Article Summary

• EDC GA passes are $325-$355 while the VIP costs are over double the cost at $699
• If you have the money EDC VIP passes are one of the few VIP passes for a festival I recommend
• The best VIP benefits include private VIP areas that will be far less crowded than the GA area, private bathrooms, and a private entrance that gets you right into EDC with no line

A classic debate with almost all music festivals is the general admission versus VIP passes. EDC is no exception. In this article I will try to summarize the differences between the passes and if I think it’s worth it for you to spring for the VIP EDC experience. Of course a lot of this will come down to you – what’s important to you, what’s your financial situation, etc. All I can do is offer the pros and cons, offer my opinion, and let you decide for yourself! Let’s start with some of the basics.

Can I upgrade to EDC VIP level for one or two nights?

Negative, they used to allow this but this option has been removed. You need to buy EDC VIP passes for the full three day festival if you are going to get it. In fact there are no single day pass options at all so you either go all three days as GA or all three days as VIP.

What do I get with EDC GA passes?

If you get the general admission passes you get to basically enter the festival for all three days of EDC. This will grant you access to all the stages, rides, food and drink vendotrs, etc. Essentially the only places you can’t go are the designated VIP areas and special viewing areas;

What’s the payment plan look like for each?

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EDC passes are undeniably expensive, so a big help for a lot of people is the payment plan. The payment plan varies depending on not only what type of pass you get, but when you purchase passes. Here are the payment plan schedules for EDC 2018 for both GA and VIP passes.

General Admission Payment Plan

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VIP Payment Plan

What do I get with the EDC VIP passes?

Before I go on just note you need to be 21 or older to get the VIP passes, unlike the EDC general admission tickets where you can be 18+. If you are going into the VIP be sure to have either your U.S. driver’s license/ID card or passport. If you want a full list of the EDC VIP perks you can see the official ticket website; below I will discuss the main ones worth further discussion.

• Elevated viewing areas at kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS and cosmicMEADOW
• Dedicated dance areas at bassPOD, wasteLAND and quantumVALLEY
• Exclusive VIP lounge at neonGARDEN with dance space, special food, games, comfortable seating and more (shown below)
• Dedicated concierge available open to close to answer any questions
• VIP Ferris Wheel
• Dedicated VIP fast-pass lanes for many carnival rides located in the GA are
• VIP bonus areas with games, complimentary oxygen bar/beauty bar/body paint, and ball pit
• Complimentary breakfast at kineticFIELD 4-5:30 a.m. (includes fruit salad, orange juice, bagels, bananas, pastries and more)
• Special VIP mobile charging areas
• Special VIP entrance into the festival
• AC’d bathrooms at multiple stages

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Which of these VIP benefits are worth it?

EDC continues to add to their VIP benefits year after year, which is nice to see for the elevated prices. Here are the top perks with VIP:

• Elevated Viewing Areas – These are awesome, and for EDC 2018 they have added more stages with these. To me, this is what you are really paying for with EDC VIP – everything else is nice but this is the big one. If you want a guaranteed good spot without having to battle the crowd for it then this is right up your alley. The elevated viewing areas aren’t right next to the stage as they are back a bit, but they still offer a great view
• Special VIP Areas – These are your standard music festival VIP areas with charging stations, comfortable seating, air conditioning in spots, etc. I don’t personally spend al ot of time at these but if you need some time to recharge it’s a nice option with several locations throughout EDC.
• Special VIP Entrance – This will depend on how they do security in 2018. In 2017 they checked people before boarding the shuttle so this didn’t do much good unless you were driving over and getting checked there. Depending on how it is set up for EDC 2018 this could be a really nice perk as the lines for EDC are infamously bad.
• Fast Pass for Rides – One of my favorite parts about EDC are the rides; they’re just a great time. The Ferris Wheel’s in the center of the GA are particularly amazing when EDC really gets going, it’s a view unlike any other. It’s also a view everyone is tyring to experience so the lines get really, really bad. If you think you will like taking advantage of all the rides at EDC this perk is huge as it saves you a ton of time waiting in line as many rides get an hour+ wait.
• Free Breakfast – Not an amazing 5-star restaurant breakfast but by 4 in the morning it hits the spot and it’s a really nice add-on
• Private VIP Water Refill / Bathrooms / Bars – Again, the real perk is saving you a ton of time. Water refill stations in particular can get fairly nasty lines at EDC, but never in the VIP
• Less Crowds – In general the big perk of the VIP is just less crowds and people to navigate through. If you don’t like being sandwiched in like a sardine then consider EDC VIP over the GA.

What do people who say EDC VIP isn’t worth it say?

Of course a lot of people are against getting EDC VIP passes so I want to provide the counterargument as well. The following are the main arguments people have against getting the VIP passes:

• Less crazy so if you are looking to rage it will be mellower in the EDC VIP area than the GA. You won’t really want to get in the crowd right by the stage if you spring for the VIP passes. This is the number one complaint I see about EDC VIP: that you aren’t in the center of the action.
• Kinetic VIP viewing areas are too far away from the stage.
• People in the EDC VIP are less into the music/show and more there to be seen so the vibe isn’t as good as the EDC GA area. I don’t personally find this to be the case but I have heard this claim often.
• Clean bathrooms are a bigger deal for females than males
• Ultimately the perks just don’t add up to $400 in value

The Final Verdict

A lot of this comes down to budget. I know EDC is already an expensive weekend and the EDC VIP passes just tack on another $400. I do think the VIP is worth it though ultimately. EDC continues to add more perks each year, like more stages now with the elevated platforms and more VIP areas. I almost never say VIP is worth it: I think Coachella’s VIP is garbage, Lollapalooza’s is super overpriced, etc. EDC, however, I think justifies its cost with some really nice perks so I officially say yes to EDC VIP.