MAY 23, 2015, 9:38 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 9:52 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
EAST RUTHERFORD — The atmosphere surrounding MetLife Stadium was certainly carnivalesque: Men in neon suits walked past tutu-clad women whirling hula hoops. A giant grasshopper mounted on pogo sticks flitted through crowds. And enough skin was on display to make the Shore jealous.
To add to the sensory overload, Saturday’s event shook with pulsating, bass-heavy music blaring from enormous columns of speakers.
It was the soundtrack of America’s nightclubs and raves — electronic dance music, or EDM.
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is playing host this weekend to the “New York” incarnation of the Electric Daisy Carnival, the biggest electronic music festival on the East Coast that runs for two days and boasts a line-up of nearly 100 popular DJs such as Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris and Bassnectar.
As many as 100,000 were expected to attend over the two days.
“It’s literally the craziest weekend of the year every year,” said Christian Runza, a 19-year-old aspiring DJ from Old Tappan. “Every set you’re going to see someone you love.”
The outlandish outfits are part and parcel of an EDM culture that prizes self-expression above all else.
“You come out here to be anyone you want to be or anything you want to be,” said Jake Berto, 23, who had traveled all the way from San Francisco for the event. “Nobody judges you.”
