I can so vividly remember my first music festival EDC 2010 in Los Angeles like it was yesterday. I know now how iconic that is. I still have my paper ticket which I will be keeping forever and I’m happy to be a part of history and knowing that in this lifetime I’ve had the joy of experiencing it. Now the next time I went to EDC was in 2014 after I had just graduated college and used my tax money to fund the trip. My then best friend had just beat cancer and so her motto was Cancer free by EDC at 23 so as young women we both had so much to celebrate.
In that same year I had the joy of being proposed to and I got married so then I retired from raves. Fast forward to this year and after returning from living in Europe and being driving distance to Vegas I decided on a whim to go for just a day. I thought to myself it has been 10 years since you last went so what do you have to lose. I checked my work schedule and knew I could make it work to just go for one day which was Sunday.
I already had some friends from Canada attending so I wouldn’t be alone and they had everything already preplanned like having a premier parking pass and a hotel to hang out at. I also had another group of friends that would be going the same day because they would be getting married at EDC. I honestly had a WTF moment because the reason I stopped going to EDC was because I got married but the first thing I did once I returned to EDC Vegas was watch my friend John get married. I swear my life is so silly sometimes.
After that magical day I got in my car and drove the 5 hours back home and thought to myself this isn’t the last time I go to this. Now after multiple persuasive attempts from my Ultra fam for months who all reside on the east coast I decided that I would cave and attend EDC Orlando with them. My birthday is two days after on the 12th so figured this would be a good way to celebrate it. Now I am getting truly vulnerable by sharing this next part, but as an adult I have had to experience traumatic events on my birthday. On the day I turned 18 I spent it at the funeral of the first boyfriend I ever had. On November 8th of this year will be the 15th year anniversary of him being killed by a drunk driver. This will also be the first day of EDC Orlando so all weekend I will not only be celebrating my birthday but dancing in his honor. He is the reason I have “Cherish the Moment” tattooed down my spine because he would always tell me that. The last time I spent a birthday with friends 4 years ago, I got cheated on. Now I look back at that event as a necessary catalyst for my life taking the drastic turn it needed to. I would not be the woman I am today that tries to spread love and positivity everywhere I go despite all the hardships. I mean it when I say every single person that I will be sharing EDC with I have met this year and I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.
Music has gotten me through both the hardest and best days of my life. EDC means so much to me for so many reasons but most importantly to celebrate this one life we have. I want anyone who reads this to give themselves grace and know that there is light at the end of every tunnel. Someone I met at a festival in June suggested I have a prayer circle at the fest so if I see you pray with me or we can share trinkets and kandi as well. I only hope to continue to make Marcos proud of me for the life he was unable to live. Now queue “I remember” by Kaskade & Deadmau5 which is the song that always makes me think of him and whom were the artists that closed out that mainstage at EDC Los Angeles 2010. Isn’t funny how life always comes full circle ❤
Journey of Jessy 