‘So far, so good’ at Electric Daisy Carnival, Metro Police say

By Conor Shine

Published Friday, June 24, 2011 | 10:26 p.m.

Updated Friday, June 24, 2011 | 11:25 p.m.

The lights are on, the music is playing and so far everything is running smoothly at the Electric Daisy Carnvial, Metro Police said.

“So far, so good,” said Capt. Dave O’Leary. “It’s been very mild. Folks have been behaving themselves.”

As of 9:30 p.m., there were no arrests reported as people continued to file in through the front gates, but there were about 20 to 30 medical incidents, mainly heat related, police said. The show was scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

More than 250,000 people are expected to descend on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway over three nights for the electronic dance music festival, which will feature 140 DJs, 25 carnival rides, light shows and art installations.

Security at the event has been a concern. At an Electric Daisy Carnival in Dallas last Saturday, one man died and more than two dozen others were hospitalized for drug-, alcohol- and heat-related medical emergencies.

In Las Vegas, there is a large Metro Police presence at the event, which is also being staffed by private security and about 80 medical caregivers.

Traffic to the event has been moving slowly, but there haven’t been any accidents near the speedway, O’Leary said.

“The biggest challenge so far is getting people parked,” he said.

With the sun down, temperatures in the valley have dropped to 95 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and are expected to dip as low as 81 degrees overnight as the party rages on until sunrise.