Awesome People We Met at EDC NY

EDC New York always brings out a truly global assortment of Headliners, and this year was no exception. From the Caribbean to Cali, funkdafied freaks from all corners of the world descended upon MetLife Stadium for two amazing, sun-drenched days of peace, love, music and dancing. Our intrepid team of field reporters spread out across the festival in search of awesome individuals. Here are just a few of the unique personalities we met along the way.

Name: Xavier
Age: 21
From: Jersey City, NJ
We spotted Xavier in the crowd after noticing his cool shoes. Kidding! Actually it was because he was dressed as a goddamn bear. He bought the outfit online and indeed looked rather awesome sporting it around the event. We inquired as to whether he was going to get crazy over the weekend, this being his first EDC and all. “Actually, no,” he responded. By wearing this costume, however, he arguably already had.

Name: Dominique
Age: 26
From: Severn, MD
Dominique’s day started at 6am, when he and his friends got in the car and drove two hours north to New Jersey from their hometown in Maryland. It was his first EDC, and he was most stoked to check out the kineticCATHEDRAL and Flosstradamus, who inspired his look for the day and who he’s seen several times in the past few months. “I love the beats,” he noted, and “I love the bass.” He called the best part of the three-day weekend having more time to “rage out.” We have to agree.

Names: Lani and Kimberly
Ages: 30 and 22
From: Los Angeles, CA
This is Kimberly’s first EDC, but Lani has been going to Insomniac events since the warehouse parties back in the mid-’90s. The two came down to New York from Vermont, where their parents are watching the couple’s one-year-old son. “It’s really nostalgic for me,” says Lani. “Looking back at the major progressions that Insomniac has had, I never could have imagined it could have gotten to this level.”

Name: Adam
Age: 24
From: New York, NY
What’s up with the rocker vibes, Adam? “I was at a punk show one day and I ran into this kid and he was like, ‘Hey, have you ever been to a rave?’ and me and my friends were like, ‘No.’ He took us to one a few weeks later and we loved it, so I started promoting.” That was about five years ago, and he’s been hooked ever since. Adam sees a lot of similarities between the punk and rave scenes. “You have this sense of kinship where everyone belongs.”

Name: Anna
Age: 27
From: New York, NY
Anna was hyped to see Hardwell at kineticFIELD, and got into dance music because she loves to dance, which is probably the best reason if you think about it. She’s here at her first EDC with her girlfriends, one of whom bought Anna’s ticket. Now that is a pretty awesome friend.

Name: Adam and Atirath
Age: 24 and 26
From: Columbus, OH
These two Ohio-based unicorns bought tickets on a whim when the lineup came out and just decided to fly up. “Kaskade, Bassnectar, Armin, Floss. The lineup is stacked,” says Adam. Atirath describes the lineup as “holistic.” How so? “It’s very well-rounded. All the genres are covered. And we are well-rounded individuals.” They have yet to attend EDC Las Vegas, but given their impulsive nature, that could very well be in the cards.

Name: Liz
From: Piscataway, NJ
Age: 20
Let’s just say it, Liz looked stunning. For this her third EDC, she assembled her all gold everything ensemble by hand, spending 12 hours on the headpiece alone. “I love art, and makeup, and making things,” says the art student. This weekend, she was excited to meet new people, spend time with her friends and see her fav DJ Afrojack. “It’s really an unforgettable experience every time,” she says of coming to the shows. She plans on bringing the headpiece to EDC Vegas next month, so be on the lookout for her there.

Name: Dominick
Age: 25
From: Staten Island, NY
Anytime someone yells “Poseidon!” at a rave, we’re going to turn around, and that’s how we met Dominick. This is Dom’s third EDC New York, and he absolutely loves the fun-loving atmosphere. By day he’s a firefighter for the NYFD, but when festival season rolls around, he transforms into a Neptunian EDM god. Not pictured: his girlfriend, who was dressed (naturally) as a mermaid.

Name: Kyle
Age: 24
From: Gainesville, FL
Like true troopers, Kyle and his friend took a 15 hour train ride to EDC from Gainesville, Florida. While the daytime blood lab technician said the journey north took a hella long time, he knew the trek to his first ever EDC New York was going to be worth it, considering how much fun he’s had previously at EDC Orlando. With musical tastes erring towards “the harder stuff,” he said he was most eager to see Crizzly, Bassnectar and Flosstradamus, the latter of whom clearly influenced his sartorial choices for the day.