LAS VEGAS - The three-day Electric Daisy Carnival kicked off Friday night. Hundreds of thousands of people will enjoy the dance festival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
The event has a history with drug-related deaths, but security for the Las Vegas event is tight. Guests had to go through an extensive pat-down at the gate, and undercover officers will mingle with the crowds.
Long lines of cars waited to get inside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday night. People came by cars, cabs and even helicopters. A quarter of a million people from all over the world traveled to Las Vegas for the Electric Daisy Carnival, and they are excited about this extravaganza.
"We love electronic music. All of us love it. That's pretty much it. This is my everything to us," said Seattle resident Brett Tada.
Las Vegas - long considered an entertainment hub - has embraced the Electric Daisy Carnival. EDC is the largest electronic music festival in North America, but the long-running rave led to a deadly drug overdose last year in Los Angeles. Two other drug-related deaths were linked to EDC last weekend in Dallas.
Organizers for the Las Vegas event banned professional broadcast cameras and would not issue 8 News Now press credentials to get inside the venue. Anyone who pays for a ticket, however, can bring in cameras.
Attendees had mixed views about the event's safety.
"The only thing I'm concerned about is people getting ahead of themselves, like overestimating their abilities. I'm sure some people are going to drink too much. I'm positive people are going to bring drugs in," said North Las Vegas resident Tyler Golightly.
"You consider every single person in that rave as a friend and someone who would be part of your family," said San Jose, California resident Jordan Goff. "When everyone comes together, it's like love and forget about all the political stuff going on in the world. Forget about all the wars, all the problems that go on in the world. You forget about it for three days, and all you do is come together and realize how great this world is."
Police will be on the lookout for drugs, including Ecstacy, which is popular at raves. Police hope to make this a safe celebration. Crowds may not know it, but they could be having fun next to an undercover cop.
A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper says they expect Saturday to be busier, especially with people getting into town late Friday night or Saturday morning from Los Angeles.
The festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 p.m. to sunrise.
