Las Vegas speedway set for dancing

Prepare for some serious flower power, sans hippies, as America's largest dance music gathering, the Electric Daisy Carnival, is coming to Vegas.

The event will take place June 24 to 26 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"It's huge," says superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold, who has performed at Electric Daisy Carnival. "If you focus on what they've done for electronic music in America, it's big. It will be a great event."

Electric Daisy Carnival drew 180,000 fans over two days at the L.A. Coliseum last June, and that sizable a crowd is expected for Vegas, which has emerged as a destination city for dance music of late.

"I've been going to Vegas a whole lot over the past couple of years now and wanted to do something there," says Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac Productions, which puts on festival. "I met with all the nightclub owners that have dance music, and it feels right now, with the way dance music, slowly over the past two years, just kind of found its way into the market."

At the speedway, the festival will take over the entire complex with multiple stages and elaborate production values aimed at turning the grounds into one giant art installation piece.

"We really try and create an environment that's so much more than a festival where you're watching what's going on onstage, waiting to be entertained," Rotella says. "Our events are very interactive. We get really creative and try to create a unique environment that's unlike anything that people have experienced."

The event did create some controversy last year, when a 15-year-old girl died after an Ecstasy overdose at the festival, causing alarm among some L.A. city officials.

But organizers have changed security measures since then, establishing an age requirement: Patrons now have to be at least 18 years old to attend.

With a facility as large as the speedway, which is five times bigger than last year's location, crowd control issues should be minimized, as Rotella says that this will be the most elaborate festival yet.

"The venue itself is so accommodating for mass gatherings," he says. "It's built for what we do. It's the perfect destination."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.