Anyone else feel the shift in culture at this EDC?
I’d consider myself a typical underground raver, and the last major event I attended was EDC 2024. I had an amazing time, and fortunately avoided the disastrous Illenium crowd.
This year, though, I was deeply saddened by the state of the crowd. I usually go with two friends who aren’t as invested in the music, so we’ve had a handful of Kinetic visits over the years. Experiencing the crowd this time was truly heartbreaking. People were treating it like a free-for-all.
After Saturday’s chaotic events (fortunately, I was prepared for JS, so we managed to avoid that as well), we decided to take a break and enjoy Zedd’s set from a distance. (We were so far from the main area that the sound and bass were muffled and yet, it turned into the most insufferable, rude experience I’ve ever had at a rave. People constantly pushed and shoved us, and honestly, it felt deliberate. I moved us to three different spots, but it followed us wherever we went.
Eventually, we managed to relocate to a walled area for some respite, but even there, groups would try to forcibly cut behind us when they had plenty of space in front of us.
I felt terrible for my friend who was rolling. People tried to ruin his videos by intentionally yelling over them and later, some tried to kill his vibe with their words.
Friday was beautiful and PLUR, but Saturday and Sunday were atrocious. It really dampened my experience and my desire to come back.
I’m much more tuned into the underground scene, so I can’t help but wonder if this is the norm for EDC now.
Has it spiraled out of control these past two years because of social media? I get that “mainstream raves” appeal to a wider audience, but it’s hard to call something a rave when the atmosphere and culture are being ignored and, essentially, weaponized.
Am I out of the loop? I know Kinetic Field pulls in the trending top artists and that kind of audience, but man, it was not plur at all.
I will say, shout out to the handful of true ravers who made the effort to include them and trade Kandi. You really did make their day. Thanks for brightening their experience when you could.
I’m very glad to have Friday and those experiences with you all to make sure the whole experience wasn’t sour. 💛
We did have great experiences at other stages; however, it seemed like it was a recurring thing even moving to stages; especially Saturday.
Please share your experience with the crowd this year. Am I expecting too much from such a widely-attended event?