Wade Vandervort
Insomniac was planning to open EDC this weekend but is bringing Deadmau5 to downtown Las Vegas.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 | 2 a.m
Thanks to a burgeoning relationship with the gaming and hospitality company behind Resorts D, Golden Gate and Circa along Fremont Street, live entertainment producer Insomniac was quick to switch gears on May 21 and host an electronic music event for downtown Las Vegas Create an Events Center on the day the Electric Daisy Carnival was due to open.
Legendary electronic music producer Deadmau5 will perform on Saturday at 8 p.m. with the support of DJ acts Nero and No Mana at DLVEC, the 120,000-square-foot outdoor venue south of the D. It will be the first live event since the pandemic has such Venues closed last spring.
Insomniac planned to showcase EDC 2021, the mega-festival that typically attracts hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for three days and nights for May 21-23. But the festival was postponed for the third time last month and was postponed to October 22-24.
“A few days after that [announcement]We were able to get some meetings going and talk about what we can do in the event center, ”says Derek Stevens, owner of the DLVEC and the aforementioned downtown casinos. “Originally our entire goal was to reopen Vegas, and we were able to work with various governing bodies and get support for action at a 10,000-person level. As soon as we were comfortable, we could do that [Insomniac] To move forward and find out what happened to EDC, we quickly hit a deal and hit it in fifty-five. “
The venue had partnered with Insomniac for multiple events in 2019, and the connection was still strong despite the pandemic, Stevens says. The partnership has already resulted in two more events, Factory 93 with DJs Tino Gomez, Avision, Michael Bibi, TestPilot and Maceo Plex this Sunday May 22nd, and Dreamstate with DJs Paul Oakenfold, Gareth Emery, Cosmic Gate and other stage on May 28th. The full calendar of events and ticket information can be found at dlvec.com.
“If you can watch July 1st through the end of the year, it will probably be the busiest the event center has ever had,” says Stevens. “I think we have 12 or 13 consecutive weekends with multi-day events in late summer through fall. There is so much pent up demand for entertainment and groups getting together and being out. It’s been a long time and people are looking forward to being out there again. “
First opened in the fall of 2014, the DLVEC has apparently hosted every type of outdoor event imaginable, from Vegas Golden Knights watch parties to food festivals and concerts of every genre of music. In September, the annual Punk Rock Bowling Festival returns to the venue for the fourth time, and the Reggae Rise Up Festival is scheduled for October.
This weekend not only marks the return of one of the city’s largest outdoor venues, but also one of the premier downtown venues. Unlike the Strip, downtown casinos don’t have multiple entertainment options.
“I think the event center is a great bump for downtown and a great thing for Vegas in general, and I’m biased towards outdoor venues, but for a venue like this, I’m pretty proud of the venue,” says Stevens.
His Circa Resort, which opened in October, is already known for its signature outdoor venue, the Stadium Swim Pool Complex.
As COVID restrictions have relaxed and allowed more live entertainment events to return, Circa has welcomed more and more guests and brought the vision of the first new basic casino in downtown Las Vegas closer to a fulfillment. On Friday, Stevens’ three casino properties received approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board to move to 100% capacity.
“When that email went out [to the staff]It was euphoric, ”he says.
