How To Afford Festivals Like EDC Las Vegas
Dream of going to big music festivals like EDC but worry that it’s too expensive? I am sharing my tips and tricks on how to save a little bit of money and make going to these festivals more accessible.
This post is all about how to afford music festivals.
Music festivals are very expensive events but they are worth every penny. The memories I have made at the festivals I have been to over the years are so special to me and I think everyone should get the chance to experience something like that. Electric Daisy Carnival is probably the biggest EDM festival in the United States and nothing even comes close comparing. I am going to be using specific examples of how I personally afford EDC in this blog post, but you can totally use these tips and pieces of advice for any festival you are trying to budget.
Check out my EDC outfit prep and vlog on YouTube below
Financing your ticket
One of the best things you can do if you’re in a bind, money-wise, is to finance your ticket. Festivals started offering payment plans which make raving more accessible to everyone, no one wants to miss out on an opportunity because they can’t afford it, so this is a huge help. Side note: I know Burning Man offers a low-income ticket option that you can apply for and can get a discounted price.
(Related Post: What To Know Before Going To EDC)
Another way you can save money on your ticket is by getting it early. Buying resale tickets is always my LAST resort, between the scalpers and added fees, the final price is going to be absurd. A lot of festivals have an early bird ticket release which tends to be a bit cheaper so be sure to sign up for their emails and set an alarm because these always sell out so quickly. The early tickets for EDC Las Vegas are put up for sale usually within a few days of the festival ending (insane, I know) so you need to know way ahead of time that you want to go. I bought my ticket for EDCLV 2023 in May of 2022 for $339 ($429 after fees) and did a payment plan just cause that felt like a lot of money all at once. They auto-charge my card about $40 a month so it’s super nice to be slowly paying it off and not even thinking about it.
save money on housing (while being safe!)
A little backstory, I have been to EDC one other time and we stayed in a hotel 20 minutes from the strip and took the shuttles to the venue. So with my past experience, there are two pieces of advice I would give. First, try and book you’re sleeping arrangements early on, you already know what the dates are going to be so there is no reason to sit and wait around for prices to get higher and places to book up. My two recommendations for where to stay are hotels or camping - I have heard the camping is amazing (for sure gremlin mode) but, a nonstop party. A hotel is great if you wanna escape the partying and take a normal shower and sleep in an actual bed.
When booking a hotel (or if you want to Air BnB), don’t spend too much money on a nice place! At the end of the day, you're really just sleeping there and getting ready to leave. We rented an Air BnB when I went in 2021 that was nice and had a pool that literally nobody went in because we didn’t have time. There are so many hotels that aren’t crazy expensive - this year we’re staying in a Hilton suite (2 beds, 2 bathrooms, and a living area), and split between the 5 of us it is only $250 each.
transportation
The last big expense to worry about is your transportation, both to Vegas and to the festival once you are there. If you are close enough to drive, I would recommend road-tripping to Las Vegas so you can pack however much stuff you need and don’t have to worry about airport security. If you have to fly, try to take an extra day or 2 off work and fly on Tuesday or Wednesday because it is significantly less expensive (my flight flying on Thursday from LAX is $358…ouch).
Now getting to the festival every day is a different story - absolutely under no circumstances DO NOT plan to uber, you will be waiting forever and it’s insanely expensive. If you are staying on the strip, get a shuttle pass, which is what I did when I went and it was great except for the fact that we had to uber to the strip which was pricey from our Air BnB. As I mentioned above, set an alarm and stay in the loop with Insomniac to see when they go on sale. If you have someone sober in your group, getting a parking spot is a great option and pretty cheap, which is what we’re doing this year.
Outfits
I know this is such a material thing, but I can say half the fun of going is dressing up (for me at least). If you’re stressed about money, there are so many great things you can find from resellers or Amazon. I actually have a storefront of my Rave Essentials! I don’t want to spend too much time talking about outfits because it isn’t important to everyone, but if you are interested I have a few other articles sharing what to wear to your first rave and what shoes are best for festivals.
This post was all about ways to afford raves and festivals.