Recap: EDC Orlando 2018

Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

Over 110,000 fans gathered at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida for EDC Orlando on November 9 and 10 this past weekend. Now in its eighth year, the event was bigger than ever as it broke last years record for largest number of attendees with a record breaking crowd. The venue was transformed into an adult playground with circus performers, carnival rides, a zip line, vendors, and three elaborate stages providing an unforgettable soundtrack on the Kinetic Field, Circuit Grounds and Neon Garden stages. In the center of the three stages was a beach-themed area, Corona Electric Beach, which had sand, a pool, mermaids, palm trees, and show-cased guest sets from PLS&TY, G-Buck, Sharps, D3V, Kayzo, and Nitti Gritti.

Day One

It was a beautiful Friday to kick off the festivities as some of the headliners on the first day included: Martin Garrix, JOYRYDE, Henry Fong, Alesso, Bassnectar, and Dillon Francis. I arrived at the venue greeted with open arms by the performers and staff. The first stage I headed to was the Corona Electric Beach stage featuring Too Kind who was dropping a great set that would set the mood for the entire weekend.

After his set, I headed to the main stage (Kinetic Field) to catch JOYRYDE. His high-octane sounds and hip-hop influenced tracks give him a unique style and played many of his hits including “I Ware House” and “The Box” as his visuals played along the screen. After his set, I walked around the venue to get familiar with some of the different stages and vendors.

As the sun had set, many people headed towards the main stage to catch Dillon Francis’ set. Having seen him live many times, I knew what to expect, as his sets are high-energy and filled with bangers from start to finish. He played everything from “SICKO MODE” (HiGuys Remix) to “Masta Blasta” and he debuted his untitled new track with Alison Wonderland in-which he brought her out on stage to perform.

I told u we were working on something special…. @awonderland pic.twitter.com/ZHe7POs4Fx

— Dillon Francis (@DILLONFRANCIS) November 10, 2018

Following Dillons’s set, I briefly talked to him and Alison about life, music, and tell him how much of a fan I’ve been of both of their music, and Alison even signed a vinyl album addressed to me.

 

Day Two

The day started off a little cloudy, but it turned out to be a beautiful day in the Sunshine State and we were excited to see some of day two’s headliners including: KANDY, Nitti Gritti, Kayzo, Tiesto, Kaskade, Sharps, G-Buck, Jayceeoh, Alison Wonderland and Valentino Khan b2b GTA b2b 4B.

Kicking off the day on the main stage was KANDY, a young DJ/producer from New York who set the tone for the entire day as played some of his originals, remixes, and new music.

Some artists use EDC as a stepping stone, and one those artists I saw this past weekend was Sharps who was performing on the Boombox Artcar stage, a giant boombox where the DJ was inside the enclosure playing into a crowd. Sharps has the talent, drive, and confidence to move to the next level as an artist. Over the two days, Sharps had one of the largest crowd at the Boombox Artcar stage where he dropped some crazy dubstep and trap tracks. I saw him later on that evening during a guest set on the Electric Beach Stage and he dropped another fantastic set.

When I heard Kazyo was doing a guest set at the Corona Electric Beach stage, I immediately made a b-line for that stage. Kayzo put on an unbelievable performance in an intimate atmosphere. By the end of his performance, the crowd was in awe of what they had just witnessed. Just an hour prior to his Corona set, his set on the main stage was cut short due to a small fire that was quickly addressed by the officials and staff. The Corona Electric Beach stage didn’t stop partying after Kayzo left as they brought in more guest DJs including Sharps and Nitti Gritti to close. The variety of genres, ambience, and hospitality of the staff made the Corona Electric Beach stage my favorite stage of EDC weekend.

When it was first announced GTA, 4B, and Valentino Khan would be performing b2b (back-to-back), I knew the crowd was going to be in for a treat. The three veterans performed what felt like a giant house party on the Circuit Grounds stage dropping tracks that included “Whistle”, “Pop Dat”, “Red Lips”, “Deep Down Low”, and “Break Your Neck”.

After attending EDC Orlando for the eighth consecutive year, it was by far my favorite. We met countless people who preferred EDC Orlando to Ultra or EDC Vegas, mainly due to the large crowds as they felt this was great alternative to those events, and it felt more intimate from start to finish. The atmosphere as soon as you enter the gates, to dancing the night away to your favorite track with fellow attendees, to the astounding special effects (lights, pyro) truly made EDC Orlando an experience to remember. We would like to thank Insomniac Events, Pasquale, Corona Electric Beach, the staff, labels, and all the artists for doing an excellent job with the event. The Insomniac Events staff has always been some of the most professional, first-class, and caring team we have had the pleasure to work with.

Our favorite sets were Sharps, JOYRYDE, KANDY, Nitti Gritti, Kayzo, G-Buck, Alison Wonderland, Dillon Francis, and GTA b2b 4B b2b Valentino Khan. Stay tuned for an interview with KANDY coming up in a few days.