Electric Daisy Carnival EDC News
Behind the Pagoda: Shambhala’s Mainstage Vision with Robbie Campbell
Shambhala isn’t just another festival — it’s a living, breathing creation built by people who pour their heart, soul, and countless hours into every detail. At the center of it all is the Pagoda Stage, one of the most iconic landmarks in Canadian festival culture. This year, I stepped behind the scenes with Robbie Campbell — the man who has shaped the Pagoda into what it is today — to talk history, evolution, artist booking, and what really makes this stage unlike anything else in the world. From its humble DIY beginnings to its jaw-dropping 2017 rebuild, Robbie’s story is as much about community and passion as it is about music and production.
A Stage Built on History and Heart
Robbie has been part of Shambhala since before it was even called Shambhala.
“We threw a party halfway up the driveway, called uplift for solstice the summer right before the first Shambhala” he told me. “We buried a flat deck trailer in the ground, cut down birch trees, and built 2 Sydney Opera House-style frames facing each other out of scavenged materials. I was in art school at the time. I quit my job at Subway and painted one side like daytime, the other night. It was all vinyl, super underground, just weirdos and nerds having fun.”
The Pagoda itself came later. Robbie first designed it while working on graphic art for the festival, eventually stepping in as stage manager after some convincing from founder Jimmy. The original version ran for years before being rebuilt in 2017 to match his vision — a perfect mix of spectacle and soul.
Ikigai: The Side Stage with Purpose
Next to the Pagoda is a smaller, intimate space called Ikigai Mori.
“Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning your ‘purpose in life,’” Robbie explained. “Mori means forest. It’s a place for my crew — many of them DJs — to play when they can’t get a main stage slot. Now even big DJs want to play here because it’s so vibey and fun.”
What started as a staff hangout has become one of the most talked-about spots at the festival.
What Makes the Pagoda Special
Robbie says Shambhala’s uniqueness comes from its grassroots, boutique scale.
“We’re not Tomorrowland or EDC. This is built on 25+ years of love. Every year we add to what’s already here instead of tearing it down. The tech gets better, the art evolves, but the original spirit is still here.”
When it comes to bookings, Robbie’s taste is diverse — heavy on house and bass — but always guided by feeling.
“If it gives me goosebumps, it’s in. I’ve booked artists at $2,000 who’ve since blown up. I just know when something’s going to hit.”
Behind the Scenes
Thirty days out, Robbie is ordering supplies, slotting crews, and managing up to 100 staff. A week before, it’s a scramble to get final gear in place. By the festival’s start, the machine is running smoothly.
Promotion for individual stages is grassroots — social posts, word of mouth, and trust that people will follow the music they connect with.
Balancing Headliners and Rising Stars
Without massive corporate budgets, Shambhala books artists who truly want to play here. Robbie blends big names with underground talent he believes in.
“Some people book just for ticket sales. I book for the music and the vibe — and those artists often become the ones everyone’s talking about the next year.”
Advice for Aspiring Stage Directors
Robbie’s advice is as simple as it is important:
“When we started, all we wanted was to have fun with our friends. I never planned for this to be a job. If you do it for the right reasons, you’ve got a real chance at creating something special.”
From the early days of scavenged tarps and buried trailers to one of the most recognizable stages in Canadian festival culture, the Pagoda’s story is proof that passion, community, and a little bit of stubborn creativity can build something timeless. Robbie’s vision has kept the stage evolving while staying true to its underground roots — and as long as Shambhala keeps dancing, the Pagoda will remain its beating heart.
Want more Shambhala details?
Visit the festival website and follow across socials:
Official Website: shambhalamusicfestival.com
Instagram: @shambhala_mf
Facebook: ShambhalaMusicFestival
Follow the Pagoda Stage:
Instagram: @thepagodastage
Follow DJ Soup:
Instagram: @djsoupofficial
Biggest EDM Festivals in the World ranked by daily attendance show how scale really compares across global events.
EDM is now a global scene with festivals happening across Europe, North America, Asia, and beyond, each drawing large crowds throughout the year and turning cities into major event destinations. With so many festivals on the calendar, names like Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, Tomorrowland Belgium, and UNTOLD Festival come up constantly, but they don’t all operate at the same level when you look at how many people are actually there each day. Some events bring in crowds that go past 100,000 people in a single day, creating a very different on-site experience compared to festivals that reach their numbers over multiple days or extended formats. There are also festivals that have grown quickly in recent years, expanding into new regions and adding to the overall scale of the scene, which makes comparisons even less clear at first glance. Looking at daily attendance puts everything on the same scale and makes it easier to see how these festivals compare, how big they actually are in real terms, and where each one sits globally today.
10. Tomorrowland Belgium
Location: Boom, Belgium
Daily Attendance: 66,667 per day
Tomorrowland Belgium sees around 400,000 attendees across two weekends, which works out to roughly 66,667 people per day across six festival days. The event takes place in Boom, Belgium, where the site at De Schorre is transformed into a large multi-stage festival space with areas spread across forests, open fields, and waterfront sections. The Mainstage is one of the most recognisable in electronic music, holding tens of thousands at once, while stages like Freedom Stage, Atmosphere, and Crystal Garden run at the same time across the grounds. Recent editions have featured artists such as Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz, Charlotte de Witte, and Amelie Lens, reflecting how the lineup is split across mainstage and underground electronic acts. With 66,667 people attending each day, the scale is shaped by the two-weekend format, where the same capacity is repeated across both weekends instead of being concentrated into a single run. The layout of De Schorre allows multiple large crowds to exist across different stages at once, which keeps movement steady across the site throughout the day.
9. EXIT Festival
Location: Novi Sad, Serbia
Daily Attendance: 70,000 per day
EXIT Festival brings in around 200,000 attendees across four days, which comes out to roughly 70,000 people per day. It takes place at Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, where the site is spread across different sections of the historic structure, with stages set up across courtyards and open spaces instead of a flat festival ground. The Dance Arena is one of the key areas, running late into the night with techno and house artists, while the mainstage and other stages operate at the same time across the site. Recent editions have included artists such as Carl Cox, Solomun, Nina Kraviz, and Black Coffee, which reflects the festival’s focus on electronic music within a wider lineup. With this level of attendance, the crowd is spread across different parts of the fortress throughout the day, with each stage holding its own audience instead of everything happening in one place. The layout of the fortress also shapes how people move through the festival, with different areas filling up at different times across the schedule.
8. Creamfields
Location: Daresbury, United Kingdom
Daily Attendance: 70,000 per day
Creamfields sees around 70,000 people on site each day, making it one of the largest electronic music festivals in the United Kingdom. The festival takes place in Daresbury, England, where the site covers a large outdoor area that includes multiple stages, indoor arenas, and tent structures operating at the same time. Stages such as Arc Stage, Steel Yard, and Horizon host different parts of the lineup across the weekend, with techno, house, and mainstage acts running in parallel. Recent editions have included artists such as Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz, and Amelie Lens, reflecting a lineup that spans both large-scale headline sets and more focused underground bookings. With 70,000 people attending each day, the scale is clear in how multiple arenas fill up at the same time, while other parts of the site remain active throughout the day and night. The mix of outdoor stages and enclosed structures also allows the festival to maintain consistent crowd flow, even as different sets overlap across the schedule.
7. Parookaville
Location: Weeze, Germany
Daily Attendance: 75,000 per day
Parookaville brings in around 75,000 people per day, with total attendance across the weekend exceeding 200,000, placing it among the largest EDM festivals in Europe. The event takes place at Weeze Airport in Germany, where the former airbase allows the festival to spread across a wide, open site with multiple zones running at the same time. The mainstage is supported by several additional stages, each covering different sounds across the weekend, which keeps the crowd moving between areas instead of staying in one place. Recent editions have included artists such as Armin van Buuren, Timmy Trumpet, Steve Aoki, and Paul Kalkbrenner, showing a mix of mainstage acts and European electronic names. With 75,000 people on site each day, the size is clear in how several stages hold large crowds at once while the rest of the grounds stay active throughout the event. The airport setting also means the festival can continue at this scale without needing to change location, with enough space to support its current attendance each year.
6. EDC Thailand
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Daily Attendance: 80,000 per day
EDC Thailand is one of the newer additions to the global EDC series, with recent editions in Phuket positioned at around 80,000 people per day. The festival takes place across a large open site adapted for a multi-stage layout, allowing core EDC stages like kineticFIELD and circuitGROUNDS to run at the same time alongside additional areas covering house, bass, and techno across the weekend. Early editions have featured artists such as Armin van Buuren, Illenium, FISHER, and Subtronics, reflecting a lineup that stays consistent with other EDC events while adapting to the regional audience. At this level, the crowd is spread across multiple stages throughout the day, with each area holding large numbers at once rather than focusing on a single mainstage. The expansion into Phuket also shows how the EDC brand is scaling into new markets in Asia, with Thailand now positioned as one of its key destinations in the region.
The biggest EDM festivals in the world are now operating at a level where daily attendance tells a much clearer story than total numbers ever could. Events like Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, UNTOLD Festival, and EDC Mexico are consistently bringing in crowds that pass 100,000 people per day, while festivals such as Tomorrowland Belgium, Parookaville, and Creamfields continue to hold strong just below that range with their own formats and layouts. When everything is placed on the same scale, it becomes easier to see which festivals are actually operating at the highest level and how close some of these events are in terms of daily crowd size.
What stands out now is how the next phase of growth is likely to come from outside the traditional markets. Cities in Asia and parts of Latin America are already supporting festivals at 30,000 to 50,000 people per day, and that gap is starting to close as infrastructure, demand, and international bookings continue to expand. At the same time, established festivals are still finding ways to maintain or increase their capacity without changing location, which keeps the top tier competitive year after year. If current trends continue, the difference between regions will become less defined, and more festivals will start pushing into the 70,000 to 100,000 per day range over the next few years.
5. EDC Mexico
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Daily Attendance: 90,000 per day
EDC Mexico has become one of the highest-attended EDM festivals globally, with verified reporting placing it at around 90,000 people per day across the weekend. The festival takes place in Mexico City at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a Formula 1 circuit that allows the event to expand across a wide, multi-zone layout rather than a single concentrated area. Recent editions have featured stages such as kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS, neonGARDEN, and wasteland, each running simultaneously and pulling large crowds across different parts of the venue. Lineups typically include a mix of mainstage acts, techno artists, and bass artists, with names like Tiësto, David Guetta, Bizarrap, Mau P, and Charlotte de Witte appearing in recent editions, reflecting both global bookings and regional influence. At this scale, the circuit format makes a clear difference, with the crowd spread across multiple sections of the track and grandstand areas instead of building around a single stage. The consistent demand in Mexico City has kept attendance at this level year after year, placing EDC Mexico firmly in the global top tier by daily crowd size.
4. EDC Orlando
Location: Orlando, United States
Daily Attendance: 100,000 per day
EDC Orlando has grown into one of the largest electronic music festivals in the United States, with recent editions drawing around 300,000 people across three days, which comes out to roughly 100,000 per day. The festival is held at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida, where the site expands across a large open park layout that supports multiple stages running at the same time. Recent editions have featured stages such as kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS, and neonGARDEN, alongside additional areas that cover house, techno, bass, and hard dance across the weekend. The 2024–2025 lineups included artists like John Summit, Dom Dolla, Charlotte de Witte, Subtronics, and Eric Prydz, reflecting a wider spread across different sounds compared to earlier years. With around 100,000 people on site each day, the scale is clear in how each stage holds large crowds at the same time, while the rest of the venue stays active throughout the day and night. The continued growth of EDC Orlando also shows how cities beyond Las Vegas are now hosting festivals at this level, with Florida supporting one of the highest daily attendance figures globally.
3. Sunburn Festival
Location: Mumbai, India
Daily Attendance: 116,667 per day
Sunburn Festivalcontinues to be one of the largest electronic music events in India, with recent editions drawing around 150,000 attendees across three days, which places it at 116,667 per day. The latest major edition in Mumbai reflects how the festival has expanded beyond its earlier Goa setup, moving into larger city-based venues to meet demand. Recent lineups have included artists such as Marshmello, Alesso, Timmy Trumpet, DJ Snake, and KSHMR, showing a focus on big room, commercial EDM, and crossover acts that resonate strongly with the local audience. The festival runs across multiple stages, each attracting its own crowd, which keeps movement consistent across the site throughout the day. At this level, the scale comes from both the size of the audience and the concentration of fans in a single urban location, with Mumbai supporting attendance figures that remain among the highest in the region. One of the key factors behind its consistency is the strength of the domestic market, where large crowds continue to show up for international headliners year after year.
2. UNTOLD Festival
Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Daily Attendance: 117,500 per day
UNTOLD Festivalhas reached one of the highest daily attendance figures in the world, with over 470,000 people attending the 2025 edition across four days, which puts the festival at about 117,500 people per day. Held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the event is centered around Cluj Arena and extends into the surrounding Central Park, which gives it a much larger footprint than a stadium-only show. The 2025 edition ran across eight stages, with artists including Martin Garrix, Armin van Buuren, Anyma, Dom Dolla, ALOK, Becky Hill, and Green Velvet appearing across the weekend, showing how the lineup stretches from mainstage EDM into techno, house, trance, and crossover bookings. That matters at this scale because the crowd is not sitting in one place all day, with tens of thousands moving between the arena and the rest of the site depending on who is playing. One of the clearest signs of its size came on the final night, when local reporting said more than 120,000 people filled Cluj Arena for sets from Martin Garrix, Anyma, Becky Hill, and Fisher.
1. Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas, United States
Daily Attendance: 175,000 per day
Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas remains the largest EDM festival in the world by daily attendance, with more than 525,000 people attending across three days at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The venue itself plays a major role in how the festival reaches this scale, as the full speedway complex is used rather than a single-stage setup, allowing the event to spread across a large area with multiple access points. Stages such as kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS, and cosmicMEADOW run at the same time, each drawing tens of thousands of people across the night. Recent editions have featured artists including Dom Dolla, FISHER, Charlotte de Witte, and Subtronics, reflecting how the lineup is split across house, techno, and bass rather than focusing on one sound. With around 175,000 people on site each day, the scale is clear in how the crowd is distributed across the speedway, with several stages operating at a level that would be considered full-capacity events on their own. The Las Vegas setting also allows the festival to run overnight, which keeps attendance steady across all three days and adds to the overall size of the crowd each night.
EDC Colombia 2026 dates are confirmed for its debut edition at Unidad Deportiva Atanasio Girardot in Medellín on October 10-11.
Global dance music experience curator Insomniac and Colombia’s top live entertainment company Páramo Presenta today announce the highly anticipated launch of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Colombia.
Initially revealed in May 2025 with overwhelmingly positive community feedback, North America’s largest dance music festival will make its Colombia debut at Medellín’s iconic sports complex, Unidad Deportiva Atanasio Girardot, on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2026.
EDC Colombia marks Insomniac’s ninth international edition of the festival and continues its global expansion. Building on successful editions in Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, Medellín will serve as the next one-of-a-kind EDC destination. EDC Colombia follows the milestone 30th anniversary of EDC Las Vegas this May, continuing to celebrate the decades-long legacy and spirit of the iconic festival.
GA, GA+, and VIP Tickets for EDC Colombia 2026 will be available for purchase beginning 10:00 COT / 07:00AM PT on Thursday, February 26 at EDCColombia.com. All in ticket pricing including fees will start at $169 for GA, $199 for GA+, and $269 for VIP.
EDC Las Vegas 2026 marks a historic 30-year milestone with the unveiling of a massive lineup at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 15-17.
The global dance music experience curator Insomniac today unveiled its lineup for the milestone 30th anniversary of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas. For fans already looking forward, many are eagerly anticipating the EDC Las Vegas 2026 lineup. Returning to the iconic Las Vegas Motor Speedway from May 15-17, the festival will once again welcome more than 500,000 Headliners for three days and nights of shared celebration of music, art, and community Under the Electric Sky.
The kineticFIELD stage promises to bring unforgettable sets from Kaskade, John Summit, GRiZ b2b Wooli, Martin Garrix, and FISHER, while the multi-genre cosmicMEADOW stage will showcase Underworld, San Holo, Seven Lions, San Pacho, and MPH. cosmicMEADOW will also feature a night hosted by HARD with sets from Interplanetary Criminal, MALUGI, Snow Strippers, The Prodigy, and Hannah Laing.
circuitGROUNDS will feature high-energy performances from Chris Stussy, Tiësto, Levity, Lilly Palmer, Beltran, Nico Moreno, and KETTAMA, while neonGARDEN delivers rhythmic grooves with nights hosted by Time Warp and Factory 93 Experience. Headliners can look forward to sets from Joseph Capriati, Eli Brown, Indira Paganotto, Klangkuenstler, Prospa, and Peggy Gou.
Bassrush’s bassPOD delivers hard-hitting bass and dubstep with ATLiens, GHENGAR, HOL!, AHEE b2b Liquid Stranger, and INFEKT b2b Samplifire. Hard dance and techno fans can get their fix with unadulterated energy at Basscon and Unreal Germany’s wasteLAND from Holy Priest, Restricted, Sub Zero Project, Lil Texas, Kuko b2b Johannes Schuster, GRAVEDGR, and more.
Insomniac Records’ own stereoBLOOM shows no signs of stopping with Noizu, OMNOM, Wax Motif, BOLO, Luuk van Dijk, Luke Dean, and Josh Baker. Trance and melodic music lovers, too, can find their own corner at Dreamstate and Interstellar’s quantumVALLEY. There they can experience the euphoric sounds of Gareth Emery, Paul Van Dyk, Darude, Ilan Bluestone, Paul Oakenfold, Tinlicker, and Eli & Fur.
LA-based underground collective Take It Outside, Beltran’s Beltools label, and HARD Recs’ will take the charge at the house and groove-oriented bionicJUNGLE stage. Headliners can dance the night away to DJ Tennis b2b Red Axes, MCR-T, Paramida, SALUTE b2b Chloé Caillet, BAUGRUPPE90, Heidi Lawden b2b Masha Mar, and HAAi b2b Luke Alessi.
With a multitude of genre-sweeping stages and hosts, the 30th anniversary of EDC Las Vegas offers a place for every lover of dance music.
Explore the lineup for EDC Las Vegas 2026 here, with more acts to be announced.
kineticJOURNEY Theme Revealed: Over the past three decades, EDC has been a gathering place for millions of people from all walks of life, beliefs, and cultures. Although we may be different, we share a common bond: a passion for music, connection, and the electric energy that comes alive when we unite together. With that intention in mind, the history of EDC continues with this year’s theme, kineticJOURNEY, a tribute to the vibrant path we’ve traveled together and will continue on.
The ninth edition of the annual EDC Las Vegas Charity Auction has also been announced, with bidding opening on Tuesday, February 17th. In 2025, the auction raised and donated over $120,000 to charity and this year, fans can bid-to-win on once-in-a-lifetime EDC experiences and raise proceeds for the 2026 beneficiaries: Nevada 4-H Camp Alamo and Casa de Luz.
During the 2026 EDC Las Vegas Music Through Music livestream, it was revealed that, for the first time, a World Party Parade will be held to celebrate 30 years Under The Electric Sky. Headliners can mark Thursday, May 14th, in their calendars to ensure they don’t miss this milestone festivity in Las Vegas. It’s free and open to all. Details coming soon.
All tickets to EDC Las Vegas 2026 are currently sold-out. To join the official Insomniac waitlist for three-day GA, GA+, and VIP tickets, please visit our website here.
Stay tuned for more exciting EDC Las Vegas 2026 details and announcements at lasvegas.
-
Editorial4 weeks agoUltra Music Festival 2026: Your Essential Festival Guide
-
Editorial3 weeks agoPioneer / AlphaTheta Removes Sync Button From All Future Products
-
Editorial3 weeks agoSteve Aoki Stops Throwing Cake Forever
-
Coachella Festival News3 weeks agoEDM Festivals April 2026: What’s Happening Worldwide
-
Armin van Buuren News3 weeks agoTiësto and Armin van Buuren Make It Official: “Alibi” Is No Longer A Rumour
-
Editorial2 weeks agoWhy Women Over 40 Still Attend EDM Events
-
EDM Festival News2 weeks agoBreakaway Mass 2026 Lineup Announced
-
Editorial3 weeks agoJohn Summit Might Be Done Going Shirtless at Shows
