Make no mistake: Dallas is very much an EDM-heavy town. Credit the folks behind the Electric Daisy Carnival for noticing.
Last year, the electronic music festival, launched 15 years ago in Southern California, expanded to include Dallas as a home for one of its handful of annual parties held across the country. The bill featured the likes of Moby, Benny Benassi, Kaskade and Rusko, all the while drawing some 11,000 scantily clad revelers to a tricked-out Fair Park in the process. There were vibrant art installations, more glow sticks than could be counted and fur boots everywhere you look. Oh, the fur boots!
It was quite the time, indeed—partied out youngsters lying down and catching their breath by the park's reflecting pool notwithstanding—and, somewhat shockingly, a rather safe one, too, especially when held in comparison to last year's event in Los Angeles, which found more than 100 revelers hospitalized for various reasons. Perhaps the credit here goes to the City of Dallas itself. Fair Park is, after all, managed by the city. And, in the wake of last year's event, park officials raved (pun definitely intended) about how well things went in the first Dallas run.
The second go-around, taking place this weekend, looks promising once more. Among the acts on the bill: Paul Van Dyk, Diplo, Skrillex, Avicii and Axwell, not bad, not bad. Just remember, y'all: Party safely. And don't eat the red licorice.