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Arlene Medina
Professor Lopez
English 114B
11 March 2014
EDC: Las Vegas Where All is Accepted for a Night
Electric Daisy Carnival, or better known as
EDC, is one of the most favored music festivals to come every summer. EDC is technically an
enormous space with a live stage set-up for the best Electronic disc jockey (Dj) to play their
electronic dance music (EDM). EDC like every other electronic musical festival are always
energetic and exciting because EDC makes everybody feel accepted. EDC is inserted into this
category of being a rave which basically defines these functions as parties where people
exclusively hear electronic music, dress ridiculously, and ultimately consume drugs. Its held for
three consecutive nights, and over the course of those nights this fantasy where girls can dress like
fairies or cartoons becomes their reality. I believe that EDC challenges our social beliefs, because
if on any other night if we see a woman dressed with a big wig and a fairy costume we would
automatically categorize it as something unacceptable. EDC gives this opportunity where
everything that is unacceptable in any other regular day is acceptable at EDC. It welcomes
everything inordinary and to let anyone let loose on their creations.
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EDC is now annually held at Las Vegas, so to anyone who
wants to experience EDC and is underage, how can anyone describe it to them? Lets start with
the music. The music isnt just being played, the artist does more than that, they set up a
performance with flashing lights, and entertainment. The music side is just one part of this grand
event, theres also the dressing up part. Now even though dressing up in shorts and a top is always
acceptable at EDC, theres always the creative fantasy side anyone can take. Which means that at
these raves, you can dress like absolutely anything, the more creative your costume is the more
recognition it gets. In the eyes of any parents, this is unacceptable because it is known that girls go
over the top and go to EDC with wearing underwear and pasties. Over the top? Perhaps, but
nobody ever judges them, definitely not the other two hundred girls dressed exactly the same. The
costume part of EDC is the most appreciated because it also helps us girls do something every girl
wants to do without being judged. Walk naked. This liberating feeling while roaming around
listening to music, naked, it gives us girls this feeling of liberty and acceptance.
Drugs, also are one of the controversies EDC faces. EDC welcomes anybody but the
majority who goes to raves are teenagers, from 18 25 years old. Those are the years that every
teen is experimenting and trying out every drug out there. The top three drugs at raves are:
Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol. Back in 2010, EDC actually had a death occurred when EDC was
at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times a fifteen years old teenage
girl died of a drug overdose. This historic event banned EDC from Los Angeles, and moved it to
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Las Vegas. So definitely drugs do play a key role at these rave functions. Now why cant these
teens go to raves sober? Well because it takes away the fantasy of it all. When youre high, you
have less self-conscience; everything seems at ease and only when youre high the illusion of your
cartoon youre dressed up as finally converts into your reality. While youre still in drugs these
teens turn into their bubble and its only then can they express happiness and really enjoy the true
enjoyment of rave with EDM.
EDC creates a different reality by giving the
opportunity for everybody to let loose on their inner desires and embrace over the course of three
nights with music hyping the mood and with entertainment to allude that this fantasy is going to
last. EDC creates a different reality by accepting drugs, although they dont sponsor that everyone
should do drugs its still this hidden norm expectancy that getting high is a must. Over the course
of three nights, this euphoria is build upon, everyones euphoria just becomes their reality and
changes reality because then everyones inner dark desires illuminates.
EDC attempts to create a reality where fantasies are encouraged and the drugs are more
than welcomed. According to EDC Experience: The Full Review while the clientele is diverse as
attributed to the sheer amount of festival attendants, its worth mentioning that the casual fan finds
home here (EDC: Full Review). When a reviewer says they find home at a rave, it only
emphasizes how this inner desire to be completely wasted and cartoon-like is accepted at EDC.
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EDC challenges every norm every parent wants to ban: drugs
and ridiculous illusions. I believe that functions like EDC thrives to advertise that having these
alternative realties are acceptable and nobody judges. This type of acceptance is what has these
teenagers so excited for EDC year after year. Las Vegas plays an enormous role in breaking the
norms because Las Vegas is the city of sin, where absolutely everything seductive and bad is
encouraged. Going to Las Vegas immediately equals a good time because Vegas is capital of hard
liquor, sex, gambling and partying the whole night. Places and events like EDC and Las Vegas
challenges this ideal norm that drugs are not acceptable, sex should never be that explicit, and
gambling leads to addiction. However, EDC and Vegas has made it possible to keep their
reputation as positive and hyped as ever. Thats why these places are so widely popular that
include people from other parts of the world to come down and visit these places.
Reputation is what keeps EDC on top with in the raving community. These raves
arent just an escape from home or something to do because you have free time. EDC contributes
more than that, according to a Ravers Guide a rave, in its utopian sense, is about a four letter
acronym that many people have argued about for years: PLUR. PLUR means peace, love, unity,
and respect and this is what all the ravers claim because to them theyre embracing this
alternative lifestyle to live by. EDC holds this social implication that they are the place to be to
feel secured, accepted, happy, and provide everything that in any other day isnt acceptable.
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In a live music festival emotions are intensified
therefore, its crucial to remember the emotions that are being felt because that bliss moment that
occurs over night where fear is forgotten is what liberates within our desires. Such places like
Vegas and EDC give that emotional implication that as long as youre in that place happiness is
guaranteed and the fun never stops. I believe that human beings are always in search of something
that can momentarily take us away from our real world drama and throw us into a place of bliss.
Thats why teenagers turn to drugs to get high because it offers that escape. The same with Vegas
and EDC it guarantees this bliss and it provides a weekend of pure music and acceptance.
Analyzing EDC is bittersweet because an outsider can say that Vegas and EDC have this
global implication that these are places of sin and disgrace. These places can definitely be targeted
as shameless places and its true because a place that embraces sex, drugs, and explicit
entertainment definitely challenges norms. These places have so many global implications but the
one that attracts the most people is the implication that Vegas or EDC can fulfill their desires.
All in all, such places like EDC and Las
Vegas are linked together by the accomplishments it makes to an individual. EDC is a music
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festival that promises not only to take your comfort zone and expand it but also to share it with
everybody else who wants to reach this bliss. However, even though these places offer a moment
of joy it also comes with this other side of harsh judgment. Due to the drug overdose that has
unfortunately occurred in EDC are the events that shame EDC since the use of drugs are cultivated
within the rave lifestyle. However, putting aside the flaws EDC contains the bigger picture has to
be addressed. Places and events like EDC and Las Vegas have been constructed to let anybodys
inner desire for lust, drugs, parties and acceptance to be fulfilled at these areas. That fact that
society immediately neglects sexuality and drugs is the reasons why in any given day these teens
would be mistreated and laughed at by friends and peers. However EDC and Vegas offers the
opposite, the escape of self-conscience, judgment and flaws are all left outside the walls of these
areas. EDC and Las Vegas has been the most tourist event and place ever because the nights are
long and the long nights equal to the amount that a teenage person is fulfilling their illusion that
theyre a fairy or a cartoon.








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Works Cited
Griffith, Martin. What is PLUR? PBWorks. Ravers Guide. 3 March 2007. Web. 11 March 2014
Lin II, Rong-Gong. Girl, 15, dies after weekend rave at L.A Coliseum. Los Angeles Times. 30
June 2010 Web. 11 March 2014.