Features
EDC Goes Off Mostly Without A Hitch
Less-intense heat may have helped steer people clear of the medical tent during the three-night Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.
Photo: Doug van Sant for Insomniac
Insomniac again brings its flagship event, Electric Daisy Carnival, to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2015 with approximately 100,000 nightly visitors checking out its rides, stages and performers June 19-21.
Police said Monday that fewer than half as many people sought medical help as in 2015, fewer were hospitalized, and no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
A stage fire briefly marred the second night of the event, which officials said drew almost 135,000 people per night to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Clark County Fire Chief Gregory Cassell said a stagehand received minor burns when a propane-fueled pyrotechnic device malfunctioned early Sunday. Firefighters on standby at the event quickly doused flames, and the stage show resumed within about an hour.
The weekend dusk-to-dawn festival features a lengthy lineup of DJs performing on several stages amid a carnival-like setting of rides, pyrotechnic displays and art installations. Event sponsor Insomniac Productions bills it as the largest dance music event in North America
Police reported that 617 people were treated for mostly minor ailments at the venue, and 17 people were hospitalized. That compared with more than 1,400 medical calls in 2015, when 27 people were hospitalized, and 794 in 2014. One 24-year-old festival-goer from San Francisco died last year of ecstasy intoxication, which was ruled an accidental overdose.
Most people treated at the scene this year reported heat-related discomfort, officials said. The National Weather Service reported midnight temperatures in the 80s the first night and in the 90s on Saturday and Sunday.
A year ago, daytime temperatures tied a record at 113 degrees on Saturday, and barely dipped below 100 degrees by midnight.
Las Vegas police said 101 felony drug arrests were made this year, five people were arrested on misdemeanor charges and 18 received misdemeanor citations. Eight others were arrested on drunken driving charges, according to a final police tally.
Las Vegas police Officer Larry Hadfield said traffic snarls on Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard cleared by noon Monday.
Insomniac reported total attendance at 401,000 people, and told police that 111 were ejected.