Taxi Fares to EDC Music Festival in Vegas May Be Even Higher than Some Attendees

If you found it hard to pay the $649 that Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) organizers are charging for general admission passes to this year’s electronic music festival, yet took the plunge anyway, we’ve got some bad news about getting to and from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 17, 18, and 19.

Taxis plan to charge a $40 per trip surcharge for drop-offs at the venue, and $60 per trip for pickups. That’s in addition to however much the fares will cost you to sit in 17 miles of traffic to and from the mid-Strip to North Las Vegas.

Last month, the Nevada Taxicab Authority approved the surcharges, which are activated automatically on the meter whenever taxis enter or leave the venue. They say they’re necessary to “financially incentivize taxi drivers to work during the EDC.”

An estimated 520K people are expected to attend all or part of this year’s festival.

Expensive Driving Carnival

According to an EDC subreddit, Uber charged one commenter $180 each way to and from the Strip during peak/surge arrival and exiting hours last year. The festival runs from dusk until dawn Friday through Sunday.

Even EDC’s website states that rideshare availability “has been extremely limited in the region” and recommends “taxis, a friend, and/or carpooling.”

As always, there’s also a shuttle bus. However, EDC has already sold out of its $169 (plus taxes and fees) standard shuttles and only has $279 peak shuttles left. These depart at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. from the Strip and return at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Driving appears to be the only economical option since general parking at the concert is free. However, the walks to and from the free lots were long enough for the Premiere Parking Lot, right next to the venue, to almost immediately sell out of $165 parking spaces.