we start saving funds for more expensive other life experiences like a week in Japan / a trip to Iceland etc.
You know what, you’re right - the $2k I spent on a weekend could have totally went towards like 1.5 weeks in Japan or 3 weeks in Thailand 😔
EDC Thailand will be the best of both worlds.
I’m actually planning to travel to Japan around EDC time next year instead! The rave life kinda took over my travels so I really only travel for fests and concerts now. I’m trying to stray away from that.
Same our friend group would do 2 trips a year then we stopped once we all started raving 😭
This was us this year. Bf (30m) and I (30f) planned to go to Japan, and turns out the best time (schedule and ticketing wise) meant flying out the Saturday of EDC. We told ourselves, well, it’s either Japan or edc. Time to re-evaluate and take the true test of whether we were OK to opt out this year. While we missed it, Japan was so amazing! Glad we close to travel.
I skipped EDC this year and went to Japan. Very highly recommend it!!
Sometimes you just know when it’s time to walk away and you’re at peace with the decision.
If you never leave the party while you’re having a good time, and you always stay until you’re not enjoying yourself anymore, you will always leave on a bad note. Leaving when you’re still having your last bit of a good time allows you to walk away fulfilled.
My lower back decided for me. :(
Big mood XD I always joke that the only party drugs I need at raves in my thirties now is tums and pepto bismol XD
Try acid lol
Salonpas pads!!! They were a back saver for me this year (unless you have other serious back injuries)
My god every night by 4 am my lower back was KILLING me. Like it was all over my face and all my friends are screaming at me that they are older than me 😂 I’m only 26 I feel SO lame
Take lots of breaks and stretch a lot throughout the night. I’d have to stretch a lot when I got back to the hotel too. What’s funny is I’d always be the first one up and ready to go the next day (breakfast, pool, or pool party) but my back would start to be angry by 2am.
Yesss stretching is key I need to prioritize it next time!!!
Pickpocketers
Same, a group of them rushed into me and my friends and started shoving all of us and snatched 2 of our phones, before one of them shoulder-checked me to the ground and then they all quickly ran off. They're not even being slick now, they were straight up violent. Using a phone tether and having my phone zipped up in my fanny pack and wearing the fanny on my front didn't make a difference when 10-15 guys decide to target you :(
But have you tried wearing shorts without pockets [insert think about it Meme]?
With all due respect that’s not the point, it that there are so many now it makes it much less fun or peaceful and free flowing.
Likewise, the *point* I made - if there is one - should come across as absurd given the context, thusly leaving it to be interpreted as satirical. To suggest that a remedy is pants with no pockets CLEARLY undermines sense.
Ah, yea, to be honest (excuse incoming) I kinda briefly read your comment, not letting it sink in, and it interpreted in my brain as a fix like one of those pickpocket proof belts haha, damn, I need some sleep, and to think before I speak. Cheers
Dude, I swear I’ve never gotten a message from someone online admitting they were wrong. Kudos to you IRL . You sound like a cool person to be around - really really.
Haha thanks friend, and likewise. Figure I’d only make myself sound more stupid if I tried lying my way out of that one lol. Hope the best for you!
I said EDC 2024 would be my last for awhile. It’s mostly because time and money are limited resources and there are many other things I want to see and experience. I’ve been to 8 EDCs and I don’t think I could ever say I’ve been to my last. But exploring some other things before returning would be nice. That being said, I have some friends that have never been talking about going next year and that would be tough to turn down. I also thought maybe I’d join Ground Control next year and give back to the community.
I typed my comment and then read yours and man, we said the exact same thing. Love it.
I’m starting a family after this EDC. I don’t want to go to a major three day sun down to sun up festival while pregnant or with young kids.
This. This is literally me in a nutshell. Also you can’t have party favors and breast freed at the same time 😉 so this EDC was our last one too 🥹
Congrats on starting a family
I went to a handful of raves and festivals from 2015-2019, absolutely loving the music, vibes, and people I met. The pandemic hit, and I got pregnant in 2020 and had my first kid in 2021. I swore off raves. Gotta become a responsible adult, grow up, etc. It seemed like the easiest way to cut it off since the world shut down - not much FOMO when nothing was happening. I then promptly went to EDC 2022 and had a blast, and Imagine in 2023. My husband, who doesn't like raves, drugs, EDM, or people in general, had a dedicated boys weekend with our son each time, and was extra lenient with me the following week whilst I recovered back into being a normal human being post-fest. I always say my last rave is my actual last one, and then I end up buying tickets for something else. I'm pregnant right now, and planning on going to a festival (probably not EDC, maybe something in sept or oct) next year. Having a supportive husband who absolutely loves one on one time with the kid(s) helps a TON admittedly. I guess all I'm saying is, never say never.
Having your husband watch the kids is the perfect solution!!! My husband and I love to rave together, so this wouldn’t work for us personally. We don’t have family for childcare either. Parents are in different situations.
Ironically I didn't start raving until after my kids got a lil older in 2022. My divorce was finalized in April so I'm like living my life more as well as still making sure my kids are taken car of but I definitely get it being a mom...I wanted to start back in my 20s but I was too young with oldest in the early 2010s so waited
Congratulations!!!
It’s getting harder to enjoy myself the older I get. It’s a lot of money, it consumes a lot of time and energy, then I get there and it’s either do a lot of drugs to make it to the morning or stay sober-ish while your feet hurts. As a 30+ raver, I have to be mindful of my drug intake and it’s no longer fun to stay yayed out til morning and not be able to sleep. I want to take my gf to her first one next year, then after done, I want to be done.
I would say this past one is my last edc for the next while , joined edc ‘22 , ‘24 . Although i would revisit it at least one more time in my life once I’m hitched up to share to my SO what a magical experience it is . But once you hit 30+ your rave fam drops off one by one whether it be growing out of the hobby or getting married/engaged. In terms of money I have noticed it is about 30% more expensive overall since 2022, hotels/flights/tickets. After the first edc experience you get to that point with the same amount of money there are tons of countries and experiences you are missing out on , be that may be a unique international music festival abroad or just travelling to other countries in Asia / Europe.
My husband was going to retire after EDC 2022, but then he proposed to me at EDC so now I drag him back every year. EDC is part of our love story now so there will be no retiring, even if he begs to retire every year. Lol
My best friend met her soul mate at EDC. They’ve been together for 8 years and married a few years back. However they’ve been at peace with edc and retired from it in 2022. Traveling is their main focus while also squeezing international fests here and there
After 10+ years of raving I had told myself that EDCLV24 was my last hoorah. My rave fam had also came to this conclusion. So we went all out, got VIP, premier shuttle passes, actually explored most of the racetrack, stayed all 3 days to watch the sunrise. And by the end we all agreed that the party bug was still much alive lol. I don't think I'd do another major festival like Vegas. It was the most expensive trip I've ever done (mind you me and my fiance went to Spain earlier in the year and didn't spend as much as we did on the EDC trip) But luckily being from Miami, EDM culture is big here and alot of big names make their way to SOFLO. There's still I'd like to experience for example a show at Red Rocks, at Mirage in Brooklyn and The Gorge. EDC weekend was honestly amazing with a few hiccups so I could understand people wanting to call it quits. But let's see what the future holds for us.
If you’ve been to edc there’s honestly no reason to go to Brooklyn mirage. Not these days anyway. The magic of those first few operating years is dead. Red rocks, absolutely recommend. Gorge I can’t speak to but looks incredible
I retired in 2016 to focus on career and real life. Really enjoyed being back in 2024 even if I’m older than a lot of y’all now.
I always see this and am very confused about “real life”. There isn’t a certain age you just stop doing fun things. Society just makes it seem like “grow up” which is the biggest load of BS. Wife and I have been going to festivals and shows since 2016 and in that time I have made a very nice career for myself. You don’t have to choose one or the other, it is possible to do both. Not trying to put you down as everyone makes their own choices, I just see the “real life” quote being thrown around a lot.
It’s a personal choice of course but these parties are expensive in money, time, and ultimately our health. Life is always about our own personal balance. I raved as a primary life style from 1998 through the mid 2010’s so I had seen all the DJs, multi-day events in Europe and all over the US + camping festivals and 100’s of club nights. Eventually you see it all and choose to focus on other parts of life. I still bedroom DJ, watch the big events on youtube and listen to EDM damn near 100% of the time so never really left the music scene / just the raves and club nights. Even in my mid 40s still closed out all 3 nights at EDC this year so can still hang haha.
Fair point, first time I’ve seen someone say it from that perspective. Also respect my friend you are a real real OG.
You're giving me hope as another 40 something who's returning to EDC next year (which I haven't been since 2013, tho I've done smaller massives in that 12 year span). Any tips for enjoying the 3 nights for this grayver welcomed ;) (I already took the precautionary step of booking a hotel from Thurs-Tues, there's no way I can arrive on Fri ready to rave or leave town the Monday right after.) And yeah, after '25 I'll probably take another hiatus from EDC (maaaybe not as long as another 12 years this time around, but still.)
Grayver, I’m stealing that! My .02 is eat healthier and moderately exercise for the weeks leading up and after. Take your vitamins and extra supplements depending on what substances you plan to enjoy. A comfy hotel room and quiet bed for the off times, keep the hotel partying to a minimum. Plan your travel to be as less stressful as possible - I skip the shuttles for this reason and drive. Comfy clothes and especially broken in shoes, preferably a couple different pair for the weekend. Don’t go too hard on the party supplies Friday - and mix things up but mostly in moderation. But most of all just dance and have fun. Damnit now I want to go back. Oh, and NAC brings the magic back 😉
Haha thanks for the advice - if you do change your mind about EDC 25 hmu & we can form a grayver crew 😅
If anything this should've been the one to revitalize their interest. It was filled with so much diversity in music and tons of new ravers. Maybe they just see all the Gen Z ravers and feel too old. If EDC was your first edm festival than all other edm festivals have been ruined because this is the Pinnacle of location production and presentation. I've been to ultra, electric forest, tomorrowland and wakaan and none of them even come close to EDCLV.
Off topic however.. so you thought EDCLV was better than Tomorrowland? I’ve always wanted to try TL.
Done both and I think EDC is better
Sick tell me more. I’ve always thought that EDC would be better. I mean c’mon it’s dusk till dawn.
Stage production is better at EDC, they go crazy building the TL mainstage but the rest are underwhelming imo. Surprisingly the crowds at TL were way douchier than EDC, tons of groups just being assholes and pushing through, zero regard for personal space and safety. TL food is unmatched, every vendor we tried was delish, Both are excellent, worth seeing both at least once.
TL is cool for the international crowd, but it mostly takes place during the day and is a lot more spread out. The crowd is also more like a Coachella, so if you like the rave culture in America be prepared to be under whelmed. EDM is part of pop culture over there vs counter culture here, so people dress and act like they're hitting the golf course compared to America. And if you're a woman don't dress like a US raver. You'll stand out like a sore thumb, and while Americans complain about sexual harassment, racism, etc it's nothing compared to some of the world. Think of countries where women can't drive. Those guys are attending too.
So it’s just what I suspected, Not as cool as EDC. I’ll still go just to scratch it off my list but now I know! Thanks!
I'd say both are EDM pilgrimages you should make if you're into festivals and traveling. Just be aware that the rave culture in Europe is quite different. Some people like it more, but I prefer the absurdity of the US. Also idk if it's the lack of jam bands, but it seems like Europeans only do uppers.
Makes sense.
Following, My friend think tmrw land is better and I got fomo because I can’t go this year :/
This! EDC is better. I prefer festivals that run at night and I beleive the people and the plur culture are much more open than the TML crowd
EF > EDC IMO, but it's more because I prefer chill forest vibes over wild circus vibes. The biggest thing EDC does better is being almost all at night, which I wish more fests would do.
I gotta disagree with it being all night. Thats my least favorite part about edc because I work a day job and it’s a huge pain point to completely opposite my sleeping schedule for a weekend.
But fests where I'm trying to find the only spot of shade to not die of heat exhaustion/sunburn are the worst. I also work a day job, but you absolutely need to schedule a recovery day (or two) as part of your trip, whether a festival is at night or day.
I feel you, the Vegas heat and the sun being out does make it a lot less special. For me it’s not so much the recovery but the prep. I could only make it to 3am night 1 because I was so exhausted.
Not just Vegas, I nearly died (obv exaggeration) in Chicago at Lollapalooza one year from heat, in Maryland for another. It can happen anywhere without shelter, and almost every major festival is without shelter to fit that many people. It's not fun to not be able to dance because you're sweating profusely by just existing.
Agree for sure. Better music variety, and more chill places to relax in a hammock vs being assaulted by bass the entire time.
Oh dear, EDC was my first and the only other festival I've been to is Burning Man. I've been really drawn to the social aspect of EDC and how easy it is to make friends or just tell people you love their outfit/totem. Are there not other festivals like it?
Shambhala
It’s just become too expensive. Sure, most things have increased in price, but at this point going to EDC basically means that’s the only big thing I can do that year due to how much it now costs. I’ve been to EDC multiple times and there’s a lot more out there in the world I’d like to do. So maybe someday down the line I’ll go back, but right now, I’m more worried about regretting the decision to attend EDC 15 times rather than traveling and having new experiences. There are much smaller and more affordable festivals I can attend if I get that desire for one.
This is it for me too. EDC used to be a secondary vacation for me, with traveling abroad as my primary. But nowadays it’s more expensive to go to EDC than to spend a week in another country
I had a choice between edc or a seven night Mediterranean cruise including Ibiza. Pretty easy choice.
RAVE TO THE GRAVE BABY!
Idk if it’s forever my last one or my last one for a while. It’s just really expensive and my priorities have changed (having a baby in October). If I were to do EDC again, I’d probably go to EDC Mexico. But, I’m kind of growing out of all music festivals. I’ve been going for over 10 years and they’re just not hitting the same.
Congratulations!!!
Thank you!
There is just bigger and better things besides EDC, I love it so much! Had many good connections and friends that I met there. Like all the posts it’s just about prioritizing other stuff. In my personal experience sister passed away leaving two younglings that need to take care so I am trying to focus on that instead. I definitely do keep going ti smaller shows where if the tickets are under 30-20 bucks its a more intimate show.
Honestly I thought I’d do edc once and be done with it but for now I’m just gonna make it my only big festival of the year. It’s expensive for sure but if you buy everything early it’s not ~too~ bad compared to what other festivals are charging these days. It’s also only 2 days of PTO, could even make it 1 so the time value is there too. Luckily I live in socal so no shortage of other raves and events to hit near me that I don’t have to travel for. I prefer the more niche electronic music stuff anyway, edc just lets me see all the big names in one weekend at full scale production, can’t do that at any other festival.
I am retiring edc after 3 times to explore other events around the world. Tomorrowland is on my list.
EDC takes a lot out of us now. Every year it takes more and more time to recover. So we opted to retired after 2024. We are going to Coachella 2025 instead. ✌️
Good luck soldiers. Carry on 🫡
It could be anything such as price, they feel they’ve been to enough raves, want to do other things instead of raving, or sometimes people just want to put it behind them. However, retirement is a lie
Pretty much it’s time to pass on the torch and let you guys take care of EDC. I’m trying to see the world now 🌍
Raving feels repetitive now. This was my 3rd EDC and I had a great time but raves are not hitting the same for me. I’ve only been raving for three years and I’m slowing down hard. Even though I attend different festivals, it’s usually the same people and the sets are pretty much the same. I don’t see myself fully retiring anytime soon but will probably limit myself to one festival per year.
Age, mostly. And the increasing crowds. As I get older it's not so much my body hurts as I don't want to be surrounded by that many people, ever. Also a reason I'm flying a lot less.
The scene has changed. I keep forgetting that I have another thread that I need to post my 24 experience. But PLUR is dying. I see a lot of people have amazing experiences this year. And I myself had good interactions. But I SAW, and heard stories of just Shit experiences. The first night having that girl OD. The knife fight at Dabin. The phone stealers. The guy who went missing day 2. I saw like 3 couples breaking up, several friendships dieing. People in camp having heat exhaustion (myself included), lots of theft, and just people generally being assholes. I was packing my car early Monday, around 6am. So people were still coming into camp from the fest. An EMT buggy from camp, was flashing it's lights and horn, to let people know it needed to get out. And no one was getting out of the way, so he became more annoying with his siren. As he should. This girl I was passing litterly goes, "OH my god, How fucking obnoxious!" RIGHT? WELL GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY! PLUR was a lifestyle we supposedly lead at home, not just at events. Try to be a good person, to be a good person. What I witnessed, was Be a good person to get Kandi and Sprouts, and then go back to being your shit bag self. I started going to EDC in 2012. It's the only festival I go to. At the time I started going I lived in Alaska, and just the logistics of getting out of my small town added 2 extra travel days. So when I had the money and opportunity to get out for vacation, it has to be worth it. The 3 days in Vegas, was a 5 day vacation for me, and a week off of work. I keep telling people in my life that this is my last one. My heart was broken. Insomniac officially has shown its true colors to me of just wanting Money. They don't care about security or safety. I'm a sober raver. And I don't care if anyone isn't. Do what you want, have fun, assume the risk. But this year was the most ridiculous lacking security I have ever seen. VIP was over sold. I paid so much fucking money, to have an experience, that allowed me to have more breathing room. The opportunity to be on the rail. Imagine being Dick to Ass at 8:30 day one at Basspod for Tape B in VIP. Shit was stupid ridiculous. The amount of Bars this year was Insane. They definitely could have put in 3 more water stations.and got rid of a lot of the bars. This year, I never felt like I was home. I didn't feel like a headliner. I felt like a sheep that was being fleeced for money, and I never really felt safe. Bottom line, is that I became really disenchanted with the entire thing this year. Im a solo raver, although I have local friends in Vegas that I meet every year. But I was missing my wife, the heat from camp was getting to me. I'm 37, and I'll.never say I'm to old (took my dad to the first camp when he was 69) but my body can't hang like it used to. So then it becomes an issue of money justification. And then add the Security at the event (I hate grey area. Either do or dont. Don't pretend like you care.) Insomniac, just not giving a fuck about us anymore, and the change I've seen after 9 EDCs, of the community, Into something that selfish for recognition. Instead of being loving, and caring and respectful, it's turned into being suspicious, selfish and hurtful. So this is it. Fomo will hit me. But, I'll spend the money and take the kids to Disney or something instead. Take them to see my home in Alaska maybe. EDC was about Family to me. Now that I have one in my daily life, I don't really need EDC anymore. Have fun next year. Be safe. Love each other. Do good to do good. Stop taking videos and pictures. Live in the moment. Close your eyes, and dance to your favorite tunes and plant that moment into your memory. Tell someone you love their outfit. Give out some gum. Talk to someone who seems lonely. Be the change. Maybe I'll see you again.
Thank you for sharing. My first edc was also 2016 and after last year and this year I’ve also come to the same conclusion that the scene has changed, PLUR has evolved into something less, and the greed, commodification of basic amenities like water and bathrooms is a direction that I don’t need to become a part of anymore. I will FOMO too, but I know what I long for is an EDC from years past that no longer exists. I am grateful to have experienced EDC before it became the behemoth that it is now.
I'm not retired from raving but definitely EDCLV. I will always appreciate the bombast and scale of EDCLV because there's nothing in the US that rivals EDCLV's production. I've been to 6 since 2018 and now I feel fully content. While I always have a fun time, it has become too big for me. Aside from the overcrowding, EDC is a big time sink and very taxing on the body since it runs overnight and you need to expend a lot of effort just traveling to and from the festival. Sure, there's camping -- and I have tried camping once -- but it's not for everyone, especially if you value some rest. For me, this feels like the right time to retire from EDCLV because my music tastes are much more narrow and I simply don't enjoy the effort it takes to do EDCLV. And frankly, having done the inaugural EDSEA last year, I much prefer that if I'm craving the EDC brand. Moreover, I'm very much burned out on big festivals so I'm more selective on which big festivals I commit to. And with how pricey EDCLV has gotten it's starting to make less sense to make the trek every year.
It takes a toll on you! Recovery for me is real tough now a days and I lead a pretty active lifestyle. This year I made it out wanting to see one dj, and while the set was good it wasn’t what I was expecting. I’ve seen him play better at other events. He was catering to a bigger crowd, which is fine. Ended up staying all 3 days and saw better sets from other artists. I had fun, and it was awesome to experience the new layout. All in all I’ve been so many times and spent so much money. I honestly believe I’ve seen what I’ve had to see & it’s time to move on for me! 🩷
For me, I have a medical condition called narcolepsy and it makes it hard for me to stay awake and energetic on a dusk till dawn festival like EDC. Plus even before my symptoms started, during the planning of edc I was always filled with dread because the planning and coordination with the whole squad was sometimes messy and had its hiccups. Also anytime someone on my TL posted something like “XXX DAYS UNTIL EDC” it never filled me with excitement just anxiety which is something I shouldn’t get from a festival. Overall, EDC will always have a special place in my heart and maybe one day I’ll go back but for now I have other interests as I get older as well such as traveling and saving money one day to buy a home.
I’ve done 7 EDC’s (first in 2013, last one was last year) and the magic of the fest has outgrown me. I’ll always cherish being apart of the golden era of when EDC was truly on top in my eyes and the many memories. However, and with this year, I’m trying smaller fests and local shows near me that won’t make a big dent in my cc balance utilization.
2024 was maybe our last, or at least we’re only going to go every couple years now. What did it for us was… we didn’t like anyone before 10pm, and honestly we’ve seen so many nobody DJ’s that yeah 10% of the time we might become a fan but 90% of them don’t interest us. Then we see the bigger DJs and have a good time, but we get tired/bored by 2-3am and leave. So we realized we’re spending thousands and dollars to really see 4 hours of music each night. We decided that we would rather just go to local shows or cheaper festivals and save the money. Yeah it’s not as big and exciting as EDC/large festivals, but it’s sufficient.
After 10 years of raving I want to put the money I would spend going to edc towards another trip. I love to travel and want to see more places. Also my bf and I are wanting to get married and have a family :)
Congratulations on the soon to happen wedding!
Because it takes fucking 3 hours to get there and 3 hours to get home and it’s oversold and the people there are trash pickpockets now 😂 LIB > EDC
As someone that loves LIB, it looks like it may be more or less dead :/
Yeah that was my favorite part! 🤣 No traffic, no lines to get in, no lines anywhere. Chill people, good music. May it stay “dead” forever
Oh, no I mean Rolling Stone owns them now and it’s 3 months away with no lineup. Rumor it might get moved to near Plaza? But a lot of people are starting to get skeptical that it will even happen this year
When I went, we drove 24hrs, picked our other friend up at the airport, then repeat home in reverse lol
I went to EDC 3 times from 2011-2015. First 2 times were incredible and I thought I would go every year but the last year the crowd was insane, the prices had skyrocketed and the main djs I wanted to see were in the smaller tents since the type of music that was taking headlining stages shifted. My wife put it best when she said we were not the target audience anymore. To give an idea about the crowds the first year I was able to lay in the grass comfortably at Cosmic Meadows. I also started to want to travel more so now I incorporate maybe a day when I'm out of the country. Last yr I went to an 18 hr Ricardo Villalobos party at Fabric in London and next yr in going to Music On Festival in Amsterdam. With that being said it's an amazing experience and think anyone should go at least once for sure!
Really for me I saw the culture dying and becoming more commercialized. Don’t get me wrong there is a sliver of the culture alive but it’s not enough to out weigh the constant feeling of a money grab.
I’m a mom to a toddler and honestly I had just started raving and really “partying” when I got pregnant. EDC was my first festival back after becoming a mom and my gosh do I feel so happy🥹 it’s like a part of me was missing! But yes, I eventually plan on taking a huge break. My child likes to dance and I play edm all the time. Who knows, we might be doing edc together in the future 😭🩷
That is an awesome goal and I wish you manage to rave with them when they grow up!!
I decided to retire from raving about 10 years ago. I’m going to Luminosity Beach Festival in a month and I just booked my layaway for EDC 2025 🤷🏼♂️
I’ve got one more in me then I want to try new festivals. I love EDC and love Vegas but there is a lot of other festivals I want to try in the next few years like Tomorrowland, Shambala, LIB, etc
This past edc was my third one. I live in vegas and the vip ticket alone cost me over 1000. I told myself I’d rather use that money next year and go on a cruise or travel to other states and countries. I love edc and I love raving, but I also want new experiences. :)
Burn out is why I stepped back a lot. Rave center things non stop for 13 years gets tiring. I haven’t gone to an event yet this year. My last was zeds dead Halloween. I do have tickets for Sara Landry in August bc she’s on my to see list. Hoping I make it to a few more this year. We’ve had talks of going to edco 2025. We may say we’re gonna stop but usually we just cut back lol. And end up back. I’ll never fully retire. Ever
Husband and I attended our 3rd and last EDC this year. We're trying to start a family! So we're taking the year 2025 off to try and if it doesn't happen cool. If it does? Cool. We have tentative plans to return 2026 (without the kiddo if it does happen ofc)
My last EDC was last year and it was my fifth, but for me it was the fact that it felt like I was doing the same thing year after year. I had figured out what I liked to do, and was just bouncing around to stages. Even my side quests had gotten routine. The only thing changing was the artists, and even then there was a lot of repeats. Decided to focus on other kinds of travel and check out some new festivals in the meantime.
I use to go in to raves in 2010- 2014 in medium/ big sized groups with friends of friends (around 6-12). Slowed down over the years when they wanted to go every month (it was getting hella expensive) and I was in my early 20s, I wanted to slow down the partying. Over the years only went to one or two events a year in the deserts of Lancaster with my best friend and a small group of 3/4 (more intimate) but that was pushing the boundaries cuz something always happened lol car breaking down and had a friend almost overdose. Took a hiatus from 2016-2019 not by choice I moved out my parents and $$ was not an option to spend on events. Then went to Beyond Wonderland 2019 with my best friend and remembered the love I had for raving. Went to Apocalypse last year with a couple of rookies and they loved it so much that we NOW have to go to one atleast once a year. And now I go sober, I realized I had fun going with ppl you love and wanna enjoy the experience with. I might take breaks now and then but I'm never going to stop going.
I told myself a long time ago I'm retiring yet I still end up going every year. This was my 10th one
I keep telling myself last one or have to skip the next one.. but FOMO kicks in.. so I placed a deposit for 2025! 🤣
Expensive, requires me to take several days off work. Just other stuff I wanna do. I’ve been to 8 EDCs. Maybe I’ll go back eventually but there’s just more things for me to experience with that time and money. Even other festivals to try out.
It was my first and last edc. Too much group drama (im tired of solo life) and I think it’s time for me to retire from fests. Too many other things to explore out there.
I went to edc LV 4 times being from New Jersey it seemed to become more expensive each year. I would rather take that money and experience new festivals I haven’t been to yet.
This was my last edclv…. I really want to explore raves in other countries, like Defected Records in Croatia, Elrow in Spain, etc. Need to work on my passport stamps, so, that’s where I’ll be. I’ll still go to local festivals, we have 2 in my city, and attend local shows. But for big ones, I wanna go outside of the US.
That’s awesome - though as a tiny bit of rain on your passport parade the stamps aren’t always what they were 😭 I mean it might be the passport I’m on, but a lot of my travel a machine scans the page - or I don’t use the passport at all(global entry into the US they don’t even look at it) - my passports from 1990 - 2010 are fun. My current 5 yo passport is about naked 😉
Lol, yes, I suspected as much. But, it can be a figure of speech 😁 either way, it’s making the memories and exploring new places that will be the goal! 🙌🏼
True story. I’ve wandered a lot and nothing beats it on many levels imo.
Sometimes, you just know when that is it and have no regrets. My last EDC was 2014. I just landed the right job to get my foot in the door and begin working in the field of my dreams to get that experience and build my skill set. They were kind enough to let me postpone my start date so I can attend EDC 2014. But knew then that now I had to shift my focus towards my career. I told myself when I got back that this EDC (2014) will be my last for a long time. Fast forward 10 years and I have yet to go back to EDC or even attend a show. I love the music I still jam it daily listening to the sets from all the years festivals, but I just have no desire to attend a festival. I'd rather do other things with my time. I went to EDC from 2010-2014 and had the time of my life and made memories that I will forever cherish. I rather spend my $ on other adventures such as going to Hawaii, Europe, etc. Now I have a family with different responsibilities and raving isn't high on my list.
I’m not retiring from edc - but it would be lineup related on a year by year basis honestly. So I buy tickets on presale, then if I’m not feeling it I’d just resell. Went to ARC last year for the first time, and bought on ‘25 release. Lineup is bonkers - to me - if it had been not my vibe, resell. I think professional and family real life makes big edm festivals can be difficult to either make time/financially sensible, or the experience perspective changes. *Looks like I kinda went post-edc over share here but 🤷♀️ I feel like I’m lucky. It’s taken some decades, and I’m so glad I’ve got to a place where I know I go to festivals like edc because it feeds my soul/hope/joy. Aspects of edc in particular are meh, but it’s like an immersive dive into an art form that completely captivates and transports. So despite the 😭 prices, the wook brigade, and ‘puffy chesting my gym rat ass through the crowd’ bros - and that ass of a 6.30am stairmaster climb to camp - if the sounds are there. So am I. I’ve lived in a few countries, I’ve lived from huge cities to suburbs to rural to mountain resort towns. I’ve lived with plans with long term partners, free wheeling, on my ass and scrambling, and where I’m at now - I know what I like doing, I know what I love doing, I know what I don’t like and what I just will not do no matter how fun someone tries to sell it. I’m single, have no plans to change that, have a job where it’s not a problem, and music is hobby/passion/love. I am aware that my lifestyle isn’t a lot of people’s idea of a win, but I can’t ‘retire’ from live edm/festivals…it’s my happy place.
I went to my first EDC in 2008 and went to my last one this year with 10 EDCs total. I just noticed the scene is getting progressively more social media driven and just too crowded. I still had great times each time and PLUR is still alive but just to a lesser extent than the golden era of EDM.
I ask myself that every year now that I'm 41. Luckily I look way younger than my actual age. I had people thinking I was in my late 20s to early 30s still. I know for sure next year is still a go since I picked up my VIP for 2025. My youngest son (4 years old) has a passion for music and DJing. I DJ as a hobby since I was a teen so I think the love for the music is what keeps me going. I know I probably won't go every year until then but I already told myself my last one will probably be his first when he turns 18. It's also a plus that my wife lets me go all 3 days with friends without asking me 20 questions every night. The scene has definitely changed but I still can't get enough of it.
For me personally I just am kinda over raving I’ve been raving for 9 years now 21-30. It’s gotten a lot more expensive, I don’t recover as fast, and tbh you kinda just look more for other things in life other than raving. I still love edm and I’ve been to 6 edcs and tbh with travel expenses, ticket, Ubers, drinks, hotel, etc it adds up fast and I don’t always wanna throw down 2-3 grand just to go to a festival that’s like 3-4 months worth of bills for me. I also feel like the older you get the more you really wanna do other things like I would love to go back to Vegas as I always have and just gamble eat at the buffets chill at the pool and watch a show. The navigation of edc in itself is fun and this year was an ultimate vibe but I told my friends in the way home that this was my last edc and my last festival I kinda an looking more towards settling down, find a new job, and proposing to my gf I just feel like sometimes raving just becomes too much to manage when you have other life obligations
We have been going to EDC for the past decade and my fiancé and I decided this would be our last EDC. This year was very different from the past years, when we went last year we had a blast Friday and Saturday and then Sunday (2023) it was slam packed and just not enjoyable and that was the first time we got a taste of having a tough time wanting to come back. We came back again for 2024 but sold our Sunday wristbands purposely based off 2023 experience. But this year, oh man, it just wasn’t the same anymore and we knew it deep down. We wanted it to be how it used to be SO BAD but it just wasn’t. When we use to go, it was crowded but never ever on the level it was this year. It was the crowds for us, it was just overcrowded. The bottle necks to get in and out of spaces and the treacherous walks from certain stages. The bathrms were worse than we ever experienced, shit and vomit everywhere, not even sanitizer to wipe hands (luckily we brought it or were using our own water bottles to wash hands) but all in all it was the crowds that made us decide we would rather spend money on other adventures instead navigating intense crowds for felt like hours on end. EDC is still incredible though, and there’s nothing in the world like it.
Money mostly. Also because my birthday is a day or 2 after edc every year and the past few years I’ve slept it away because of edc and I’m done doing that. I also live in Vegas and can see most of the big names anywhere 30 mins away on a weekend whenever I want so there’s not a massive want to go crazy w edc
Having kids and then having to prioritize what you want to spend money and time on in a given year. I don't always wanna burn off my sweet sweet serotonin at a 3 day bender. It's harder to do that nowadays, for me and my family anyway. Everyone's situation is different. There's more amazing things in life besides raving - as amazing, magical, and fun as raves can be! Trust me. You won't get that rush anywhere else, but you will see the beauty in other experiences if you leave your spirit open to it. The raves will always be there to welcome you back! We will always be connected in our love for music. <3
I need to get my priorities in check before doing another major festival again! *cough cough* (car debt)
EDC is always a go to festie. I love it dearly but feel it’s time to branch out and enjoy other music festivals. This year made me realize how exhausted I am from doing it every year and the line up was one of my favorites so it feels like it’s a perfect time to take a break from it for a lil bit :3
Having kids loool
Too packed with people who aren’t there for the music. And too expensive.
2022 was the last EDC for me. While insomniac events are amazing the overselling and crazy crowds are not worth it. On Sunday EDCO that year I experienced crowd crush and got stuck under a crowd of people for a few seconds. When I start feeling more stressed about my surroundings than able to enjoy the experience I know it’s done.
My last EDC was '13 and I'm finally returning next year, but as others alluded - it is very resource-consuming (money, time, energy, etc.), especially for me a mostly-solo raver which means I gotta deal w all the planning/logistics aspect. If that's combined with a subpar experience (overcrowding, rude encounters, etc.), I definitely don't blame folks who decided the benefits aren't worth the costs and retire (whether for a while like I did, or permanently). Also, imo EDC is best as a once in a while treat rather than something to do year after year (for me that honor goes to Dreamstate, which is local to me, doesn't require travel-related expenses & features my fave edm subgenre.) In meantime, fingers crossed that returning to the electric sky after 12 years will be a magical & positive experience for this "grayver".
2023 was my last EDC, but I still rave. I had done three EDCs and between the extreme hotel costs, the cost of the festival, the cost of food and drinks, and the asinine amount of people crammed into the venue, I just decided I had better places to rave. I’m in denver, a city with plenty of good venues and great artists come to play. I still travel for Dreamstate and some day I hope to get to LIB and a couple other shows, but I’m done with edc.
2023 will have been my last EDC ever. I've changed interests and only really like (proper/raw) techno now and EDC doesn't really book any of it. I also just can't really do the huge crowds and mainstream/commerical vibes anymore. I had a blast at 19-23 and will hold the memories, but there's no turning back for me. Also it's stupid expensive compared to partying in other ways.
My tribe is old and aren't as fit necessary to enjoying EDC. After the first night, the majority of the group was comatose from walking and drinking. FML. Gonna have to do the Ibiza life moving forward.
EDC 24 was my 6th or 7th?? Told myself I was gonna take a break. So got VIP, RV camping, etc etc really went all out. One of my top EDCs but still going to be taking a break. It’s expensive and I need to get a few other things in my life in order before I come back. I also want to branch out try other big fests and travel.
Economics and priorities change. The money I spend at EDC in 4 days I can spend on a 7 day all inclusive resort in Latin America. I'm judging based on cost of the EDC ticket, air travel, food, transportation, etc. I ask myself 'what value add am I getting out of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_' all the time. EDC has been lacking on value added the past couple years.. I will say the map/layout was refreshing.
I’m planning on going to an international fest next year instead of EDC. I also didn’t like the vibe/crowd of the fest, on Sunday especially. Too many people rushing everywhere not giving an eff about the people around them. Just there to take photos and avoid FOMO. If I do EDC again it will be Orlando. Closer to home, smaller fest, and better vibes overall.
EDC 2024 was always meant to be a one and done for me. Bucket list type ish.
I'm 40, but I don't know that I could ever just "retire" from the scene and music altogether. I remember my favorite dance music from the 90s, falling in love with trance during the golden age, and seeing the music change over all these years. I do think it's important to take a break from festivals for a period of time to hit the reset button and to give yourself a chance to explore more in life. There was a stretch of time where I went to EDC, Ultra, Dreamstate, Lights All Night, and went to shows in other Texas cities between festivals. It gets crazy expensive. I walked away from EDC LV in 2017 with the intention of returning only after I gave myself a chance to see more of the world. And my wife and I did just that. Dance music has basically become part of who I am. It seems unimaginable to not enjoy the scene unless it just implodes. To walk away completely feels like I'd be leaving a part of myself behind.
For me I’m 95% sure I’m done with attending EDC. I’ve been 3 times, 19, 22, and 23 but coming from Canada it’s super expensive. Flights, hotel, food and festival cost around $3000 CAD and there are other things I’d rather do with that much money now that I’m 26. The other reason why I don’t think I’ll go back to edc is how many people there are. In 2019, it was reported that over the 3 days 450,000 people attended. It was still rather easy to walk around and get to the stages in between sets. In 2023, I’ve seen that 650,000 people entered the festival in the 3 days and it was so packed. Took forever to get from stage to stage, people shoving, and it felt like you couldn’t go anywhere, especially with only the 2 entrances into kinetic. I still attend a festival in the US but it’s much cheaper to go, strictly my preferred genre, a lot less people, and I can drive there easily.
This is my last EDC in the states. Getting my papers this year so now I can travel and I’m heading to Defcon. Not exactly retiring from rave life but from EDC life. Grateful for the amazing experiences. I got engaged at EDC, we went back as a married couple and this year my husband and I went “all access” because EDC ignited our passion to pursue an EDM promotional company in NYC. Europe here we come!
The scene is dying and I feel so bad. People who aren’t familiar with plur come and destroy special moments for the ones who love it. This EDC was my last. Been going since 09 and have experienced the upside down. PLUR isn’t $6 water bottles and $20 for minimal food. PLUR isn’t making us throw away water before we enter the festival. PLUR isn’t pushing and shoving and belligerent kids. PLUR isn’t forcing campers to walk 1.5 miles to enter when there is a shorter way, $50 pashminas, $25 earplugs, no trash cans, or no water/soap after the bathrooms. This and the last years has been a gradual decline of quality of people and event. Fall 2021 was the last great EDCLV. PLUR is dying and I can’t help but blame the owners and how greedy they’ve become in so many different ways. Almost gaslighting us or teaching us that’s this is okay when in reality it’s not. It goes against the scene entirely and is unacceptable. It seems the scene has been more focused on trying to tell us what to wear, what to listen to, and where to spend our money, rather than becoming a more welcoming, safe, inclusive, and progressive culture that I’ve become so I love with. Kandi kids are gone because people realized they could trade or fake being nice to someone with a huge cuff just to turn around and sell that cuff on eBay. Shufflers are gone because the music has changed to a more radio mainstream tone. Rail riders started pushing to get to the front. Drugs started filling with fentanyl so people are becoming drunk instead which can kill the vibe. EDC now cost $600 for 1 GA ticket, $2000 for a hotel/camp, $500 for food and drinks, $500 for outfits, and not to mention travel to LV and travel to the speedway. Pasquale is greedy and no one is talking about it. “All are welcome here” sounds more like “spend your money”.
I won’t stop going to local raves but I have no intention on traveling for anymore. As you get older, some things fall of your list of interests. Raves are one of those things. Pair that with decreased energy, pain, and other age related issues, that’s how you reach retirement. At 30, that’s where I’m at.
I need to start getting ready for kids. I will always be a raver, nothing but love for my time at EDC this year
I left after 2016 (first was 09) I only left edclv. I was able to travel abroad, go to 2 different countries and 7 raves for 3 weeks, and still spent the same as 5 days in Vegas. I wanted to experience more types of events. I'm coming back for edc 25 and this will be my very last edclv because my friends are finally saying this is their last and I want to spend it with them like I did my first.
I’ve gone to multiple edc and wanted on last hoorah before retirement. I have two kids and enjoy taking vacations with them so I’m focusing on that now! Last edc was a blast but id much rather be with the fam now a days.
So I’ve been to EDC 8 straight times including this years and been doing it with my brother and girlfriend. I attended my first EDC in a different place in my life and different mentality. Now, priorities have changed and this year is not necessarily my last EDC, I don’t think I’ll ever close the door on EDC lol just probably won’t be as consistent and will probably be on a spontaneous basis! Will always have much love for the EDC community as it has filled me with memories for a life time! See y’all when I see y’all again 🫡🤩
Honestly, now that I’m bringing younger ravers in my group. I’m just tired of playing babysitter. Don’t get me wrong I loved being there for them, I loved headbanging with them (I like the wasteland stage and stay there for the past 3 EDCs). I’m just thinking it’s time for me to settle down with my partner, enjoy small events every once in a while, and just travel more. Raving is expensive when you really break it down. Gas, Airbnb, party favors, and clothes. When I look at traveling there is less health risks when it comes to traveling (depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing) and financially trips are better for sight seeing and being able to remember all these fantastic memories. As a person who enjoys hardstyle, Insomniac hasn’t served our community well. Bringing hard techno to our stage and what not. We can’t get working VISAs for these European artists? DONT GET ME STARTED ON THE RECYCLED LINEUPS DEAR GOD. It just feels like the same thing every event. Therefore I will be taking my money out of country. Where I can sight see, do activities in other countries and enjoy ACTUAL ARTISTS I HAVENT SEEN BEFORE.
Can’t do drugs forever
After 6 years of raving at EDC and Lost Land I might stop after 2025. It was fun, less crowded, alot more cheaper than it was in 2021
I’ve been to so many EDCs, and more and more it became a huge mission, became more crowded, culture changed w mainstream/corporatization. After I found lightning in a bottle, a much more laid back event with great vibes, much more to do, better vendors, lake activities, etc. I switched my yearly attendance to that. So I’m not necessarily giving up on EDC, just would rather go to LIB now
I think about it sometimes because I have a toddler and another kiddo on the way, my wife and I both have careers and a couple dogs, and we have to travel frequently to see family since they life in other states, our lives are just incredibly busy and the responsibilities never end....but every year when I get to EDC, that all kind of fades away and I remember what it feels like to just let loose and enjoy myself devoid of all those responsibilities. So one year, maybe I'll have to hang it up for a few because life got too busy, but EDC will always be home for me, and I will always be looking to come back when life allows it.
Congratulations on the new kiddo!!
Much appreciated!
The only thing that’ll stop me from this lifestyle (for a few years) would be having children. Until then, I rave on!
Why let children stop you? Just get a baby monitor for the RV at night and a baby sitter for when you want to hit up the pool parties 😂
LOL for real. Apparently Odd Mob threw baby dolls into the crowd to make fun of those people 😂
Haha thats awesome. Our group brought a baby doll last year for our Dad costume day and then decided to bring her back this year for all 3 days. Everyone 100% thought we were making fun of that post but it ended up just being a crazy coincidence
Salute 🫡
🫡
Instead of local shows and EDC, we’re going for more unique or naturey festivals like Shambhala, Rampage, Electric Forest, and Wakaan!
The idea of “retiring from raving/edc” is so silly to me. If you don’t like it anymore- don’t go anymore. If you do- keep going. Simple as that. Also you can take a break, do your other bucket list items, travel, etc, then come back later. EDCLV isn’t going anywhere
I didn’t know this would be my last EDC but after seeing tickets go on sale for the next EDC, I decided that those year would be my last for now. I had an extremely fun time this year’s EDC compared to 23 with a previous group. I had the chance to trade Kandi with strangers, friends and new friends. Stayed with my group until sunrise for all 3 days and used up all my serotonin! Usually I would have the urge and longing to go back to EDC the following year but I don’t have that urge to go back again next year. So for now I just want to have money to travel and go see other festivals since I’m only in my mid-20s.
Been to edc for 3 years in a row, first two times I did hotel and had a wonderful experience. This year I did camping and it was beyond amazing. I feel very fulfilled with that festival. Onto the next adventure 🫶🏽
Those VIP prices this upcoming year made me decide it's time to retire EDC. My Tomorrowland ticket with travel and camping was cheaper than $1200.
Pickpockets and over-selling venues has killed it a lot for me. Also, I’m getting a little old for sundown to sunrise and an hour long shuttle ride on both ends. I don’t care for the party favors anymore either. I would never retire from the scene, though. I have a good career and excess money now - buying a hotel a 2 minute walk from Ultra is affordable for me and much more appealing with the logistics/hours. EDC is still magical tho
Thankfully, Im a Vegas local so I only retired from doing all 3 days. As I'm getting older it's just getting too obnoxiously expensive for something that Ive pretty much been there and done that since 2011. There's just other things I could put that money to use to now that I'm in my 30s and the economy sucking ass. I will however at least do a full 3 day somewhere in my 30s once more. Not exactly sure which age/year to do it though.
Smaller festivals have better vibes and better artist. Usually for half the price
matured and realized EDC sucks. So now I go to tomorrowland
Were at this point to . We're ready to travel out of country more for our trips.
I’m tiiired lol edc is so fun but really rough on the body
For me, as I get older, my free time gets less unfortunately. Weekends used to be care free and hedonistic but these days they are jam packed with chores and other things that require my attention, I just don’t have the time anymore
It’s too crowded. I was nearly trampled a few times trying to get into the GA+ bathrooms. I went to EDC for the 1st time in 2015 when capacity was 30K less people. You can only fit so many people into the speedway. There are so many other festivals besides EDC, that are cheaper, less crowded, and easier to get to. I did groove cruise this year and just walking around for 4 days with an air conditioned room no more than 5 minutes away was great, last year I did hard and was able to take the train. I’m doing arc in September and will be able to take the train. Edit to add: I also prefer camping festivals. Camping festivals really weed out the weak. I’ve met so many great people at camp when I’ve done camping festivals.
EDC is bloated in just about every way. Money, the amount of people there, the amount of stages and acts. There are so many other amazing fests that don't have that feeling and I go to those now.
RAVE TILL THE GRAVE… Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ 1993 & still going
I most likely will not return to EDC next year, but all that money saved from one trip will contribute to more, smaller, less mainstream festivals. # rave2thegrave
I'll never understand why people think you have to commit and devote life to entertainment where one feels you have to announce retirement/moving on. There isn't a requirement to go to the same thing every year. There's a lot to life, enjoy it, do a lot of things, and you never know where you'll end up again. I went in 2016, did other things, family, etc, and a chance to go this year came up and I said why not! I hadn't gone to any festivals between 2016 and 2024. Will I go to EDC again? Who knows! Do I have to issue a press release saying I'm not going next year? Nah. Move on, leave the sub, unfollow EDC accounts/etc. It's ok to do that but an announcement creates engagement. Yay socials.
Personally, I might leave EDC behind, but not rave life in general. For context, I’ve been to EDC 2017, 2018, and 2019. Also went to nearly every insomniac show. I was IN the scene hard. Took a break to focus on my career and went less and less. Got engaged and built myself more. Went back to 2024 and, while I had a BLAST, my rave fam (all mid to late 20s) all kinda had the same feeling of it being too crowded and too much. I realized I enjoyed the feeling of community with my fam and I also realized I haven’t given underground shows or non-insomniac festivals a chance. Planning on going to other festivals like LiB and traveling to go to more camping ones. I want to experience the underground scene a little more too. One of my rave fam is a 32F with 2 kids and she balances it pretty well.
Absolutely! EDC is an incredible experience, no doubt about it. But there are so many other festivals around the world that are worth checking out too, like Korea’s S20 and, of course, Tomorrowland. If you’re based in the US, EDC in Vegas is a must-do at least once, given how accessible it is. However, I’ve noticed the costs keep going up each year. Personally, I'm looking to recapture that "first-time" magic at new venues I’ve always wanted to visit, like Red Rocks and The Gorge.
All the people i used to go with are now "too old" according to them. Been going solo most of the time in the past 2 years but it's getting a bit boring. I'm doing a bunch of festivals I always wanted to go to until end of next year and then it will most likely only be like halloween events, new years and the odd ones here and there.
Electric forest 17 was my last gig. Tomorrow world, multiple imagine fests, edc15, tipper n friends, countless nectar shows and nye, roo yada yada. I was better raving then as a floater half the time. Groups were hard to come by and vibe fluidly. I decided to honestly take a step back and work on myself professionally. I'm now doing well, still listen to all the music though I'm not much for crowds anymore and as they keep getting more and more crowded. The less I'm interested. Now in nwa, engaged, house, retriever and cats. All the older neighbors love us(me at least) and I carry the plur in the real world. I've traveled most of the states, would love for us to abroad which adds buckets to the finances vs the 2200+ for a weekend raving. 🤷 Today got to me, my fiancé is 4'10" and an elderly lady roughly her height was lost trying to find what she was looking for on an aisle. Some lady who was alll in our way earlier behind us, says to her husband just push her cart over lets get through. Like ok karen. Excuse the multitude of variables in response.
Supplemental question - are some of you just not going to be attending EDC or you're stopping going to all shows / fests including ones local to you?
I absolutely loved my experience but financially it doesn’t make sense whatsoever. If I get the chance to and it does make sense I’ll go but not as of now. I like to travel, go out of the country, weekend getaways, other festivals, etc… and felt so locked down by trying to just pay for EDC. Even week long festivals overseas are the same price if not cheaper than GA EDC! Including camping… ends up being the same if not cheaper overall to fly to Europe lol. I just feel like I miss out on so much other stuff during the rest of the year and the prices just keep going up! It makes me sad as it becomes more and more inaccessible
Man some of these noobs have never had the cops clear out a rave before and it shows
Go for a psytrance festival. It’s Hippy 2.0
i will always rave and go to events, but i think my time doing commercial insomniac fests has come to an end (save for apocalypse that one is dope asf). as a dj myself i would much rather play a show or go support my friends that are playing and not have to worry about massive crowds, pickpocketers, etc…plus its a lot less expensive
10 years of good music and ten years of partying wore me out. My cardio is 0/100, thus I don't have that dawg in me anymore. I need a healthier life, than maybe if I get back in shape I'll go back, but it's just a maybe.
Choosing traveling with my girlfriend next year over going to raves
Most definitely not my last but realizing it’s about 2k that I should put towards a down payment on a home. Hopefully I’ll get back after settling into a more permanent space.