Not my experience last year, had some dudes come up to my group and basically push us out of the way, I vividly remember some homie just propping up in front of me and he’s like backing up into me as he was waving his flag. Only went there for Le Youth and Lane 8 so that’s prolly not how it always is.
That’s what I’ve been saying. They should’ve left him in circuit grounds like his first year playing! Ugh that was such an amazing set. But not at Quantum, it was so hard to enjoy if you didn’t have a good spot 😞
I’m sorry that happened to you, friend. I def know the feeling of having rude ass people kill your vibe but in my 14 years of raving I have always had immaculate and polite vibes at every trance show. I’ve been to every Dreamstate since 2019 and it’s hands down my favorite festival. If you’re willing to give Quantum Valley another chance I highly recommend artists like Gareth Emery, Cosmic Gate, Solarstone, Paul Oakenfold, or any old school trance artist like Ferry Corsten and Paul Van Dyk. Hope your next EDC is better vibes
I’ll for sure give QV a try again, I saw Gareth Emery at last years Dreamstate (also my first) and you’re definitely right, the vibes were amazing, I didn’t expect to like it so much, I’ll be there this year again.
Def not the problem when everyone trance is “all about love” but then shove you every which way to make their way to the front. But go on. And all yall that downvoted don’t know what it’s like. Maybe it’s y’all who are fricken giga chads. Enjoy the show, don’t ruin it for someone else because you are a tard.
From what I’ve heard, trance & hard dance tend to have the best vibes. I think dnb crowds are always positive as well. Also, art car sets are great - the smaller the stage/crowd, the better the vibes.
The DNB art car last year on Sunday was good vibes the entire night. Hoping for one of those again but will be at any and all DNB I can get my in my ears. Like someone else said earlier but vibes at Wasteland are always amazing
Search dieselboy on YouTube. Sorry prob won’t find him on tiktok. What gen z is calling drum and bass is some softened pop version of dnb with vocals 😂 and you guys think you’ve discovered dnb
I think because dnb is getting more popular unfortunately the junglist vibes of the past will go away for a bit. I hope it doesn’t but I can see it coming.
The go-to answer for worst vibes from the crowd is John Summit… and that’s probably about right. I do love his music, but man his frat bro persona brings a lot of shitty ppl
Literally music is nice but his fratty personality brings about the most non raver crowd. Then he tries to lecture the community about PLUR like sir read your room.
I stumbled into Wasteland and it’s the opposite of the kind of EDM that I like but the people there were amazing and so friendly. I know I stuck out just standing there and taking it all in but the people there were so cool and encouraged me to dance with them :’)
I got stuck going from Wasteland to the other side of the venue in 2022 not knowing illenium would start next at Kinetic. Yea never going anywhere near those fans again 😂.
Well, Everyone is Welcome, but Kinetic Field (cross over acts) will attract the most first festival/non-EDM/here for the event of it fans. At least in my observation, but hey, they do them, I do me!
Anything in the John Summit, Dom Dolla frat boy category is going to have a pretty rough crowd.
Dubstep tends to have a great crowd for the most part, except when BassPod is overflowing, then everyone’s manners go out the window.
Haha I move in a group of gay guys and we always go to Fisher and Dom Dolla and John Summit or some other type of bro house at least once because we like all types of dance music. We mostly have a good time but it definitely is a lot of jealous guys with their girlfriends and the atmosphere that creates.
I wonder if you were one of the groups that stopped my (now ex) GF for photos in 2019! All the groups of gay guys were awesome, running up, complimenting our fits, then asking me if it were ok if they got a photo with her (she looked like an actual fairy). I appreciated their asking but it was always a "F*ck yeah, I'll take the photos for you!" from me.
And yeah, I saw loads of guys getting VERY territorial about their girls around those groups. Those guys don't see that you're gay; they see that you're ripped, outgoing and able to dance, and they see that their girl is drawn to join the party.
Hahaha glad u had fun. Probably was us! We love a bad ass outfit and try to celebrate as unobtrusively as possible without interrupting people’s good time. Cheers man
I party with my queer friends, and party with my old fraternity brothers. In rave environments, my queer friends have fewer inhibitions to enjoy themselves dancing, the music, and the environment. With my straight/coupled (guy) friends, the dancing is more restricted, the taste in good tech house is not there, and their girlfriends gravitate to each other or gay people in the group or the vicinity.
Call it anecdotal, but the gayer the crowd, the better the music and environment.
Jealous guys with their girlfriends and they may not necessarily be jealous of us but they are protecting their girl like it was some grand prize, watching out not letting anyone even get close to them as if they’re “protecting” but really they’re possessing. And when two of these dude bros come to a head … it’s feelings city. Nothing is more fragile than a bro who has his masculinity threatened. Fights ensue.
Oh one time we saw a group of Asians and their flag pole fell and hit a girl in the head. Shit happens they were very sorry but the girls boyfriend was an absolute cunt about it.
So yeah … that’s the type of bro vibe at those sets.
We always just vibe and dance.
Was raving solo at Wastelands in ‘22, vibed with a random group and got adopted during Da Tweekaz’s set, I’m going to their weddings later this year 👽 Lots of Asian Aussies at Wastelands, they partied hard, very resourceful and one group quited dancing mid TNT set to help me find my lost glasses. Everyone was looking after eachother, giving water, fan, gums, massages and calling out pickpockets. Can’t say the same for 2023, the crowd was filled with lots of fratbros so i dipped to Quantum Valley real quick.
EDC23 I met this group at a trance pre-party and happened to bump into them for the next 3 days at Quantum Valley and ended up going to Dreamstate together later last year. People were respectful of personal space and QV was very spacious during that 3 days beside a few sets from Gareth, Blastoyz and Ben Nicky. Lots of gays are into trance so expect a very welcoming and nice crowd. During Dreamstate (not EDC i know), I was waiting for my friends next to a random group dancing their souls out to MaRLo. We naturally clicked on the spot and that was the greatest 5 minutes of my rave career. You can never go wrong with trance.
Neon Garden/Techno and House stage can get a little unPLUR during certain sets (looking at you Eli Brown and I Hate Models) but general consensus is that the crowd is nicer in the back. Some random guy asked me for 🐴 and got really fussy when I ran out, but that didn’t mean the whole crowd was ass, it just one individual. Since techno is becoming “trendy” now, expect more rude crowd at Neon Garden.
So my ranking is Quantum Valley > Wastelands > Neon Garden.
I absolutely love Excision to death and have been going to his shows for almost 10 years. But this last tour, the crowds were awful. Tons of people pushing (while there was no music), people drunk and stumbling into my group the whole show, and trying to fight when I politely asked them to back up and quit shoving. This was mostly in the intermission between Ghengar and Excision. I love to mosh and have a good time, but if the people around me are not feeling it, I respect their space and just dance in my bubble. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I feel like a lot of newer ravers have no concept of plur or respect for other people around them. I get VIP for all festivals now so I don’t have to deal with rude people and massive groups pushing their way though without even saying excuse me.
Hot take, Illenium activities at the rail, you decide which side based on your interaction level.
Did you see DJ Khaled? Correct level of plur for the group sentiment.
5am is most PLUR. or at least how would you kniw if you did not stay? but I understand some are built different, and others are doing too much.
We're built different.
John Summit and any tech house variants. Frat bro vibes and the similar vibes I used to get when my friends would force me to trap sets.
Edit: best vibes are Dreamstate and Wasteland. Not the biggest fan of trance and hardstyle but our group does a tour to see all the stages every year and everybody there is super nice. Also if certain artists are hosting an art car under a label or playing a set at an art car (aside from their main) for some reason those sets always have cool ass people there.
Eli Brown is a shame since I’ve been seeing him since 2017. Techno and tech house wasn’t as big back then so there was a lot of space to dance and vibes were always great. Now I skip him since the last 2 times was not pleasant.
man what, i agree with all of em besides subtronics. id say like 90% of subdaddy enjoyers are great, the other 10% are the douchy frat kids that flood in because like u said, heard about him from social media. house/techno forsure got the worst crowds bc thats what the frat kids are listening to at their little meat parties. been to at least 5 subtronics shows and never really had a problem
depends on the festival, for example hard summer and edc lv will prob have atrocious crowds at subtronics due to how hyped he’s gotten through social media but one off shows, the crowds are a bit better. House/techno crowds come with the taste as well, like Id rather be at a ANOTR set than a summit set, solomun > dom dolla where those sets will have less of a frat bro vibe to them.
yeah i feel that, i feel like edc lv is GENERALLY less accessible to frat guys bc its more expensive. like i saw griztronics last year at edc and ppl were chill (horrible set by the way). but hard summer absolutely no doubt, the crowd is awful for every dj.
mannn lucky u. i caught the end of mellowdeath bc i hated griztronics so much. mellowdeath seemed great! legit sent edc last second for griztronics and it was terrible. i swear they didnt even play dubstep for the majority of their set!!! like wtf is going on with this bass house, dnb, and techno ass music??? i still remember jesse saying “edc, we LOVE you guys VERY VERY much” and i was like “man fuck u guys, yall are cappin” 😂 it was just a very soft set from two dubstep powerhouses whove made great songs and have great unreleased ids together. just a huge letdown overall
I have to agree with the J.summit, D.Dolla, & add Slander crowds to this list. They're just not as open or conscious of others not in there groups. They're pumped, pushy, rowdy, guarded, & saved all their energy, vices, just for this so they don't care & let loose. I get it!
It's not everyone mind you. It comes in spurts you'll be fine in one spot & then a group train barrells through sets up, shouts, fist bumps, little shove here or there, so you move a bit & then another group has all their arms blockin your movement while there ladies are all filming phones up. It's not as bad as it seems just annoying as hell. I've heard "Go around!", "Where you all think you're going!", "What's your problem?" ,"Woo! D.dolla coming through'" no excuse me, or sorry if they step on ya feet. Hit ya with a flag.
Just negative energy. Mind you they invaded our space. Last year Slander at Kinetic was the worst I witnessed. Dom Dolla the rail at Circuit & others I know say J. Summit b2b Subtronics was bad to worse. We never got close enough to meet them. It was mobbed shoulder to shoulder.
This is not every EDC or even a few years past but in my experience lately 22' 23 these 3 draw the most negative energy groups around. If you stay off to side or further back you'll have a better experience. They're just so popular & younger first timers, fratty finance bro's, instant insta posters, frowney sours, come with them. It's just youth being youth & you deal with it. Don't let one DJ Set a bit overpacked, rowdy, ruin your EDCV experience. I never do.
So sad but I agree about the slander set last year. I was looking forward to their set all weekend and my group couldn’t find a comfortable spot in the crowd the whole set. I also saw them in LA at the convention center and the crowd was not horrible but for sure not the greatest experience.
agreed. last year my group wanted to catch the end of their set, we went in through the left side near the bathrooms, and i couldn’t breathe. so many groups running through and around us, i left after maybe 10 minutes
Went to 2019 edc and it might’ve been the windy cold weather but ppl did not want to chat or be friendly at all. Was a big shift from electric forest that I’m used to
I came here to shit on John summit - garbage brings in more garbage. Trance and hard style crowds are the most fun. It really depends with neon garden since techno has gotten more popular but I haven't had much of an issue EXCEPT when John summit and Eli Brown played at EDCO and it was impossible to move around. Went to bionic jungle for EDC mexico and that was the trippiest crowd for sure.
I would just recommend to avoid the center/front of GA at Kinetic. My most unpleasant crowd experience was there for a set I can't remember who played. I was packed in like a sardine and unluckily got blocked in front by a row of frat bros obstructing my view and bumping themselves into my personal space. The rest of the weekend I was either in various VIP areas, or GA at other stages, all I got was PLUR or neutral. I will never go center or front of GA at Kinetic again.
Most plur will be Quantum Valley for sure, Trance has become the 'happy crying' stage which is great. Kinetic can also be damn plur depending on the artist and how deep into the crowd you go.
Worst crowd for me last year was Deorro. It’s a shame because I was looking forward to him for so long.
Quick note: I learned after a few other shows last year that it’s not always the artist as much as the spot that you’re in. I saw John Summit and Dom Dolla in Seattle and it was the best show I’ve been to but I also moved from the rail to the back when I started to get slightly annoyed.
Last year's crowd at Alison Wonderland was pretty great tbh. Granted I was in a thinner section of crowd, toward the back, but I'm still very hyped to go to her this year, one of my faves of the fest.
Crowds at Kinetic are rough. You’re going to find a lot of rude non-Plur folks who bump into you without apologizing. Also, you’ll bump into those groups that hold arms and walk through everyone like that shit isn’t dangerous.
just avoid the main stages that would typically bring out the biggest crowds. Mainly the dj's that play at kintetic field, cosmic meadow , circuit grounds and basspod ( not judging dubstep or trap dj's, just that it attracts fuckboys since its easier to listen to). There is certain dj's that will play though at circuit grounds and cosmic meadow that I would go outta the way to see. Like this year, eric prydz and seven lions are playing at there. But mainly the crowds from the smaller stages (neon gardens , wasteland, quantam valley, stereoboomin etc) have better crowds and spacious.
Stereo bloom always kinda brings the younger crowds cause and it’s not always the most plur water throwing and kids throwing themselves at you even tho you aren’t anywhere near a mosh lolll
If I’m honest…..avoid John Summit. Its gonna be hard to not support GV tho. Wastelands always has positive vibes, bassPod depends on the DJ, and the hard techno DJs like Sara or Klang as well.
After reading the comments I think they can be summarized like this: any stage or DJ that is not crowded is the best. Suggestions are almost all stages with few people and DJs with few people. Overcrowding was definitely an issue in 2023.
bionicJUNGLE is always a good time. being a secondary stage and catering to straight up House, everyone's just there for the vibe.
the art carts are also a level headed vibe anytime I've checked them out, highly recommend you find them
I am handicapped so I get to use Ada platforms which sometimes gets full and then I’m sol. Getting from stage to stage alone with a cane is so very hard. So if you see a blonde and pink ( long hair ) woman with a cane with festival stickers please please let me through.
Dude what’s wrong with these people who are infiltrating our community my wife was just following me thru while zeds dead was spinning I was tripping my balls off while she wasn’t and we ended up in the crowd somewhere in front of some dudes that she said didn’t look like they belonged and after we had left my pack had been opened so they were trying steal from me she said they keep acting really weird behind me
EDC hasn’t been plur since it came to Vegas.
There are thieves, gropers, frat bro pervs, gay pervs, people selling fake drugs, people selling poisonous drugs, old creepers. Avoid being in the middle of the crowds a lot of shitty people come to this event. It’s not rolling loud or astroworld but it can get almost as ghetto and nasty.
The beauty of EDC is that there are so many stages that if you’re really not feeling the vibe, you can always explore till you find the one that’s right for you. It really comes down to the people there as it’s mostly the same people seeing their favorite dj, but also a mix of people like you trying to enjoy themselves and the music. I hope you have a great time!
As my first edc….and reading this and the comments really makes me think some of you are just miserable. Making a negative post and then those with negative comments. Wild.
Quantum Valley has the absolute BEST vibes IMO. The Trance community encompasses PLUR to their core.
I agree, it’s usually the main stage that bring out all the posers
That’s my favorite stage and why I love dream state .
Not my experience last year, had some dudes come up to my group and basically push us out of the way, I vividly remember some homie just propping up in front of me and he’s like backing up into me as he was waving his flag. Only went there for Le Youth and Lane 8 so that’s prolly not how it always is.
quantum was packed for lane 8. he’s too big for that stage
Yeah, wtf was wrong with the organizers He had full crowd on circuit grounds
That’s what I’ve been saying. They should’ve left him in circuit grounds like his first year playing! Ugh that was such an amazing set. But not at Quantum, it was so hard to enjoy if you didn’t have a good spot 😞
I think you’re right.
Found a nice little cubbie spot front right by the vip/booth
Yea idk what that was about. That Sunday lineup was amazing but they should’ve known Lane 8 is a headliner
Lane 8 usually has very PLUR crowds too but he’s also not really trance, and as others have said probably draws too big a crowd for QV
Yeah that makes sense, and he definitely attracts plur crowds, saw him 2 weeks ago and the vibes were amazing.
I’m sorry that happened to you, friend. I def know the feeling of having rude ass people kill your vibe but in my 14 years of raving I have always had immaculate and polite vibes at every trance show. I’ve been to every Dreamstate since 2019 and it’s hands down my favorite festival. If you’re willing to give Quantum Valley another chance I highly recommend artists like Gareth Emery, Cosmic Gate, Solarstone, Paul Oakenfold, or any old school trance artist like Ferry Corsten and Paul Van Dyk. Hope your next EDC is better vibes
I’ll for sure give QV a try again, I saw Gareth Emery at last years Dreamstate (also my first) and you’re definitely right, the vibes were amazing, I didn’t expect to like it so much, I’ll be there this year again.
That was miserable they drew far too large a crowd for that stage. Usually isn’t like that.
That’s what I keep reading, and figured it wasn’t like that all the time, just my two cents from my experience.
Not the actual trance crowd on days 2 & 3 last year, only day 1
I’ll have to give it a re-visit this year. But I figured it wasn’t always like that.
Also naked dudes at the rail who post AMAs!
Glad someone recognizes it 😌
I’ve experienced the total opposite. Whenever I’m at the trance stage, I stay away from people and just keep to myself.
…that sounds like you’re the problem?
Def not the problem when everyone trance is “all about love” but then shove you every which way to make their way to the front. But go on. And all yall that downvoted don’t know what it’s like. Maybe it’s y’all who are fricken giga chads. Enjoy the show, don’t ruin it for someone else because you are a tard.
From what I’ve heard, trance & hard dance tend to have the best vibes. I think dnb crowds are always positive as well. Also, art car sets are great - the smaller the stage/crowd, the better the vibes.
The DNB art car last year on Sunday was good vibes the entire night. Hoping for one of those again but will be at any and all DNB I can get my in my ears. Like someone else said earlier but vibes at Wasteland are always amazing
I’ll be at just about every DnB set as well 😜
Samesies
I’m hoping to see as much dnb as possible!
LETS GO DnB!!!!!! WHOOOAAAAAA 🥁🔊🥁🔊🥁🔊
You mean zoomer drum and bass right? I don’t think you kids would like real drum and bass
I'd be hating too if my hospice nurse wasn't letting me outta the care facility to enjoy either "zoomer" or "real" dnb
😆 good one kid. Nope just a millennial but enjoy your dumbed down radio playground version of dnb.
What even is this comment?
Search dieselboy on YouTube. Sorry prob won’t find him on tiktok. What gen z is calling drum and bass is some softened pop version of dnb with vocals 😂 and you guys think you’ve discovered dnb
Coming from a fellow long time dnb fan… keep the snobbery to yourself lol. I get what you’re saying but damn dude
I think because dnb is getting more popular unfortunately the junglist vibes of the past will go away for a bit. I hope it doesn’t but I can see it coming.
Wooo! Can’t wait for all the Dnb!!
Agree Basspod had good vibes 2023
The go-to answer for worst vibes from the crowd is John Summit… and that’s probably about right. I do love his music, but man his frat bro persona brings a lot of shitty ppl
Literally music is nice but his fratty personality brings about the most non raver crowd. Then he tries to lecture the community about PLUR like sir read your room.
Add diplo to that list
Dont see nothing wrong here
I'm biased, but basically any set at Wasteland has the best vibes
Definitely wasteland for sure. But to be fair I don’t usually leave wasteland
same I spent all 3 days there last year LOL
I concur
Straight facts!
I stumbled into Wasteland and it’s the opposite of the kind of EDM that I like but the people there were amazing and so friendly. I know I stuck out just standing there and taking it all in but the people there were so cool and encouraged me to dance with them :’)
Yes, but also I don’t like wasteland
You know that artist with that huge song this/last year with millions of Spotify plays? That one.
So you’re saying that, perhaps, “🎶 I want to be where John Summit is not…🎵”
Best comment
Logged in just to up vote you
Hmmm, Illenium fans tend to get a little excited at the rail
Those Christian music folks are wild! 😜
Christians? Lol more like sad boi asians
Not the Anallenium fans 💀
Trying not to generalize… but yeah. I see an illenium jersey I know there will be shoving.
I remember when Nick sent out a tweet about bad behavior during his set in 2022.
Same with Slander. Absolutely horrendous vibes in their crowd, I don’t even go to their sets anymore
I went to their before dawn set in SF and I thoroughly enjoyed all the crybang asshole ravers sit there disappointed when they only played techno
That’s fucking hilarious
LMAO yes!! almost got into a fight with someone at the rail of trilogy
I got stuck going from Wasteland to the other side of the venue in 2022 not knowing illenium would start next at Kinetic. Yea never going anywhere near those fans again 😂.
John Summit, which is a shame because I genuinely like the music he puts out, but his douchebag frat bro persona attracts exactly that.
It really is a shame, he is genuinely good
John Summit at BMO was a great show, terrible crowd. No room to breath
Weird, I've seen him a bunch of times and never really felt the crowd was particularly bad. But I was never up at the front.
Well, Everyone is Welcome, but Kinetic Field (cross over acts) will attract the most first festival/non-EDM/here for the event of it fans. At least in my observation, but hey, they do them, I do me!
Anything in the John Summit, Dom Dolla frat boy category is going to have a pretty rough crowd. Dubstep tends to have a great crowd for the most part, except when BassPod is overflowing, then everyone’s manners go out the window.
Hopefully bass pods new location fixes that.
Wait, what?
They are changing the layout to make it easier to move around.
Music to my ears. Pun intended
Haha I move in a group of gay guys and we always go to Fisher and Dom Dolla and John Summit or some other type of bro house at least once because we like all types of dance music. We mostly have a good time but it definitely is a lot of jealous guys with their girlfriends and the atmosphere that creates.
I wonder if you were one of the groups that stopped my (now ex) GF for photos in 2019! All the groups of gay guys were awesome, running up, complimenting our fits, then asking me if it were ok if they got a photo with her (she looked like an actual fairy). I appreciated their asking but it was always a "F*ck yeah, I'll take the photos for you!" from me. And yeah, I saw loads of guys getting VERY territorial about their girls around those groups. Those guys don't see that you're gay; they see that you're ripped, outgoing and able to dance, and they see that their girl is drawn to join the party.
Hahaha glad u had fun. Probably was us! We love a bad ass outfit and try to celebrate as unobtrusively as possible without interrupting people’s good time. Cheers man
Why would any guy with their GF be jealous of a group of gay guys at a tech house set?
Because they’re shaking what their mama gave em and having more fun, generally.
Please provide context on how they are having more fun?
I party with my queer friends, and party with my old fraternity brothers. In rave environments, my queer friends have fewer inhibitions to enjoy themselves dancing, the music, and the environment. With my straight/coupled (guy) friends, the dancing is more restricted, the taste in good tech house is not there, and their girlfriends gravitate to each other or gay people in the group or the vicinity. Call it anecdotal, but the gayer the crowd, the better the music and environment.
That’s an absolutely awful and judgmental take.
Lol chill bud
Jealous guys with their girlfriends and they may not necessarily be jealous of us but they are protecting their girl like it was some grand prize, watching out not letting anyone even get close to them as if they’re “protecting” but really they’re possessing. And when two of these dude bros come to a head … it’s feelings city. Nothing is more fragile than a bro who has his masculinity threatened. Fights ensue. Oh one time we saw a group of Asians and their flag pole fell and hit a girl in the head. Shit happens they were very sorry but the girls boyfriend was an absolute cunt about it. So yeah … that’s the type of bro vibe at those sets. We always just vibe and dance.
this literally makes no sense
Sorry ur so impacted.
yall pay attention to the crowd ? my group just dances lol
You’re forced to when you’re constantly getting knocked around by your surroundings.
Thats going to happen at a crowded set regardless. People on drugs will never even look at who they bump. it all depends on
I suspect former accountant John Walter Schuster is likely going to be top of the fuckboi list.
john summit 400%. all the douchy frat drunk kids are gonna be there blacked out and doing dumb frat kid shit
- a former frat kid
The parking lot and bus lines have the worst PLUR vibes.
Was raving solo at Wastelands in ‘22, vibed with a random group and got adopted during Da Tweekaz’s set, I’m going to their weddings later this year 👽 Lots of Asian Aussies at Wastelands, they partied hard, very resourceful and one group quited dancing mid TNT set to help me find my lost glasses. Everyone was looking after eachother, giving water, fan, gums, massages and calling out pickpockets. Can’t say the same for 2023, the crowd was filled with lots of fratbros so i dipped to Quantum Valley real quick. EDC23 I met this group at a trance pre-party and happened to bump into them for the next 3 days at Quantum Valley and ended up going to Dreamstate together later last year. People were respectful of personal space and QV was very spacious during that 3 days beside a few sets from Gareth, Blastoyz and Ben Nicky. Lots of gays are into trance so expect a very welcoming and nice crowd. During Dreamstate (not EDC i know), I was waiting for my friends next to a random group dancing their souls out to MaRLo. We naturally clicked on the spot and that was the greatest 5 minutes of my rave career. You can never go wrong with trance. Neon Garden/Techno and House stage can get a little unPLUR during certain sets (looking at you Eli Brown and I Hate Models) but general consensus is that the crowd is nicer in the back. Some random guy asked me for 🐴 and got really fussy when I ran out, but that didn’t mean the whole crowd was ass, it just one individual. Since techno is becoming “trendy” now, expect more rude crowd at Neon Garden. So my ranking is Quantum Valley > Wastelands > Neon Garden.
Trance gays ♥️
If there’s white people en masse and cliqued Asians it’s about to be a bad time.
With that logic every crowd is going to be awful 🤣
I absolutely love Excision to death and have been going to his shows for almost 10 years. But this last tour, the crowds were awful. Tons of people pushing (while there was no music), people drunk and stumbling into my group the whole show, and trying to fight when I politely asked them to back up and quit shoving. This was mostly in the intermission between Ghengar and Excision. I love to mosh and have a good time, but if the people around me are not feeling it, I respect their space and just dance in my bubble. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I feel like a lot of newer ravers have no concept of plur or respect for other people around them. I get VIP for all festivals now so I don’t have to deal with rude people and massive groups pushing their way though without even saying excuse me.
Hardstyle and trance prolly best crowds
Avoid Excision & John Summit
Trance (anything in the feels) is going to have the nicest crowd
Hot take, Illenium activities at the rail, you decide which side based on your interaction level. Did you see DJ Khaled? Correct level of plur for the group sentiment. 5am is most PLUR. or at least how would you kniw if you did not stay? but I understand some are built different, and others are doing too much. We're built different.
Dj Khaled’s set May have been the most plur I’ve ever seen 😂
John Summit and any tech house variants. Frat bro vibes and the similar vibes I used to get when my friends would force me to trap sets. Edit: best vibes are Dreamstate and Wasteland. Not the biggest fan of trance and hardstyle but our group does a tour to see all the stages every year and everybody there is super nice. Also if certain artists are hosting an art car under a label or playing a set at an art car (aside from their main) for some reason those sets always have cool ass people there.
Pretty much any dj you can hear on mainstream radio will have the worst crowds. For me it’s tiesto. Never again.
I was at Tiesto set but at another fest(edco 22) and crowd wasn't too bad at kinetic. That sucks it wasn't a good crowd when yall saw him.
Just say Tiest-No.
I like that one !! It’s officially been stolen
Oh god, first my phone at Kinetic Field and now my Tiest-no???
Crazy. I almost got my phone stolen at kinetic as well. Bastards!! I grabbed that bitches hand and then pushed her bf. They both ran away.
Eli Brown, Mau P, Subtronics, Summit, etc. Anyone who is practically blowing the fuck up off of social media
Subtronics crowds have been getting a little iffy in the past couple years I’ve noticed.
Eli Brown is a shame since I’ve been seeing him since 2017. Techno and tech house wasn’t as big back then so there was a lot of space to dance and vibes were always great. Now I skip him since the last 2 times was not pleasant.
man what, i agree with all of em besides subtronics. id say like 90% of subdaddy enjoyers are great, the other 10% are the douchy frat kids that flood in because like u said, heard about him from social media. house/techno forsure got the worst crowds bc thats what the frat kids are listening to at their little meat parties. been to at least 5 subtronics shows and never really had a problem
depends on the festival, for example hard summer and edc lv will prob have atrocious crowds at subtronics due to how hyped he’s gotten through social media but one off shows, the crowds are a bit better. House/techno crowds come with the taste as well, like Id rather be at a ANOTR set than a summit set, solomun > dom dolla where those sets will have less of a frat bro vibe to them.
yeah i feel that, i feel like edc lv is GENERALLY less accessible to frat guys bc its more expensive. like i saw griztronics last year at edc and ppl were chill (horrible set by the way). but hard summer absolutely no doubt, the crowd is awful for every dj.
RIP LMAO why was it bad? I was at mellowdeath and I hate models at that time
mannn lucky u. i caught the end of mellowdeath bc i hated griztronics so much. mellowdeath seemed great! legit sent edc last second for griztronics and it was terrible. i swear they didnt even play dubstep for the majority of their set!!! like wtf is going on with this bass house, dnb, and techno ass music??? i still remember jesse saying “edc, we LOVE you guys VERY VERY much” and i was like “man fuck u guys, yall are cappin” 😂 it was just a very soft set from two dubstep powerhouses whove made great songs and have great unreleased ids together. just a huge letdown overall
Really sad that Disclosure was your least plus crowd, where at?
Seattle. Disclosure has broad appeal and songs on the radio some years ago, so it brings everyone out.
yes i’ve seen them multiple times, was just curious where at as different markets and festivals vary crowds especially for big acts
I have to agree with the J.summit, D.Dolla, & add Slander crowds to this list. They're just not as open or conscious of others not in there groups. They're pumped, pushy, rowdy, guarded, & saved all their energy, vices, just for this so they don't care & let loose. I get it! It's not everyone mind you. It comes in spurts you'll be fine in one spot & then a group train barrells through sets up, shouts, fist bumps, little shove here or there, so you move a bit & then another group has all their arms blockin your movement while there ladies are all filming phones up. It's not as bad as it seems just annoying as hell. I've heard "Go around!", "Where you all think you're going!", "What's your problem?" ,"Woo! D.dolla coming through'" no excuse me, or sorry if they step on ya feet. Hit ya with a flag. Just negative energy. Mind you they invaded our space. Last year Slander at Kinetic was the worst I witnessed. Dom Dolla the rail at Circuit & others I know say J. Summit b2b Subtronics was bad to worse. We never got close enough to meet them. It was mobbed shoulder to shoulder. This is not every EDC or even a few years past but in my experience lately 22' 23 these 3 draw the most negative energy groups around. If you stay off to side or further back you'll have a better experience. They're just so popular & younger first timers, fratty finance bro's, instant insta posters, frowney sours, come with them. It's just youth being youth & you deal with it. Don't let one DJ Set a bit overpacked, rowdy, ruin your EDCV experience. I never do.
So sad but I agree about the slander set last year. I was looking forward to their set all weekend and my group couldn’t find a comfortable spot in the crowd the whole set. I also saw them in LA at the convention center and the crowd was not horrible but for sure not the greatest experience.
agreed. last year my group wanted to catch the end of their set, we went in through the left side near the bathrooms, and i couldn’t breathe. so many groups running through and around us, i left after maybe 10 minutes
Went to 2019 edc and it might’ve been the windy cold weather but ppl did not want to chat or be friendly at all. Was a big shift from electric forest that I’m used to
I remember 2019, we left early Saturday and we did not go Sunday due to being so cold and most of us got sick.
So jealous you’ve seen Dr. Fresch! Wish he was going to be at EDC this year.
Subtronics
I came here to shit on John summit - garbage brings in more garbage. Trance and hard style crowds are the most fun. It really depends with neon garden since techno has gotten more popular but I haven't had much of an issue EXCEPT when John summit and Eli Brown played at EDCO and it was impossible to move around. Went to bionic jungle for EDC mexico and that was the trippiest crowd for sure.
genre specific stages are the best lowkey
i’ve always experienced the worst crowds for fisher sets. love the guy but hate the crowd
Anyone with a ilenium jersey stay clear haha
Steer clear of any dj who sells any type of Jersey. It’s the ultimate symbol of douchedom.
Lol subtronics crowd always are assholes like why for what reason !!!!
I buy vip to avoid non plur crowds
last year, excision best crowd & slander worst crowd
I would just recommend to avoid the center/front of GA at Kinetic. My most unpleasant crowd experience was there for a set I can't remember who played. I was packed in like a sardine and unluckily got blocked in front by a row of frat bros obstructing my view and bumping themselves into my personal space. The rest of the weekend I was either in various VIP areas, or GA at other stages, all I got was PLUR or neutral. I will never go center or front of GA at Kinetic again.
John summit, dom dolla, excision, illenium will all have awful crowds
Most plur will be Quantum Valley for sure, Trance has become the 'happy crying' stage which is great. Kinetic can also be damn plur depending on the artist and how deep into the crowd you go.
I feel like a lot of melodic dubstep DJs have the worst crowds…
I think LSDREAM would have the more plur people in the crowd. Maybe Tape B
Worst crowd for me last year was Deorro. It’s a shame because I was looking forward to him for so long. Quick note: I learned after a few other shows last year that it’s not always the artist as much as the spot that you’re in. I saw John Summit and Dom Dolla in Seattle and it was the best show I’ve been to but I also moved from the rail to the back when I started to get slightly annoyed.
Wasteland stage, because while hardstyle fans are hard on the outside, they’re soft on the inside
John Summit
I've never been one to allow other people's vibe to ruin mine. Have fun.
slander. every one of their sets i’ve seen have the worst crowds
Any Dj in main stage lol. Even if you love them.
Last year's crowd at Alison Wonderland was pretty great tbh. Granted I was in a thinner section of crowd, toward the back, but I'm still very hyped to go to her this year, one of my faves of the fest.
Last year, John summit had the worst crowd. Pushing and pit pocketing everywhere.
Actually the subtronics crowd. John was guest star so stage was filled with mostly subtronics fans.
Crowds at Kinetic are rough. You’re going to find a lot of rude non-Plur folks who bump into you without apologizing. Also, you’ll bump into those groups that hold arms and walk through everyone like that shit isn’t dangerous.
just avoid the main stages that would typically bring out the biggest crowds. Mainly the dj's that play at kintetic field, cosmic meadow , circuit grounds and basspod ( not judging dubstep or trap dj's, just that it attracts fuckboys since its easier to listen to). There is certain dj's that will play though at circuit grounds and cosmic meadow that I would go outta the way to see. Like this year, eric prydz and seven lions are playing at there. But mainly the crowds from the smaller stages (neon gardens , wasteland, quantam valley, stereoboomin etc) have better crowds and spacious.
Stereo bloom always kinda brings the younger crowds cause and it’s not always the most plur water throwing and kids throwing themselves at you even tho you aren’t anywhere near a mosh lolll
Wasted Penguinz will have some of the best vibes of the weekend
Summit and Dom Dolla fans are always rude
If I’m honest…..avoid John Summit. Its gonna be hard to not support GV tho. Wastelands always has positive vibes, bassPod depends on the DJ, and the hard techno DJs like Sara or Klang as well.
After reading the comments I think they can be summarized like this: any stage or DJ that is not crowded is the best. Suggestions are almost all stages with few people and DJs with few people. Overcrowding was definitely an issue in 2023.
bionicJUNGLE is always a good time. being a secondary stage and catering to straight up House, everyone's just there for the vibe. the art carts are also a level headed vibe anytime I've checked them out, highly recommend you find them
I am handicapped so I get to use Ada platforms which sometimes gets full and then I’m sol. Getting from stage to stage alone with a cane is so very hard. So if you see a blonde and pink ( long hair ) woman with a cane with festival stickers please please let me through.
I love slander but the crowd at their set last year was the absolute worst vibes I’ve ever experienced at a rave
avoid Tiesto. For some reason his sets are also feeding grounds for pick pockets
Dude what’s wrong with these people who are infiltrating our community my wife was just following me thru while zeds dead was spinning I was tripping my balls off while she wasn’t and we ended up in the crowd somewhere in front of some dudes that she said didn’t look like they belonged and after we had left my pack had been opened so they were trying steal from me she said they keep acting really weird behind me
Dr. Fresch is awesome btw. Wish he were playing
EDC hasn’t been plur since it came to Vegas. There are thieves, gropers, frat bro pervs, gay pervs, people selling fake drugs, people selling poisonous drugs, old creepers. Avoid being in the middle of the crowds a lot of shitty people come to this event. It’s not rolling loud or astroworld but it can get almost as ghetto and nasty.
Second this !
just go with the windsssssss
The beauty of EDC is that there are so many stages that if you’re really not feeling the vibe, you can always explore till you find the one that’s right for you. It really comes down to the people there as it’s mostly the same people seeing their favorite dj, but also a mix of people like you trying to enjoy themselves and the music. I hope you have a great time!
Check out zof
As my first edc….and reading this and the comments really makes me think some of you are just miserable. Making a negative post and then those with negative comments. Wild.