‘We’re All Mad:’ Area 15 In Las Vegas Kicks Off ‘Massives’ Series With Charlotte De Witte

Area 15 in Las Vegas is kicking off this year’s “Massives” multi-room, venue mini-festivals this weekend, with Charlotte de Witte headlining the “We’re All Mad Here” takeover on April 6.

“The massives are exactly what it sounds like  —  it’s the old term for these big raves, and people come in costume,” says  Area 15 chief operating officer Dan Pelson. The Alice In Wonderland-themed event, will take over the entire 300,000 square feet of indoor space, which includes multiple performance spaces and attractions.

“It’s not just where Charlotte de Witte  will be performing, but when you walk in everything about the building puts you in that vibe, and will be in that vibe for weeks before the massives. It’s kind of the theme of the month,” Pelson adds.

Other “massives” on this year’s calendar include the Secret Garden event May 4, featuring Dombresky,  the space themed Galactic Zoo to be announced and Halloween-themed scAREA15. A New Year’s Eve event is expected as well.

“We lean heavily into this, and now you might be coming from Des Moines to just check out Las Vegas and you come to Area 15 for a few hours to check it out, but the next time you come will be different,” Pelson said. Between 4,000 and 5,000 tickets were expected to be sold for the We’re All Mad Here massive, which Pelson says is the target. 

While putting on the large warehouse-style massives a few times per year, Area 15 serves as a year-round attraction: part nightclub, part-theme park and part concert venue with ticketed shows. The complex opened in September 2020 with a project cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars according to Pelson.

Three main venues are inside the property, which is located just a couple of miles north of the Las Vegas Strip.

Those are The Wall, a 200-capacity room that Pelson says resembles a NYC or Los Angeles nightclub, with a permanent stage, sound system and LED wall, as well as VIP bar section. 

A 900-capacity Portal venue includes a projection map allowing for different lighting environments surrounding those inside.

“The walls just will transform the room into whatever the right vibe that we’re seeking,” Pelson says. “You could be on Mars one minute, in the desert the next. A lot of times it’s literally just what the artist brings with them in terms of their look and feel that we put up on a massive scale.”

A third space, referred to as the A Lot, is a 3,500-capacity outdoor space akin to a festival grounds, which has hosted artists including Avenged Sevenfold. Upcoming events include a cannabis-themed Area 4/20 event, headlined by Belgian dubstep duo Ganja White Night — although cannabis use is not permitted onsite.

“And then we’re converting a parking lot that we call the west lot into a 10,000- to 15,000- person event space for the rare but really large events we’ve done,” Pelson said, mentioning iHeartRadio events and private events as examples. “We’re expanding. We’re about 300,000 square feet indoors and expanding another 300,000 square feet.” He said one potential is for the massives to become multi-stage events including outdoor space, which could happen in time for the Halloween event.

With around 3.5 million visitors entering the property per year, which offers free entry to those just wanting to stop by and see what’s going on, Pelson says Area 15 is able to build lasting relationships with locals and tourists alike, serving fans who may be looking for something different in Las Vegas, not competing with the Strip. 

“We’ve done a really good job at introducing  opportunities to a lot of those artists that I think felt like Las Vegas didn’t really have a forum for them,” said Pelson, mentioning Noah Kessler, head of events and entertainment at Area 15. 

“We’re not afraid to take chances and we have the venues to do it. If someone comes in there and they sell 75 tickets, it’s OK. They’re getting exposed to it, they’re starting to build an audience. We’re not 100% dependent on our ticket sales. It’s getting thousands and thousands and thousands of people in the building that makes the big difference to us.”