In a late-evening post on April 20th, Insomniac founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella provided a much anticipated update on the state of EDC Las Vegas 2021.
I am sorry to say that EDC Las Vegas needs to move to October. I want to thank everyone who has put their heart and soul into this show—the Insomniac team, artists, agents, managers, production crews, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway staff, the government … https://t.co/z2Jhy2gf5K pic.twitter.com/Pqpz9eKbR6
— Pasquale Rotella (@PasqualeRotella) April 21, 2021
Even with the capacity having been significantly reduced to mitigate risk, alongside strict safety protocol, the feat of organizing, producing and executing a festival that would have hosted approximately 70,000 attendees per day under the electric sky in the age of the coronavirus was unfortunately thwarted. After much speculation over the last several months from watchful eyes across dance music, the festival which was planned for the last weekend of May will now take place across October 22nd, 23rd and 24th 2021.
After news broke that the City of Las Vegas denied the initial proposed safety plan for the festival, Insomniac chief Pasqualle Rotella spoke out in length to provide reassurance that a second submission was being drafted in collaboration with city officials. After working alongside local officials on a reasonable event safety plan, which prompted enough organizational confidence to proceed with production, county officials reworked guidelines that have closed the previous path to EDC Las Vegas taking place in May.
Much to the dismay of both fans and Insomniac HQ, the reopening plans of Clarke County, Nevada determined that large scale gatherings can not resume operations until 60% or more of the county population has been fully vaccinated. With this being one variable truly outside of Insomniac’s control, proceeding any further with the May event became ultimately out of the realm of possibility.
EDC Las Vegas was on track be the first large scale festival of its class to return to operation in the United States. As we now set sights towards the third weekend of October, all eyes will certainly be on the developments throughout the year as we head towards the very first edition to take place in the Fall.
Tickets for the event are still formally sold out, and pass holders for the May event have automatically had their tickets transferred to the October rescheduling, although those who either wish to receive refunds or defer their attendance to 2022 are welcome to do so through Insomniac’s ticketing partners.
