Awesome People We Met on Day 2 of EDC Orlando 2016

Headliners, your Southern hospitality never fails! On day two of EDC Orlando 2016, we befriended even more of you awesome individuals. We had such a blast meeting you and dancing with you. Get to know these awesome people from the final day of EDC Orlando 2016.

Name: Josh
Age: 27
Hometown: Port Saint Lucie, FL
Occupation: Server
Number of EDCs: Seventh time
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. Probably last year at EDC—the last three years have been really good. It’s gotten so much better from year to year. The production has just skyrocketed.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? Everybody, at least once a year. People are friendlier here. They just appreciate each other more, and if that carries out through your day-to-day life, you’ll be OK.

Name: Christopher, Tracy and Mariah
Age: 21 (All)
Hometown: Miami, FL (Christopher), Fort Meyers, FL (Tracy and Mariah)
Occupation: Leasing agent (Christopher), personal trainer (Tracy), optometric technician (Mariah)
Number of EDCs: Second time (Christopher), fifth time (Tracy), fourth time (Mariah)
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life.
Christopher: When I get a job.
Tracy: At a music festival, surrounded by my friends, and with people who don’t care about what color you are or how old you are. We’re all just here for the same thing, and that’s the music.
Mariah: When I started believing in Jesus.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life?
Christopher: My father—seeing so many different people from different backgrounds… would probably blow his mind.
Tracy: My mom, because she’s insane, and she judged me for so long for coming to this—but if she came, she would understand.
Mariah: My brother—he would learn to be himself.

Name: Ryan
Age: 26
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Strategy analyst for a financial firm
Number of EDCs: Third time
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. It actually involves the people over there [points toward the swings]. I went to my first EDC Las Vegas last year. It was the first rave I had ever been to, and there were about 15 of my friends that all wanted to come, and they’re spread out all across the country. I haven’t seen these guys in so long, and part of the battle was getting everyone out to see each other. We got into the festival, and the moment I walked through the tunnel—with the lights glaring into your eyes, and so much energy and happiness that you don’t see anywhere else… I was hooked.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? My sister, who I actually brought to her first EDC as well. I’m closer to her than anyone else on the face of the planet. I just wanted to share one of the happiest moments of my life. She absolutely fell in love with it, just as I did.

Name: Juliet
Age: 24
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Occupation: Getting my masters in fine arts.
Number of EDCs: First
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. When I was at Burning Man. It was in the middle of the desert at 3 in the morning, and I was with this really wonderful piece of art that was lighting up everywhere, and I was by myself. It was right after a dust storm had settled down, and it was just a really wonderful moment.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? I personally feel like anyone who’s gonna teach in a sociology department should come to these, because it’s such an easy culture to access if you just go to it. It’s one of those cultures where the more you’re involved, the more rich it is.

Name: Sharon and Cabrina
Age: 41 (Sharon), 40 (Cabrina)
Hometown: Born in Toronto, but I live outside of New York (Sharon); Toronto (Cabrina)
Occupation: Sales director for a consumer package company (Sharon); teacher and stay-at-home mom to three boys (Cabrina)
Number of EDCs: Third time (both)
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. Every day is the happiest moment of my life. I really treat it as, you have one life to live, so you should live it.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? Everyone. I think there are a lot of great people here. The music is awesome, the vibe is awesome, and there’s a lot of love to give and to receive.

Name: Alessa
Age: 18
Hometown: South Florida
Occupation: Full-time student (senior in high school)
Number of EDCs: First time
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. Yesterday was such an amazing time. The music is great. Everyone is so nice and complimenting. The environment—getting to dance and not be judged—is just an awesome feeling.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? I would say my mom, for sure [laughs]. She’s so stressed out and worries about everything. I think this is the perfect place where you can get away from everything, and dance the entire day, and not care about anything.

Name: Sbendia and Pedro
Age: 28 (Sbendia), 30 (Pedro)
Hometown: NAS Jacksonville
Occupation: Marine (both)
Number of EDCs: Second time
Tell us about a time when you have felt the most happy in your life.
Sbendia: Above & Beyond yesterday. I started crying.
Pedro: They are talented. I love those guys because they put a smile on her face.
Sbendia: It was the best thing ever, because I got to share it with him. As husband and wife, that was one of the things that always brought us together.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life?
Sbendia: Everyone. It makes you happy. It makes you joyful. It makes you feel the spirit like everyone’s together.
Pedro: EDC is not for everyone, though, and that’s why it’s so special to us. We enjoy this, we live this, we do this. This is a part of our lives, so therefore, anybody who wants to take part in it, then go ahead and switch that lane.
Sbendia: If it really touches you in your heart, then it’s meant to be. It’s so special, because you come together and you’re like family. Our 5-year-old knows we come to EDC, and he loves it just like us.

Name: Marquise
Age: 20
Hometown: Melbourne, FL
Occupation: Full-time student and a server
Number of EDCs: This is my third EDC; I’m so excited! They step it up every single year. I’ve been to EDC 2014–2016, and each year it gets better and better and better.
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. I would say it is my childhood. That’s when everyone lets go of all their fears and inhibitions, because you’re just starting life out. [EDC] is kind of what childhood is. You’re at a carnival. You’re forgetting about what your worries are about your job, school—none of that bullshit matters… When I come here, I see people celebrating their individuality and coming as they are. That’s why I come to EDC.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? I would say my best friend, Brooke. She needs EDC in her life because she [doesn’t feel] a part of something. When you come into this culture, you are a part of something.

Name: Marcus and Meghan
Age: 20 (Marcus); 19 (Meghan)
Hometown: Tampa, FL (Marcus); Brandon, FL (Meghan)
Occupation: Works at a restaurant and coaches cheerleading (Marcus); coaches All-Star cheerleading (Meghan)
Number of EDCs: First time (both)
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life.
Marcus: Here at EDC—everyone’s just in a good mood. There’s no way you could be not happy. It’s pure ecstasy; it’s pure happiness.
Meghan: Probably here, because I’m with friends and it’s just awesome; the atmosphere is great.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life?
Marcus: My mother, because she’s not in the best place in her life, and she just needs EDC!
Meghan: Probably all my friends, because I’d want them to experience this, too.

Name: Chantelle
Age: 29
Hometown: New Smyrna Beach, FL
Occupation: Former fifth grade teacher; now I work at a health food store.
Number of EDCs: Third time
Tell us about a time when you have felt the most happy in your life. When my fiancé and I got engaged [this past June]. He brought me into this. He started raving in California—he was a young boy—up and down all the rave scenes every weekend there. He brought me to teach me about how it connects humanity, and it feels great.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? So many people—a lot of my family members and a lot of his family members. We come from a really conservative, staunch Republican family, both of us, and they need this. We talk about it all the time. If they could just embrace how people feel on the inside as on their outside, it’s really beautiful.

Name: Michael
Age: 24
Hometown: South Florida
Occupation: Data analyst
Number of EDCs: First time, but definitely not my first rave.
Tell us about the moment when you have felt the happiest in your life. Electric Daisy Carnival. This is rave culture: peace, love, unity, respect. The music itself is my religion, so coming here is a spiritual experience. It’s basically what I live for; I live my life festival to festival. It’s how I’ve lived it since my first rave; it goes back to my childhood. I just love feeling the bass in my soul.
Who in the world could use a little EDC in their life? That guy right there [points to brother]. He’s going through some tough times right now in his life. I feel like EDC is his solution—he just doesn’t see it yet.

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