EDC Orlando: Music Festival Culture

Our generation is obsessed with music festivals. Coachella, Ultra, EDC, South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Lolapalooza, TomorrowWorld—there are hundreds of festivals for every music genre. These events feature a multitude of headlining DJ’s and renowned performers, drawing in thousands upon thousands of eager concertgoers.

With such a wide variety to pick from, music festivals have become a culture amongst our generation. It’s a realm entirely it’s own, with it’s own slang and acceptable fashion. When you walk past the gates of security, it’s a different world.

This past weekend I went to EDC Orlando. I bought a ticket as soon as I saw Calvin Harris on the lineup—because I secretly wish he’d dump Taylor Swift and marry me.

Aside from Calvin, there were only a few other DJ’s I’d ever heard of on the lineup, so really, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

I went with a group of people in which the majority had never attended an EDC before. Everyone really didn’t know what to expect, but was prepared to have a good time.

I’d seen photos on Instagram from EDC’s past, girls wearing bedazzled bras and shorts that really don’t qualify as shorts, however seeing these posts online is nothing compared to the real thing. Before I even got out of the car I saw pasties and butt cheeks parading across the parking lot. A girl behind me in the security line was wearing fishnets and a thong. Needless to say, I was amused.

It was like this the entire night. People wearing all kinds of crazy outfits, some so minimal they might as well have not worn anything at all. There were guys in booty shorts; there were girls in ginormous rainbow tutus. There were flower crowns and beaded bracelets everywhere. Literally some of the weirdest stuff I’d ever seen in my life. It put Halloween to shame.

What’s so intriguing about it though, is the fact that literally no one cares. No one cares that you’re more than half naked and covered in glitter. No one cares if you #freethenipple. There’s no judgment; you can just do you.

The mantra of EDC and EDM music in general is PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) and that’s so obvious just looking at the clothes (or lack thereof) of EDC. People go to have a good time, not criticize what you wear. They DGAF.

One thing I was kind of unsure about going in EDC was the drug theme that everyone attaches to music festivals.  Personally, I don’t want anything to do with drugs, but didn’t even present to be a problem while I was there.  A lot of the stigma surrounding these music festivals is often drug related. People think EDC, and think everyone’s on one massive trip. While there are a good amount of people so hopped up on something that they just lay in the grass, that’s not the entirety of the experience. There was sometimes an overwhelmingly obvious scent of weed when you walked through the crowds, and we did occasionally come across someone whose eyes revealed their drug use, but it wasn’t a big deal. This wasn’t something that governed the experience, in my opinion. There was so much more to it than people poppin mollies.

When the sun went down, the lights got bright, and then you truly understand the meaning of ‘under the electric sky’. Standing in front of each of the stages was mesmerizing, lasers and lights bouncing off in every direction, and fireworks shooting off from the top of the stage. The combination of lights and deafening bass was such an unforgettable experience.

You walk through the masses of people bouncing up and down to DJ Snake, some with those gloves with the weird little light up fingers, some swinging LED hula hoops around their waists. Some people are so in their own world, spinning in circles holding on to their fluffy panda hats for dear life. There is just so much going on all at once. The music playing in the background can be heard by everyone, but each person experiences it a different way.

By the time EDC came to a close, I was dead tired. I could barely feel my legs, and my ears were ringing. The walk back to the car felt 10 miles. But once we all sat down and drove off, everyone was in unanimous agreement that the night we spent at EDC was one of the best. Everyone spoke of their favorite DJ’s of the night and replayed their Snapchat stories a hundred times. We looked back at the pictures and videos, but no selfie did it any justice.

At some point in your life, go to a music festival. Whatever your music taste, there’s one out there that you’d more than likely enjoy. I think it’s something to experience at least once. There’s just something about being surrounded by a group of people having a good time, not caring about anything else besides the music blaring from the speakers that makes you feel alive. 

Then after you can make a cute little vid like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRu8Q6IYnDs

Gif 1, Other photos by Rosie Reitze. 

• EDC
• EDM
• music festival