Year 30 of Electric Daisy Carnival brought the first-ever World Party Parade, new and expanded stages across the festival grounds, huge artists, exclusive B2Bs, and unparalleled vibes. In case you missed the action or want to relive the weekend, we have a recap below that highlights each stage and what is to come for EDC Las Vegas 2027.
World Party Parade
This year, Insomniac partnered with the City of Las Vegas to shut down part of the strip for the premiere of the World Party Parade. With 30+ art cars, dancers, floats, the famous turtle shell cars, marching bands, and headliners playing music, fans lined the streets and followed behind. This Day 0 party was tons of fun and a tradition that I hope is repeated for future years. My favorite art car was a giant Mad Max-style roadster.
You had artists like Nico Moreno and Novah playing together in a car, then the following car had Meduza and James Hype. The parade went up and down the strip and turned into a mini festival grounds. There were three stages, food trucks, and music going until midnight. There was no better way to start the EDC weekend surrounded by fellow headliners, great music, amazing art cars, and dancing into the night. Another huge detail that made this year’s EDC stand out from the rest was a total refresh of a majority of the major stages.
Stage Design and Performances
Every year, headliners around the world wait to see the new main stage at EDC. However, this year was special; we saw a new stages for Kinetic Field, Circuit Grounds, Cosmic Meadow, Basspod, Neon Garden, Quantum Valley, and Wasteland. The theme for 2026 was kienticJOURNEY, and the new stage designs made the theme come to life.
Kientic Field this year felt both futuristic and old school with a rust look, insane pyro, lasers, and fireworks. What really stood out was the opening ceremony: the Kinetic Launch drone show that kicked off each night around 9 pm. You had a meteor crashing into the middle of the stage, lighting off huge fireworks, and the face behind the stage rose into the owl, giving her owl goggles with Rezz googles. The Chainsmokers, Fisher, the return of Porter Robinson, and Charlotte De Witte, who was the first ever female to close out mainstage, highlighted Day 1.
On Day 2, Hardwell made his return to EDC, and it felt like John Summit had the most packed stage in the history of EDC. That set led straight into Subtronics, and was followed by the legends Above and Beyond, who closed it down with a sunrise set. On the final Day 3, the debut of Griz b2b Wooli shook the ground, Zedd and Martin Garrix took everyone back to 2010, and another legend, Armin Van Buuren, closed out the festival in style.
The new Basspond also had a huge makeover with an expanded GA and a much larger VIP section. The new Basspod had five giant subwoofers with visuals in the middle. Behind the DJ booth, there was a giant head with eyes that lit up and stared at the crowd. As a basshead, this was my favorite Basspod design EDC has ever had. The sound was amazing, the pyro never disappoints, and the DJ is now on the ground level in front of the stage instead of way up in the air. With no giant humps and poles surrounding the stage, everyone was able to dance, mosh, move around, and even do the wall of death in a comfortable manner.
Day 1 of the new Basspod was kicked off by artists Heyz, ATLiens, Kai Wachi, and Adventure Club, who brought their throwback set for the OGs. Day 2 had heavy hitters like YDG, Delta Heavy, Eptic B2B Space Laces, and a legendary Doctor P B3B Flux Pavilion B3B Funtcase for the OG UK vibes. Closing out the new Basspod on Day 3 was Virtual Riot, Ahee B2B Liquid Stranger, Whethan, and Boogie T B2B Distinict Movite.
Circuit Grounds also got an upgrade, as Insominac added more LED panels and curved the stage to help with visuals and crowd flow. Day 1 at Circuit Grounds was crazy. You had I Hate Models into Levity into Wooli, only to have the stage closed out by Holy Priest, Ray Volpe, and a sunrise set by Level Up. Day 2 brought more house vibes with Kettama, Sammy Virji, Peggy Gou B2B Ki/Ki, and was closed out by Lilly Palmer. On Day 3, the winds in Las Vegas reached up to 50 mph, and Insomainc made the safe choice to close the stage for a few hours as some of the panels were swaying in the wind. Thankfully, the wind cleared up around 11 pm in time for Beltran, who was playing an impromptu 360 set, before Solomun and Vintage Culture. Circuit Grounds was able to host an emergency 360 set, but there was another stage that had it planned.
The new Cosmeic Meadow kept its floral design again, but changed the main flower, added some LEDs for more visuals, and a 360 for a certain artist. Day 1, Max Dean B2B Luke Dean played the opening ceremony before the doors opened at 7 pm. Day 1 also brought out Walker & Royce B2B VNSSA, Meduza, Notion, and was closed out by San Pacho. Day 2 had two 360 sets where VTSS played “in the round,” then The Prodigy tore up the stage with their first performance in six years. Then, right after, Bunt. surprised everyone by also playing an “in the round” 360 set. Day 3 featured William Black who brought out Illenium, then San Holo’s Wholesome Riddim set. Dabin followed and also brought out Illenium, and then Alison Wonderland had Eric Andre record an opening for her. Seven Lions played during the fireworks, and closing out the festival with the most energy possible, Nico Moreno went B2B with Holy Priest.
Neon Garden also saw an upgrade with an amazing ceiling of visuals that look like a maze with lights everywhere, giving a warehouse vibe with an open-air stage. Day 1 had huge names like Peggy Gou, Adriatique, and was closed out by Eli Brown. Day 2 had Luciano, Prospa, and another legendary B3B of Josh Beker, Kettama, and Prospa to close it out. On Day 3, 999999999 brought the energy, followed by Ki/Ki, with Klanguenstler closing out the festival.
One of the coolest stage designs for me was the new Quantum Valley. Leaning into the faces theme, there were glowing eyes staring into the crowd like at Basspod, but Quantum Valley’s face also lit up with lines running across it. The lights changing colors and flows really sucked you into this stage and made it hard to leave. Day 1 had two legends of EDM, Darude and Cosmic Gate, plus Gareth Emery, Ilan Bluestone, and Darren Porter. Day 2 saw artists like Andrew Rayel, Maddix, Mathame, T78, and was closed out by Thomas Schumacher. On Day 3, the artists that graced the stage were Eli & Fur, Tinlicker, Cassian, Massano, with Kream closing out Quantum Valley for the weekend.
Wasteland was also refreshed this year while keeping its signature shipping container style. Insomniac added something no other stage had: the ability to get on stage next to and behind the artists. If you like hardstyle, there is a chance you were there all weekend! Day 1 was very special as it was the first time Unreal Germany came to the US, bringing artists like Serafina, Gravagerz, Dyen, and Stan Christ. Day 2, the energy was brought by Lady Faith B2B LNY TNZ, another crazy B3B of Audiofreq, Code Black, and Toneshifterz. Hardstyle standouts Da Tweekaz and Lil Texas. Day 3 featured DJ Issac, Sub Zero Project, Rooler, and Madgrrl B2B Vessel to close out EDC.
Other than the core stages, EDC is known for all of the other stages and art cars scattered around the festival. Stereo Bloom was massive this year, with names like Omnom, Wax Motif, CID, and Chris Lorenzo B2B Bullet Tooth playing there. At times, it was almost impossible to get a spot at that stage, even with VIP. Bionic Jungle also got an upgrade and had artists like Beltran B2B Simas, Salute B2B Chloe Caillet, Tiga, and DJ Tennis B2B Red Axes.
Beyond that, you had sponsored stages like takisZone, casaBacadri, inomniacFridays, picnicPlaytime, the famous beatboxArtCar, the country favorite yeeDC, and the new electrolithydrationHouse. The only way to truly experience all EDC has to offer is to make sure you walk around and see everything over the three-day carnival.
EDC Side Quests
One thing EDC is famous for is all the side quests that you can go on. Adventuring down to Downtown EDC, you could sign up for speed dating, which happened to be right next to the chapel in case you wanted to get married on the spot. There were plenty of secret bars, but did you find the mini bar this year? You can gamble with kandi, play video games, jump on a shell cart, and see where it takes you. You can take a stroll down memory lane, and for me personally, it was amazing to see EDC’s history throughout the years and reminisce about my past festivals.
The rides this year also seemed more popular than I can remember. There is, of course, the Ferris wheel, and the flying chairs near Cosmic Meadow gave amazing views of the EDC Speedway. If you like a thrill, there was a spinning ride next to Wasteland where you could also reserve a steak dinner. Who can forget the carousel between Kientic Field and Cosmic Meadow for something chill and relaxing? What makes EDC so special goes far beyond the music. It is the community, the side quests, the fireworks, the performers, and all the different worlds you can discover while you are there. If you did not have time to explore this year, there will be twice as much time to explore next year!
What To Expect In 2027
For 2027, Insomniac has cooked up something special that they’ve been working on for years: two weeks of EDC Las Vegas. Insomniac is bringing “Dusk Till Dawn” in 2027, two weekends of EDC! EDC Dusk will take place May 14 – 16, while EDC Dawn will take place the following weekend, May 21 – 23. This is a huge change that has all headliners excited.
Tickets will be capped to help with overcrowding, and ticket prices have fallen by hundreds of dollars to make it more affordable. EDC Dusk is completely sold out, but there are still limited tickets for EDC Dusk available. While EDC 2026 has come and gone, headliners around the world can now restart their clocks and get ready for EDC Dusk Till Dawn 2027. Have an amazing second half to your 2026, and I look forward to seeing you under the electric sky next year!
