EDC Las Vegas Is More Than A Music Festival

It’s Thursday night at LIV Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada. The massive EDC music festival officially starts tomorrow. But as John Summit and Dom Dolla take the stage for an historic back-to-back set, it feels like EDC is well underway.

Indeed, the club is at maximum capacity. General admission ticket prices are more pricey than I’ve ever seen for a Vegas nightclub. VIPs are being turned away because they showed up too late and the fire marshal is calling the shots. Fortunately, we arrived early enough and got into a new VIP area located behind the stage that offers more room to move, a private bar and Instagram-worthy views of the DJ booth. It’s a record-setting night for LIV Las Vegas as two of the top DJ/producers of our time throw down and properly kick off EDC.

Except we’re not going to the actual festival this year. Nevertheless, we are very much enjoying what EDC brings to Las Vegas—namely, the biggest names in the world of house and techno music during a long weekend in May, which is arguably the best month of the year to enjoy the Vegas dayclub scene. Instead of dealing with traffic and crowds and not actually being able to see the artists perform because the VIP sections are so far from the stage, this year I decided to curate my own EDC experience from the comfort of a suite at Fontainebleau Las Vegas and tables at three of the best day clubs.

When I say “suite,” what I really mean is one of Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ epic Fleur de Lis suites located on the top floors. In particular, the Marquis suite offers two bedrooms with king-size beds, a wellness room with a massage table and a bar for entertaining. It encompasses more than 2,500 square feet of living space with Bluetooth speaker zones located throughout and 24/7 butler service just a text message away. If you’re coming to Vegas to curate your own off-EDC experience, a Fleur de Lis party suite is the ideal home base, not least of which because LIV Nightclub and Dayclub are located on the premises. While the official Hotel EDC was based at the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas this year, you can think of Fontainebleau as the luxury alternative.

As the EDM and house music scene has exploded in recent years, the EDC festival is serving as the anchor for a “Las Vegas Music Week” experience much like the Ultra Music Festival caps off the long-running Miami Music Week. The nightclub and dayclub schedules specifically call out that shows are taking place during EDC weekend because the vibe and audience are on another level. This isn’t your typical Vegas crowd. These are true rave fanatics and industry insiders. And if you’re in the industry, it’s an opportunity to network and make connections.

Following the opening show at LIV, the ultimate three-day schedule consists of back-to-back dayclub shows following by after parties in the Fleur de Lis suite and some late-night gambling. We also brought the portable AlphaTheta Omnis Duo DJ controller, which connects to the suite’s sound system via Bluetooth in order to keep the music going and play our own parties.

Day 1: Marquee Day Club a The Cosmopolitan for Fisher

Marquee Day Club is located within The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and as part of the Tao Group has a lock on one of most energetic and talented artists of his generation: Fisher. His shows bring another level of enthusiasm from fans, who often don his signature bucket hat and wave Aussie flags with his maniacal image. The Marquee isn’t one of the newer day club venues like Tao Beach, LIV Beach or Palm Tree, but it doesn’t matter when Fisher is headlining. His day club set leans more toward an underground tech house sound as opposed to his more mainstream festival sets, which tend to be all of his major hits plus a couple unreleased tracks from other big artists.

Day 2: Palm Tree Beach Club at MGM Grand for Kygo

Palm Tree Beach Club at MGM Grand is the newest Las Vegas dayclub venue. Previously Wet Republic, it was taken over and remodeled in partnership with DJ/producer Kygo and Tao Group with a grand opening earlier this year. So this was its EDC weekend debut for both Palm Tree and Kygo. One of the more convenient aspects of Palm Tree is that you are dropped off at the venue as opposed to having to walk through the hotel to get there. Depending on whether you want sun or not and depending on the time of year, the most desirable tables are located around the DJ booth with plenty of shade. You can also secure day beds around the two pools. One word of caution is to be wary of booking beds under the speaker arrays to the left and right of the stage. In my case, ear protection was a necessity and still didn’t do the trick. Regardless, this would be an ideal venue for Fisher if your schedule works out.

Day 3: LIV Beach Club at Fontainebleau Las Vegas for Max Styler and John Summit

LIV Beach is one of the newest Las Vegas day clubs, and it has the distinction of hosting exclusive residencies with top artists including Dom Dolla, Disco Lines, Cloonee and John Summit. For EDC weekend, Summit bookended the festival with his opening show alongside Dom Dolla at LIV Nightclub Thursday and then Sunday at LIV Beach, where tech-house master Max Styler opened for him. The club layout is tight compared to others and features a second level of tables surrounding the pool, which offer excellent views of the artists and the party below. It feels more intimate and connected than some others, such that you feel unified with everyone else at the club. This was a perfect way to cap off EDC weekend without actually going to EDC.