One of the best parts of Electric Daisy Carnival is its crowd. The effort and creativity that goes into putting together an EDC-ready outfit amounts to a show of its own. With the EDC-like Jackpot NYE occurring outdoors in Downtown Las Vegas in winter, I was curious to see if those outfits would make an appearance at the event, and they most definitely did. People showed up in sequined coats, LED wings, Pokémon onesies, Demon Slayer fox masks and more. The clubs of the Strip may have seen massive crowds on New Year's Eve, but Jackpot won the night in encouraging originality.
Decked out in rave wear, the crowd was ready for a great night, and this rave provided it. Jackpot brought together some of the biggest DJs of today, including Rezz and Zouk Nightclub resident Deadmau5. (In fact, several DJs in the Jackpot lineup regularly spin on the Strip, such as Deorro, RL Grime and Porter Robinson.) The event spanned two nights, December 30 and 31, each with a unique, seven-DJ lineup.
I attended the first night of Jackpot NYE, December 30, which featured sets from Kill the Noise, Porter Robinson, Ghost Rydr, RL Grime and Deadmau5. Their sets resembled those you might hear at a Strip nightclub, with a combination of original songs and some well-known hits to hype up the crowd.
The sound blasting from the speakers was loud enough to make me grateful I remembered to bring my earplugs, but not so loud that it was blown out. Every programmed drumbeat and sequenced melody was crystal clear. At $150 for a two-day pass ($100 for a single day pass), Jackpot provide some real bang for your buck.
Surprisingly for such a new event—held on New Year's Eve weekend, no less—most everything ran smoothly. It was set up at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, so nearby parking was available at several nearby establishments. Heating lamps were placed throughout the event space to accommodate the cold weather. Bars were plentiful, as were merchandising options: A more-or-less standard merch booth was complemented by Kandies World, a pop-up version of the festival accessories website, that offered rings, bracelets, headbands, masks, fans and more.
There were plenty of bars available on site, as well as a small food court offering pizza, lobster rolls, ice cream, funnel cakes and other tasty treats just off to the left side of the stage, near the exit. However, if there were any hydration stations available, I did not come across them.
The only complaint about Jackpot I've seen in the socials is the event's early ending time: 1 a.m. However, show producer RVLTN Events did team up with Discopussy and Area15 to host late-night afterparties.
Jackpot NYE accomplished two things. It created a fresh New Year's Eve option for tourists and locals alike (although most people I spoke to turned out to be locals), one that doesn’t require a trip to the Strip on one of the most hectic nights of the year. And it'll hold us over until EDC comes around again this May.
