- I am here at EDC Mexico for the very first time.
Let's see how Mexico does festivals.
(electronic dance music)
Here is a sneak peek at what's coming up in this video.
But before I dive into the magic of EDC,
a quick disclaimer.
This was easily one of the most fun weekends of my life,
filled with dancing, screaming my lungs off singing,
and spending time with new and old friends.
So pretty, pretty please,
if this type of experience isn't your cup of tea, I just ask
that you keep your negative Nelly comments to yourself
and don't rain on our parade.
And without further delay, let's start at the beginning
and let the shenanigans begin.
Since I'm currently living in Ajijic, Jalisco,
at Lake Chapala, I took a quick, 90-minute flight
from Guadalajara to Mexico City for 78 US dollars.
The majority of our group
decided to stay in the Selena Hostel
in downtown Mexico City.
I am a really light sleeper,
so instead of having the group room,
I decided to get a private room for $53 a night.
So here is my private room at Selena Hostel.
It's my first time staying here.
This is a very, very spacious room. (laughing happily)
I was like, "Somebody robbed all the furniture!"
I'm just kidding.
And then, oh wow!
I haven't even seen this view yet.
Does this open anymore?
Yup.
Please, don't drop my phone outta here.
Look at this view!
I'm on the fifth floor, so I'm like at the perfect level
to be breathing in all that pollution. (laughing)
Oh well, it is what it is.
So yeah, we've got a couch here, a table, a desk, a bed.
And you know, somewhere to hang up my clothes.
Finally, the bathroom.
Oh, it's pretty nice.
(electronic dance music continues)
Here is the reveal.
Okay, let's turn this around.
A little easier to see this way.
So I got all these bracelets that I made to give to people.
And got my boots.
These boots are semi-made for walking.
And yes, it looks like I'm going to be cold,
but I forgot one thing.
Here we go.
So, yes!
Really quick, gotta point out
that I don't normally wear outfits like this,
but festivals are kinda like Halloween to me
and I just have oodles of fun dressing up.
♪ La-la-la ♪
I am so excited!
And hopefully this will keep me warm.
Maybe.
Or, I'll just have to dance a lot.
Ah!
Before heading out, our group made a quick pit stop at Oxxo
for booze and supplies.
Though as I shared in my recent email newsletter,
I have given up drinking this year,
so I grabbed an energy drink.
And soon enough, it was time to head to the event!
Massive shout-out to Fidel
for coordinating so many things for our group on this trip,
including this transport van
which took us to-and-from EDC all three nights,
for 600 pesos a person.
Naturally, we got all hyped up on the ride over,
dancing like crazy,
and very likely giving our driver a huge headache.
(laughing)
- Whoo!
The totem! (laughing)
- [Fidel] Whoo, whoo!
- Let's go!
Whoo!
- Whoo!
- Ah!
- [Fidel] What up?
Whoo!
- Before going in, we stopped for tacos
because of course all of the venue food is super pricey.
I totally got gringo priced here though.
Everyone paid 35 pesos a taco and mine were 40 pesos each.
But hey, they were very tasty.
It's my old car. (laughing gently)
(electronic dance music continues)
Whoo! (laughing happily)
We're walkin' through a boatload of people now,
but I'm pretty sure
we're about to get to the entrance of EDC!
I'm so freakin' excited.
We were, in fact, not about to get to the entrance.
It was about a 40-minute walk from the van to the entrance.
And I am already starting to regret these boots,
but it's too late to turn back now.
Before getting in there,
there are loads of vendors selling every bit of EDC swag,
and makeup, and everything else you could possibly want.
(electronic dance music continues)
To get inside, there are three layers of security:
metal detectors, a pat down, and a bag check.
Word to the wise, be sure to check their website
for prohibited items like unsealed gum, and ChapStick,
cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs, obviously, and more.
So security to get in here
was way more intense than EDC Las Vegas.
But if you're not bringing anything, down have to worry.
And here, you can buy bracelets
because it's all cashless inside.
So, you load money onto this right here.
Now that we're here, you might be wondering,
"What is all the hullabaloo about?
What exactly is 'EDC'?"
Well, "Electric Daisy Carnival" started back in 1997.
It is the largest electronic dance music festival
in the world, but it's not just here in Mexico.
Vegas actually hosts the largest EDC,
and there are other "EDCs" around the world
that attract international visitors by the thousands.
Strike that, millions.
This event is filled with carnival rides, food, activities,
and the coolest people ever
who just go all out with their hair, and makeup,
costumes, props, literally you name it.
And some of the most famous electronic music DJs
on the planet.
Here's the lineup this year,
which includes people like Martin Garrix, Tiesto,
and dozens more.
I have always been a huge fan of electronic music
for as long as I can remember,
which is the main reason I wanted to come.
(electronic dance music continues)
So, these unique things that you see
sticking up above the masses are called totems.
They're a way for groups to stick together
and find each other in these insane crowds.
They're usually super creative, and oftentimes really funny,
based on memes and other things like that.
(electronic dance music continues)
And you might be thinking, "Well,
why don't people just text each other if they get lost?"
Well, with the 50,000 people or so
that are packed into this area every night,
texts can take hours to go through, if at all.
I stopped to trade "kandi" with somebody
and lost my entire group.
And we do have our totem, which is the biggest totem
that I think is in this in the festival right now,
and I still can't find anywhere.
It turns out, a totem doesn't help
if you're really short. (laughing)
There's a dinosaur!
I freakin' love our totem, by the way.
The translation is, "Will we last all three days?
Let's find out."
So many people wanted to take a picture with it.
(crowd chanting happily)
What does it mean, what does it mean? (laughing)
(spooky droning music continues)
So, there are six main stages at this EDC
and numerous smaller ones.
The effects were completely and utterly over the top,
with the sound systems, lights, fire, streamers,
confetti, fog, lasers, fireworks, and moving parts.
Oh my gosh, just absolutely amazeballs.
You really are getting what you pay for at EDC.
(heavy electronic dance music)
And speaking of that,
the price for tickets depends on how early you buy them,
which package you get, and for how many nights.
But for my three-day general admission pass,
I paid about 200 US dollars, which is far, far cheaper
than what I paid for the Vegas EDC.
This event goes from about 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM,
all three nights, which is exactly as insane as it sounds.
One of the highlights of my first night
was seeing one of my very favorite DJs, Marshmallow, play.
I 100% got full-body goosebumps
when Marshmallow played "Silence."
It's one of my favorite favorite songs ever,
and damn, it just hits.
I also wanna point out how freaking cool it is
that somehow they get the live outline of every DJ
to show up on the big screens.
And it's not just because it's his Marshmallow head,
it happened with other DJs as well, like their actual face.
So, can somebody please explain
what type of wizardry this is?
Technology both scares and amazes me.
And that's a wrap for night number one.
Check out the aftermath here, kind of insane.
But it is time to get back to the hostel,
get a good night's sleep, and do this again two more nights.
(electronic dance music)
♪ This is how, yeah, this is how it feels ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how it feels ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how, this is how ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how it feels ♪
- [Fidel] Nice!
- Day two is goin' down.
♪ Yeah, this is how, this is how ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how it feels ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how, this is how ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how it feels ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how, this is how ♪
♪ This is how ♪
♪ Yeah, this is how- ♪
Ah, a pinata!
An alien!
(crowd chanting excitedly)
Now, this part was much different
than other festivals I've been to in the past.
There are constantly vendors walking around
with trays of drinks, popcorn, donuts, water,
and even Cup of Noodles.
This one made me laugh. (laughing)
Having the bracelets did make it super convenient though,
so they just boop on your wristband with their little device
and hand you the goods.
I never end up getting anything besides water,
but I happily paid the 40 pesos a bottle every single time.
This venue was so incredibly big,
and there was so much walking and dancing involved
that I got between 30 to 40,000 steps every day,
and I felt constantly dehydrated.
(crowd chanting loudly)
(crowd chanting loudly continues)
(electronic dance music continues)
Night number two was once again an absolute blast.
Although admittedly, I didn't record as much
because I wanted to just enjoy the experience.
But also, I just cannot get enough of the people watching
at these festivals.
Even if you walked around for the explicit purpose
of just looking at everything and everyone,
it would still be a fantabulous time.
Also, we got to see Tiesto this night,
and the show he put on was phenomenal.
It was always really difficult
to decide which stage to pick though
because the finale show was different at each stage.
And finally, unlike the first night,
we all got pretty hypey on the shuttle ride back.
Where we all got the energy for dancing at 3:30 AM
is beyond me.
At this point,
the sleep deprivation was definitely catching up to me,
and you could probably tell the difference
between the "before" EDC shuttle exit and this "after" one.
But, it is gonna be good night for now,
and see you tomorrow for the final night.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Alright, here we have EDC outfit day three.
♪ I like it ♪
And I will be wearing a coat tonight
because I am sick of being freezing.
And yes, I most certainly am losing my voice a little bit,
probably will have lost it by the end of tonight.
But you know, as they say, "You can sleep when you're dead,"
right?
No, I want sleep, I really want sleep.
But, I'm gonna go and have a good time anyway.
Let's go have some fun!
(electronic dance music)
Yo, let's go!
Whoo!
- Yahoo!
Salud!
- Whoo!
(crowd humming loudly)
- Oh, yes. (laughing)
Day one energy on day three. (laughing)
(crowd humming loudly continues)
♪ Hey, hey ♪
(crowd humming loudly continues)
Hey!
- Hey!
Alrighty, day three!
We are gonna do this!
(electronic dance music)
(crowd singing)
(electronic dance music)
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
(electronic dance music continues)
- Hey.
(electronic dance music continues)
- Okay, so this stage that I'm at right now
is called Kinetic, it's the main one, the biggest one,
and Nicky Romero's about to come on.
(electronic dance music continues)
(fireworks popping loudly)
Although the music was awesome every night,
I especially loved Nicky Romero's set.
We all got really into it throughout the night
and mostly stayed at Kinetic
for James Hype, Meduza, Galantis, and Illenium.
♪ So I can touch me ♪
♪ So I can get my satisfaction ♪
(electronic dance music)
And this, I think our entire group would agree,
was one of the best highlights of the trip.
This guy, named Hassan, is a total badass
who came by himself.
And a handful of the guys from our group
decided to lift him up into the crowd, handed him our totem,
and danced around.
Honestly, the purest definition
of a spontaneous and epic moment.
(electronic dance music continues)
(crowd cheering happily)
(crowd chanting happily)
- Whoo!
(crowd chanting happily)
- Despite my tiredness, by the end,
it started getting really bittersweet
knowing that EDC Mexico was coming to a close.
But boy, oh boy,
it went out in the most sensational fashion.
There were live flower dancers,
and the Kinetic stage was lit with every trick it had.
Fireballs, laser beams, video effects, booming bass,
the perfect cocktail of "EDC magic" to dance the night away
and make unforgettable memories.
(crowd cheering and chanting happily)
♪ I could be the one to make you feel that way ♪
♪ I could be the one to set you free ♪
- Mexico City, I f**** love you so much!
Thank you for an amazing night!
- [Maddie] I hope you enjoyed this EDC vlog.
Subscribe to my channel for weekly videos in Mexico.
On the screen is a video of what a day
in my normal life in Mexico is like,
so you can continue watching until my next vlog.
Don't forget to-
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Gong that bell to get notified
when my latest video is released.
Bye for now.