Wondering if you're ready to commit to buying a ticket? Never been to a music festival? You're in the right place. Last year I went to EDC Orlando with my boyfriend, and we had the time of our lives! It wasn't our first festival though, in Tampa we had Sunset Music Fest every May and we'd been to that before, but EDC was our first festival of this size. I was super excited the weeks leading up, buying outfits on Dolls Kill and planning out my makeup...but I also kind of didn't know what to expect.
Then, the day finally came...EDC day 1. It was pretty cold for my skimpy outfit, and the rain that followed didn't help, but EDC really feels like you're on another planet. Between all the art, and attractions, and artists you will have more than enough to do if you're favorite set of the night is finished. Every day of the festival has a completely different vibe, so I recommend getting the 3-day GA pass. No need to go fancy and do upgraded passes unless that's all that's available and you really wanna go, but it's like 8x the price of GA so unless you have cash to blow I wouldn't recommend. Another tip for tickets is to get them as early as possible. I bought my tickets for EDC in June and it was only a $15 down payment and the overall ticket price was lower than what it became in the coming months. The longer you wait, the more you pay for the exact same thing.
My whole EDC experience went fairly smooth, the only problem we ran into was cell service. And no, not because I wanted to upload insta stories...but because when the time comes to order your uber...good luck sweetheart. Nobody had an service any of the nights, so you basically had to stand with the Uber app open and hope for a weird 90 second window when you phone got service and order your car back ASAP. It doesn't matter what carrier you have, nobody's phones worked so don't ignore what I am about to say: if someone is willing to be a DD, it's worth the money to park. You don't need to park with EDC's lots necessarily. Locals own lots right next to the stadium where you can park all night for half price. If nobody is willing to be a DD, write down taxi's numbers in your iPhone notes and call them when you're ready to leave. There were pockets where everyone's phone had bars but not data, so you could make calls! Another option is to schedule your Uber ahead of time, but be sure you're familiar with where you're being picked up (maybe save this for day 2 and 3) because the festival layout can be confusing at first. Also, this advice only applies to EDC Orlando, so if you're going to EDC in another city I can't help you there :(
Another Orlando specific tip - the area where Camping World Stadium is located is not the best so please...if you are wasted and cannot get a ride, do NOT go walk far from the stadium. Wait till you get some service or ask someone else at the festival if they have any taxi's numbers or something.
And my last tip, book your hotel and check for deals. I had some friends pay big bucks to stay in a motel that usually charges only a fourth of what they paid because they knew it was EDC weekend. Meanwhile, I stayed in a nicer hotel than I can usually afford because I used Expedia and didn't get it too far or too close to the event date. Don't book it 6 months in advanced, but also don't wait till 2 weeks out. I booked like a month and a half in advanced and got a great deal on a hotel that was super nice!
If you keep all these tips in mind, EDC will be smooth sailing for ya, and nothing will catch you by surprise.
Until next time, see y'all
Tori