Insomniac Inc., promoter of the largest electronic music festival in the U.S., is trying to build its reputation.

The festival’s representatives have long been trying to get people to stop calling the events “raves,” which are often associated with drug use. Controversy about whether raves should be allowed in public venues, following the overdose-related death of a 15-year-old girl at Electric Daisy Carnival 2010 in Los Angeles, essentially forced the festival out of the city.



Last night, at the event’s debut in Las Vegas, attendees said they didn’t feel like they were at a rave.

“They’re pulling it away from that scene. It’s definitely more of a carnival now,” said Ian Buchan, 20, who drove to Las Vegas from Polar, Wisconsin, with friends.

Insomniac is known for creating a fairytale atmosphere at its electronic music events, but festival goers said the unique environment is often overshadowed by the frenzy, such as unruly crowds in jam-packed venues.

Last night, hundreds of stilt walkers dressed as mystical creatures — goblins, nymphs and tree people — wandered through the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Carnival rides and enormous, surreal art displays in the form of strange plants, such as fire-breathing trees and glowing mushrooms, towered between stages. As DJs spun tracks on stage, costumed performers emerged to dance elaborately before the audience.

The attractions were numerous, and attendees said they were able to appreciate them more than usual.

“It’s not congested at all, people are just walking to main-lining acts and not having much of a problem. They’ve clearly solved the problem at this venue,” said Daniel Ramirez, who drove to the event from Los Angeles. He thinks future raves should be held at venues as large as the Speedway.

Others at the festival said the security was much more thorough, and that items they are normally able to sneak in were confiscated.

Only during Dutch electronic music DJ Tiesto’s 1 a.m. set did things get a little tense, as a large number of the nearly 100,000 attendees gravitated toward his stage to dance for more than an hour and witness a 15-minute fireworks display. At one point, the DJ told the audience to jump up and down in unison, and attendees did so without causing the earth to move.

By the end of the first night, a handful of hospitalizations had been reported, and no deaths. The second night of the three-day event starts tonight at 8 p.m. and goes through sunrise.

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