1. Nigel Ficke is back! The “Australian” character hype man with a love for “white, hot beats” is once again on the scene at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, complete with his signature gold pasties and leggings, while unabashedly rocking the dad-bod proving anyone can be sexy with the right amount of confidence.
2. Vegas Golden Knights fans were spotted throughout the festival with team flags, shirts and even VGK-themed kandi to trade. I got to EDC right after the game and was still wearing my custom-designed logo dress, so high-fives and cheers of “Go, Knights, go!” abounded as fans passed each other around the festival, which was made especially sweet by last night’s win.
3. One of the most enjoyable features of EDC is seeing attendees' creativity, from outfits to totems. Specifically on the totem tip, there were so many Rick & Morty ones, EDC could be the “Get Schwifty” festival with the multiple prompts to, “Show me what you got!” Other totem favorites included the Evil Kermit meme (“Me: I should go get water. Me to me: Get closer to the stage) and an emotional, heartfelt collage tribute to the late Avicii.
4. Disposable cameras are still a thing. One fan body-painted like the Cheshire cat was snapping pics old-school style after losing his phone last week. He wasn’t sure where he’d even go to get the snapshots developed, but was having a blast taking shots with no idea what he’d end up with when the film ran out.
5. One of the biggest aesthetic changes is that of the Neon Garden. In keeping with the Insomniac Factory 93 underground brand, the outside of the stage area looking like a warehouse. Fortunately, once passing through the entrance, it was open-air, so at least the old-school problem of too many people dancing didn’t become a hot house with “raver rain” condensing from the ceiling.
