Gusty Winds Make Electric Daisy Carnival a Bust Saturday

Strong winds blew the wind out of the sails of the biggest night of the Electric Daisy Carnival Saturday night. Around 1 a.m., Insomniac Events shut down the shindig in the desert when wind gusts up to 30 mph raised safety concerns at the electronic dance festival. An estimated 90,000 fans scurried for shelter in the bleachers of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With approximately 90,000 fans who have cleared the turnstiles as of 1 a.m. tonight, Insomniac, the producer of Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas asked fans to calmly head to the stands of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as high-winds posed a possible threat to fan safety, says a press release issued at 2:10 a.m.

Calvin Harris was in the midst of his set on the main stage when the show shut down. Tiësto, Avicii and Steve Aoki with the Blue Man Group were just some of the main stage acts that never performed. Even swanky helicopter service at $3,000 a pop shut down.

"Fan safety is Insomniac's highest priority. We cannot control Mother Nature and we are taking every precaution while high winds continue, and have cleared the stage areas temporarily as a preventative measure," said Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac in a press release. "We are asking fans to be patient inside and outside the venue while we evaluate the weather conditions."

Eater Vegas witnessed Rotella saying he was on his way out the door as he edited the press release.

Fans were allowed to remain on the grounds but urged to stay away from the stage area. The main stage even suffered some damage due to the winds. At 5:17 a.m., a second press release stated that, “At 2:45 a.m. Insomniac, the producer of Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas, in consultation with public safety officials, made the decision that due to extremely high wind conditions, the crowd would be cleared away from the stage areas. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution and with fan safety in mind.”

On Sunday, fans with tickets for Saturday only were allowed to return. A fireworks display was added at 10 p.m. Avicii made a special half-hour appearance and Armin van Buuren returned for a second set in addition to his original set late in the morning.
· All Coverage of Electric Daisy Carnival [~ELV~]
Calvin Harris’ set was cut short when 30 mph gusts blew through the Electric Daisy Carnival [Photo: Erik Kabik]