In 2022 I found out EDC(LasVegas) was turning 30 in 2023 and I was turning 60, I decided it was worth doing at least once. After all it was the most famous of the rave events… sort of a Coachella for EDM and I was reeeeaaaallllyy getting into EDM. By the time it rolled around, I felt I was ready for the adventure! We had booked a hotel room, arranged who would drive, shopped for rave wear and were excited! But per usual, no plan survives execution.
The hotel I booked gave us 2 full beds and not 2 king beds like I thought I’d chosen. (ALWAYS read the fine print on your reservation and I suggest calling the hotel to arrange for early check in or specifics!) So 4 non-couples practically snuggling. There was no fridge in the room and apparently no one DRIVES to Vegas cuz the hotel parking was so packed we had to illegally park in their lot or valet!
The event was from 7pm to 7am…Friday, Saturday & Sunday. By the time we all got ready and Left the hotel to the event it was close to 9pm that first Friday evening. AND we hit gridlock traffic which took at least an hour to get through. Parking was a circus but at least we were so oddly parked we knew finding the car would be easy! lol. Getting through security was as fun as Coachella with the added highlight of “wow 60!” when they checked my ID. We finally enter the speedway, go through a tunnel and are greeted with a top-of-the-stands overview of 4-5 stages flashing lights and music. It was amazing and a bit overwhelming but we eventually found our friends and let them show us around ending up back at the top of the bleachers just in time for the fireworks show. And a sudden downpour of rain right on top of us!
Undeterred we continued on through the night until I finally felt the need to beat the exiting crowd and leave a bit early. It was soooo disturbing to be driving home, this exhausted, and having the sun rising on us! Everything in my body said, “No! No dawn!” We got to the hotel, got settled into bed, put sleep masks on and all tried to sleep. Except I couldn’t do it. Don’t know if it was me being a morning person, or the caffeine I drank to try and stay awake or the bed or the snoring of my fellow partiers… but I tried for hours to sleep and by noon I gave up and went to have breakfast. I tried again after breakfast with no luck. I tried again to bask in the sun by the pool with no luck. So by the evening, I shrugged into my next rave outfit and went back out again to party.
We left early for the venue in hopes of avoiding the gridlock and mostly sailed through and managed to luck out into a similar parking area as the first one. We went and saw a few performers and did a lot of wandering. We also had a glitter makeup session at 9:30 which was fun. By the time we found our friends I was starting to feel the lack of sleep and we choose instead to sit in the stands and enjoy the main stage. And then suddenly the most wonderful music was playing and I spent the next hour dancing…. of ALL the music I’d listened to nothing was as wonderful as Chase and Status. I was in heaven. I’d found my EDM sound, which you don’t realize you’re missing until you find it.
It wasn’t long after they ended that we told everyone “the olders were pooped” and headed back to the hotel room. THANKFULLY, I finally slept! Even easily going back to sleep when our friends made it home also.
Day three was a bit more of the same but honestly I was more overwhelmed than thrilled with the entire adventure. Monday morning we got late checkout, slogged through breakfast and hit the road for home. I had to pull over by hour 2 of driving after we slogged through the horrible Vegas traffic because I was falling asleep! My bestie drove the rest of the way.
If we ever do it again… it will be fly up party & fly down lol