Latest news with #ElectricDaisyCarnival
Time Out
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
I live in the world's best city for nightlife. Here's why Las Vegas deserves that title.
Raise your glass, Las Vegas, you're the top destination in the world for a night out on the town—another accolade for a city that loves to collect superlatives. Las Vegas being named Time Out's top city for nightlife —part of a global survey of what locals love best about their cities—is well deserved. The desert destination has added so many entertainment and nightlife alternatives into what was once a gambling-centric town that it should be applauded for its ability to adapt and change to current trends. These days that means catering to millennials and Gen Z visitors who seek out experiences to share on their social media accounts that aren't limited to nights out at the bars or dancing in nightclubs. In my years living in Las Vegas, I've seen a lot of change. Here, a night out means many things. There are shows like ABSINTHE and Atomic Saloon that push both physical and comedic boundaries, an entire compound of immersive activities, museums and walk-through participatory exhibits like the John Wick Experience and Meow Wolf's Omega Mart at AREA15, and places to challenge friends at mini-golf, axe throwing or darts. And that's before we even get to an always-packed slate of concerts, theater, comedy and professional sports. So, Las Vegas has plenty of options after dark. As synonymous with Vegas as they seem now, nightclubs in casino-resorts are actually relatively new here. In fact, they've barely hit drinking age. One of the first megaclubs, Pure Nightclub (now OMNIA) debuted at Caesars Palace in 2004 and was joined a year later by Tao at the Venetian. Together, they ushered in the massive celebrity-driven DJ culture that's still spreading to other resorts today—and is highlighted by one of the city's biggest annual events: the Electric Daisy Carnival. Nightclubs aren't the only game in town. They now compete for attention with downtown breweries, tons of tiki bars and dozens of speakeasies as the city's most popular places to grab a drink. But concerts and residencies have become the true lifeblood of entertainment for us in Las Vegas. Take, for example, a recent week in mid-July when we were lucky enough to witness the opening of two new residencies—Kelly Clarkson at Caesars Palace and Backstreet Boys at Sphere —at the same time that Lady Gaga's Mayhem tour kicked off with three nights at T-Mobile Arena. Not a bad week. Now granted, Las Vegas is not the bargain it used to be. Paid parking and rising drink prices that hover around $20 have both been mocked online, but visitors generally seem to accept them. On the affordability scale, a majority of respondents to Time Out's survey thought grabbing a cup of coffee (66 percent) or getting a drink at a bar (57 percent) was affordable in Vegas, but they sour on the cost of theater, music and clubbing with 74 percent of people saying that going out to a nightclub is no longer affordable. What's got me most excited right now, though, is what's happening in the Arts District. Also known as 18b, the 18-block bohemian neighborhood just north of the Strat is a walkable district that's home to First Friday, a monthly arts festival and block party, along with a collection of bars and restaurants. We're seeing the biggest changes here along Commerce and Main Street where several new standout cocktail lounges like Nocturno, Petite Boheme and Doberman have all opened in recent months. You could spend the evening inside the vinyl listening room at Echo-Taste and Sound, sipping Japanese whiskey at Bar Ginza or grabbing a craft beer at one of the breweries in the area. It's here among the vintage shops, art galleries and performance spaces you'll find us locals meeting up with each other or accompanying out-of-town friends for a night of barhopping—and an unforgettable evening that's literally the best in the world.
Time Out
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This is officially the world's best city for nightlife right now
Nightlife has undergone a significant transformation since our bars and nightclubs reopened their doors. The biggest shift has been that those kinds of venues are far from the only places on offer after dark – our cities have adapted to the changing times, and now, you'll find supperclubs alongside superclubs, as well as listening bars, sauna parties and gatherings for t-totallers. So, where should we be heading for a seriously good night out? Well, nightlife is our lifeblood at Time Out, and that's why we quizzed thousands of city-dwellers about the after-dark culture where they live. Last year, Rio de Janeiro danced its way into first place, but topping our ranking for 2025 is (drum roll, please) Las Vegas! The Nevada resort city gained an impressive 88 percent approval rating from the locals that we spoke to (helped by a strong vote of confidence from the panel of experts we also asked to weigh in) and was the most likely city to have its nightlife described as 'exciting'. But there's a whole lot more to Vegas than the casinos and cabana-lined pool parties that have come to characterise this city's nightlife scene. 'In recent years, there's been a shift to a more low-key nightlife venue: the cocktail bar,' writes local expert Ryan Slattery, 'Across town, bartenders are shaking up tasty concoctions using exotic ingredients and bespoke liqueurs. Many of these cocktail lounges – Stray Pirate, Doberman and Nocturno, to name a few – can be found in the city's thriving Arts District, a walkable downtown neighborhood of vintage shops, breweries and restaurants. Vegas also has a slew of tiki bars and dozens of speakeasies; spots hidden inside a working barbershop, behind a bookcase of a Mamak stall at Resorts World or in the basement of the Mob Museum. There's even one called The Lock that you crawl into through a safe door.' After a flavour of classic Vegas? You'll definitely still be able to find that, too. The Electric Daisy Carnival sees the Las Vegas Motor Speedway transformed into an enormous, EDM and hip-hop filled rave every May, but have a look at our roundup for the best things to do in the city and our handpicked list of Las Vegas's top bars.
Time Out
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
15 brilliant music festivals in Asia you don't want to miss in 2025
1. Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Thailand 2025 Where Boat Avenue Lakefront, Phuket When January 17 to 19 Time to book that trip to Thailand, because North America's biggest electronic dance music festival is coming to the land of smiles for the first time ever this year. All EDM lovers will know of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), which began as a warehouse party in Los Angeles (all the way back in 1997!) before exploding into a global carnival-like festival complete with art x technology installations, circus performers, dancers, and multiple music stages. EDC is no stranger to Asia – having staged in China and Korea before – but this is the first time the colourful festival will play in Southeast Asia. Look forward to five stages with zany names like kineticFIELD and stereoBLOOM, helmed by international acts such as Afrojack, Tiesto, Illenium, R3hab, and so much more. 2. Creamfields Hong Kong 2025 When March 8 to 9 How about a springtime rave in Hong Kong? Creamfields, a massive dance music festival from the UK, returns to Hong Kong this May with two days of non-stop house, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, and more. If you missed R3hab at EDC Thailand, you can catch him here alongside music acts like multi-platinum, Swedish House Mafia members Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, live instrumentalist Timmy Trumpet, and more. 3. Lollapalooza India 2025 Where Mumbai When March 8 to 9 If alt-rock, punk rock, hip hop, and all things counterculture are more your jam, then Lollapalooza is the festival for you. The music festival first debuted in Asia (in India, too) in 2022 after multiple successful runs in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. It returns to Mumbai this March with Green Day, Glass Animals, Nothing But Thieves, Alok, and more, alongside Indian acts like rapper duo Raftaar x krsna, sitar player and composer Niladri Kumar, and Hindi rock band frontman Raman Negi. All we can say is that some serious headbanging is in order. 4. Wanderland Festival 2025 Where Manila, the Philippines When March 22 to 23 Not all who wander are lost, a saying that's certainly true at Wanderland Festival. This gathering of art, music, and community in the Philippines is coming up on 10 years of absolute magic, centred around feel-good, indie sounds by acts like Jack Johnson, Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks, and The Drums (from past iterations). In between sets, dither around with arts and crafts activities at the WanderMarket, where there may be wabi sabi workshops, face painting, and small local businesses to shop from. This is a rare kid-friendly festival, too, with a special zone for 'Little Wanderers' to play and create. 5. Equation Festival 2025 Where Mai Chau, Vietnam When April 4 to 6 No other party has an address quite like this one. Equation Festival is held in Mo Luong Cave in Mai Chau, Vietnam, so imagine dancing to the tunes of Asia's best underground acts near breathtaking stone arches and glittering stalactites. The line-up goes beyond the mainstream: curated by the brains behind Savage (Hanoi) and Cliche Records and Fragrant Harbour (Hong Kong), the phase one line-up is stacked with names like Cem, Di Linh, John Talabot, and Yamarchy. Stay tuned for more updates here. 6. Siam Songkran Festival 2025 Where RCA, Bangkok When April 11 to 14 What started as a modest sprinkling of hands for cleansing ahead of the new year has evolved into huge and joyous water fights across Thailand. This Songkran (the traditional Thai new year), join the celebrations against the backdrop of world-class music and cultural activities at Siam Songkran Festival 2025 at RCA Bangkok. It guarantees a splashing good time, with water cannons and water gun battles set to soundtracks by international DJs equal to the calibre of Tiesto, Martin Garrix, and Yellow Claw, who've helmed the turntables at previous festivals. The full line-up will be released later this year – stay updated on the official IG page. 7. Rainbow Disco Club 2025 Where Shizuoka, Japan When April 18 to 20 A camp and rave among cherry blossoms, anyone? There's a good chance of that at Rainbow Disco Club, set against the idyllic backdrop of the Higashi-Izu Cross Country Course in Shizuoka, Japan, this spring. This is one of Japan's most well-loved underground music festivals, with a diverse line-up spanning indie to trance and mesmerising art installations to boot. The DJs and musicians confirmed so far include Chaos in the CBD, DJ Nobu, Batu, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, and more – check it out here. 8. Java Jazz Festival 2025 Where Jakarta, Indonesia When May 30 to June 1 Get in the groove at Java Jazz Festival, a two-decade-old linchpin of Jakarta's music calendar. For its 20th anniversary, the festival pulls out all the stops with more than 100 shows over three days. In the past, it's pulled iconic global acts like Stevie Wonder, Santana, and James Brown across the spectrum of blues, funk, swing, fusion, and more. Curators also have a penchant for spotting under-the-radar stars in the jazz scene, so the festival is a great opportunity to expand your Spotify library. Stay tuned to 2025's line-up and ticketing details here. 9. Seoul World DJ Festival Where Seoul, South Korea When June 14 to 15 You can trust a nightclub heaven like Seoul to throw a dance music festival of epic proportions. The Seoul World DJ Festival is set to take over the sprawling Seoulland amusement park in June 2025, and it promises to "set your heart on fire" with legendary DJ talent, cutting-edge visual production, and interactive art installations and workshops. Some recognisable names from previous editions to pump you up for 2025's line-up: Alan Walker, Eric Prydz, Kshmr, Gryffin, and The Chainsmokers. Get all the latest announcements here. 10. Fuji Rock Festival '25 Where Naeba Ski Resort, Japan When July 25-27 The annual Fuji Rock Festival is worth every second of Japan's notorious summer heat. One of Japan's largest outdoor festivals, Fuji Rock attracts more than 200 international artists each year to fire up its multiple stages. This year, DJ Fred Again makes his debut performance in Japan as the headliner on July 25, with other not-to-be-missed stars like Hyukoh & Sunset Rollercoaster, Vulfpeck, Vampire Weekend, HAIM, Radwimps, and Tycho. It's an incredibly stacked line-up – and the multiple workshops, activities, and maturi-like pre-festival party only seal the deal. Stay updated here.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
7 Things We Learned From Talking to EDC Las Vegas 2025 Performers
Every year, over half a million music fans flock to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for three nights to dance under neon lights to tunes spanning almost every imaginable dance music subgenre. While Electric Daisy Carnival just wrapped its 29th year, it somehow still finds ways to reinvent itself and grow — not just grow in crowd size, but in cultural and physical reach. Just before opening the gates to the festival on May 16, the event's producer Insomniac invited select guests to Hotel EDC at the Virgin Hotel to celebrate their latest international expansion. Partygoers celebrated with Gorgon City to highlight Insomniac's next international destination, Medellín, where EDC Colombia will launch in October 2026. More from Billboard Roger Nichols, Grammy-Nominated Co-Writer of 'We've Only Just Begun,' Dies at 84 Julión Álvarez Postpones Stadium Show in Texas After Not Being Able to Enter the U.S. Jamie Foxx Shuts Down Conspiracy Theory That Diddy Tried to Kill Him Inside the festival, we saw more representation on the lineup via the Ubutu stage, which created a dedicated space for Afro-house for the first time in the festival's 29-year run. This year the fest also added a dinner theater activation where guests were treated to a cocktail hour with an acrobatic showcase, followed by dinner featuring a dance troupe and ending with dessert and live singing. With the festival approaching its 30th year, Billboard spoke to a handful of DJs, from legendary headliners to this year's first-timers, to hear from their perspective on how EDC continues to grow and how they personally make each year better than the last. Here are seven takeaways from their words of wisdom. Tiësto is without a doubt one of the biggest names in dance music. He's played EDC every year since the festival moved from California to Las Vegas in 2011. You would think he's turned every possible stone the fest has to offer, but this year, the legend was excited to play Circuit Grounds, a fan-favorite stage, for the first time. Circuit Grounds offers more screens to visually bring the audience into new and unexpected tracks like Tiësto's upcoming collaboration with Sexyy Red on the F1 soundtrack, 'OMG!' Backstage the artist rhetorically asked us 'Who would have thought Tiësto would have collabed with Sexyy Red?… No one. Absolutely no one. And it's an amazing track.' Also bringing the unexpected this year was EDM titan Kaskade. He brought his b2b act with Alison Wonderland to the Cosmic Meadow stage after the artists debuted as a duo at EDC Orlando last year. This time around, they expanded their sound to include some of Wonderland's signature trap tunes. 'For me, it's just about playing stuff we love and trying to figure out that bridge in between,' Kaskade told us. 'We've only played a handful of shows so we're still discovering that as we play out more together.' When you've played EDC for as long as Tiësto and Kaskade, who's performed at the festival for two decades, you have to continue making changes to your solo sets. Tiësto reserved a special set for the mainstage, closing out the three-day festival with a set that saw a return to his trance roots. Rising German producer Marlon Hoffstadt introduced 'The Godfather of Trance' before his In Search of Sunrise Set, named after his legendary 1999 compilation album. Tiësto told us the time was finally right for such a moment, saying 'I reconnected with the sound I started with back in the day, and I feel like it's a full circle moment. When [Insomniac Events founder] Pasquale [Rotella] asked me 'Will you do a sunrise set?' and I thought 'Yeah, the time is right now.'' For Kaskade, his solo set was sprinkled with pieces of his decades-old hits. Many DJs' styles evolve over time, and Kaskade says he still struggles trying to resurface his former fan-favorites but admits, 'People online will like this. There's sometimes when there's somebody hitting me up like 'You haven't played this song in 10 years!' and I'm like 'Oh yeah. That is a good song. I should remember to bring that out.'' So, if you're waiting for more tracks from his 2008 album Strobelite Seduction to make it into his next set, like us, keep posting. The electric sky still shines just as bright, if not brighter, almost 30 years later. Alison Wonderland is still amazed at the impact that EDC has had on her and her friends after playing the festival 10 years later. She reflected on her first time playing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and crying, telling the audience 'I started in my bedroom and now I'm here.' A decade later, she's still humbled by her EDC experience saying that she can't believe she is sharing the stage with Kaskade. But there's nothing that could prevent her from taking the stage at the Electric Daisy Carnival. 'In fact, I actually love EDC so much that at 9 months pregnant I played main stage,' she said of this set that happened in 2023. With over 500,000 people attending the festival every year, it's the perfect opportunity for an artist to not only reach their fans but also expose themselves to a group of people who have potentially never heard their sound. Just ask Ben Nicky. We caught up with the British producer 10 minutes after his first set at Kinetic Field on Saturday night before he made his way to Neon Garden for a b2b set with Maddix. Walking into his trailer, he was already on his computer working on a track because he's aware of how every set offers its own opportunities. 'I'm like a DJ's DJ,' he said. 'I'm always changing something. Mainstage you've got your big fanbase there, but you've got another fifty to sixty thousand people who might not know you or be more into commercial stuff. So, you have to tailor and play more well-known vocals. Whereas in the trance tent, I can get away with more dark and underground stuff.' Ben meticulously tweaks every element to fit the crowd he's trying to appeal to, and the crowd at EDC is some of the most knowledgeable when it comes to dance music. Brazilian star Alok told Billboard that means you can't phone it in. 'I feel like people here each year are more and more educated,' he said, 'so, it's not easy to please them. So you really have to bring stuff that makes sense and not obvious.' He knows a thing or two about keeping an audience on their toes. He just had a buzzed-about Coachella performance, for which he hired dancers with two-tone arms to create eye-catching live visuals. While some DJs meticulously plan their sets, others prefer to 'just rip it' in the words of Tape B. He started playing EDC in Orlando while doing his undergrad in Florida. Now that he's worked his way up to EDC Las Vegas, he attended a programming meeting for the first time ahead of his solo set on Friday. When it came to his joint set with dubstep super DJ, Crankdat, they planned to start their set with their unreleased collab but keep it loose otherwise. He told Billboard about the planning that went into the set saying, 'Met up with Crankdat. Worked on our back-to-back for a little bit. Got songs kinda together. We're mainly freestyling it tonight. So, it's going to be very interesting, but very fun.' One of the most exciting aspects of attending EDC Las Vegas is the massive amount of unreleased music you'll hear. REZZ said she was most excited to give fans a taste of what direction she's taking her project next. 'I'm super excited for this year. I'm playing like, seven new songs, more than half of which I've never played before.' Check TikTok to see fans' live reactions to some of this new music. It's become customary for DJs to head to Las Vegas with a ton of unreleased music. Riot Ten used it as a chance to treat his most dedicated fans to an early listen of his new album, Requiem For a Riot, before it drops in a week. Other artists may opt to test out some tracks they're workshopping to see how the crowd reacts, like DJ Snake who played his upcoming song 'Paradise' for the audience at AYU dayclub, not once, but twice, to make sure it went off every time. With this year's addition of the Ubutu stage, Afro-house had a major presence at the festival for the first time. Francis Mercier noted that EDC is 'the home to different types of music from hip-hop to dubstep to house to now Afro house. It's a place where you can hear all different types of music.' This new stage opened the door for artists like Karaba, who hails from Montreal, Canada, to play a stage at EDC Las Vegas for the first time. Making the most of these opportunities is key, according to Morten. His first time playing the fest was in 2016 when he thought no one would see him spinning at one of the art cars. When he took the stage he was surprised by the energy. 'It doesn't matter what stage you're at, the party and the crowd is incredible.' Since then, he's played solo sets, b2b with David Guetta and this year played Kinetic Field with Artbat. If you really want to see how quickly you can ascend to greatness, you just have to look at Cloonee's trajectory. He admitted that EDC wasn't really a festival you thought about as someone who grew up in England. After living in the States for a few months, he found himself nervously playing the Stereo Bloom festival back in 2022. This year he played Circuit Grounds right after Tiësto,z who said he wasn't going to play Cloonee's hit song 'Stephanie' with InntRaw and Young M.A because it would be this year's most played song and you don't play the most played song before its creator takes the stage. Meanwhile, the advice Cloonee would give himself before playing Stereo Bloom in 2022 is, 'Calm down because you've got bigger ones to do.' Catch more of Billboard's EDC Las Vegas coverage on Billboard's Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Channels. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Price Is Right host Drew Carey makes shocking claim about the show
Drew Carey has had a great career in stand up, television and as host of The Price is Right. One of the secrets to his success is unusual as he revealed before the release of the 30th anniversary edition DVD set of The Drew Carey Show. 'Not a lot of my fans know [that] I don't like watching myself on TV. I have a real hard time,' Drew, 67, told Parade. 'I've sat in the editing room a few times on The Drew Carey Show, and I had to leave. 'I don't do it that often because every time I saw it, I was like, "That's what I look like? And that's [how] I walk?" I get so tired of seeing myself,' he said. He went on to note that one of the producers had some suggestions for his performance on the long running game show. 'I was like, "Oh my God." He was like, "I know, I apologize." And he really had to twist my arm to make me watch myself, even on The Price Is Right,' he continued. 'So I've always been like this. I don't watch The Price Is Right. I don't watch The Drew Carey Show. 'Once in a while, I'll put it on [to] just like see a minute of it, or Whose Line [Is It Anyway?].' Earlier this week, Drew was spotted having a good time at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Drew had his arms his arms around a mystery blonde as they beamed and took photographs together surrounded by revelers in the wee hours. 'Many people were shocked to see Drew in the crowd, especially considering his age, but he was the life and soul of the event,' the US Sun reported. 'He seemed to be having the best time, dancing and laughing with a group of friends all night. 'Plenty of women were going up to him and flirting, he appeared to enjoy the attention and was very friendly.' He was also seen last month with OnlyFans creator Niki Skyler in West Hollywood, California. The lunch excursion came just two months after Drew shared that he is still not dating after his former fiancée Amie Harwick was murdered in 2020 by ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse. Pursehouse had pled not guilty but in 2023 he was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Carey and Harwick became engaged in 2018 but called it quits later that same year. During an interview with Us Weekly in February, the TV personality got candid about her tragic death and admitted to the outlet, 'It destroyed me for a while. I still don't date. 'I have women I go out with and spend time with, but it's all platonic, and I don't care about anything else. Amie's death really affected everything.' He also expressed, 'I think about her every day. It's such a loss. Her death still affects me and my ideas about relationships and intimacy. 'It was all damaged by first our breakup, and then, the day before she died, when she texted me. It had been a really bad breakup for both of us, but a necessary one. I couldn't think about her or see a picture of her.' The day before her passing, Carey recalled receiving a message from Amie who brought up the topic of forgiveness and asked to meet up. 'I texted her that I loved her and that I'd see her the next week,' the TV host said. 'I heard from one of her friends that she shed tears about my saying that I loved her still. Which I did. I loved her madly even though we had broken up.' When her murderer was sentenced to life in prison, Carey opened up to People about finally having closure. 'I can barely remember the guy's name — that's how much I've put him out of my life — but ever since the final sentencing, it feels like we've all let out a breath and are able to finally move on.' He continued, 'The whole process is over now, and there's nothing else to be done and nothing else to worry about. … Just speaking just for myself, it's been quite a load off.' Drew also shared that following her passing, he still has photos of Harwick inside of his house. 'She's with me always. A lot of times I'll feel like I'll be thinking things through, and it's almost like I can hear her voice saying, "Well, really, it's because of this and that." It's really nice, honestly.'
