Can Vegas rival Ibiza for the dance throne?

“We are able to accomodate the people that Ibiza and other secondary markets can’t…we are sending a message to the world that this is the nightclub capital of the world.”

Vegas has had a recent wave of house music in the last year and a half or so. It all started with the Palms Resort & Casino inviting the legend Paul Oakenfold for his Planet Perfecto residency every Saturday night. Nightclubs such as Surrender, XS, Marquee, Haze, The Joint, consistently house the biggest DJs around the globe. The frequency in which they do it is quite astounding – well known artists such as Kaskade, Dada Life, Tiesto, David Guetta, Avicii, Roger Sanchez, Chuckie, Alex Gaudino, Steve Aoki, and many others have residencies at some of the world’s most lavish clubs. That being said, Ibiza has been the mecca for house music for quite some time now, continuously attracting the genre’s brightest stars. The question that is currently under debate - is Vegas poised to become the ‘New Ibiza’?

This may seem like a bold statement, after all this is implying that Vegas is better than Ibiza (almost anything new is assumed to be better), but there are a few things to consider before jumping to any conclusions. Has house music risen so fast in the United States (and North America) that the crowd has superseded that of Europe? If we view the lineup’s from Ibiza and Vegas from the previous 6 months or so you will notice big names in both locations at a relatively high rate. Where Vegas really stands out is in scattered frequency – the city absolutely explodes on holiday weekends. Think New Years’, Memorial Day Weekend, July 4th, and Labor Day Weekend. Every club (besides the one’s that predominantly play hip hop, and who really cares about those?) has a stacked lineup from Swedish House Mafia members to Deadmau5 to Tiesto – there is no shortage of incredible names to see, in fact, you may actually find yourselves having to make difficult decisions between some of EDM’s biggest acts.

To fuel the fire, think about geographical location. Ibiza is an island, this means that there is a limited amount of land and that space becomes more valuable over time due to occupancy levels. Vegas is a desert – it is located in the middle of nowhere with newer and larger hotels popping up every few years or so. There are always more clubs and, in turn, more parties year after year. Constriction of land is definitely not an issue in Vegas.

Needless to say, money talks in Sin City (or is it Spin City?) and club promoters have no problem selling 10k minimum tables on a nightly basis that help fund the biggest acts. Currently, Vegas is the 2nd biggest city for EDM bookings on the globe. Their 60,000 square foot clubs can sometimes house more than 10,000 people. During the warmer months in the US (May – September), Vegas houses both pool parties and night parties, while Ibiza has been banning more and more outdoor events in the recent years.

Keep in mind that Electric Daisy Carnival has moved from Los Angeles to Vegas, and is the single largest electronic music event in the United States. This year it spanned 3 days with over 185,000 people in attendance – proving that not only can Vegas handle a festival of that magnitude, but that it can do it better than anywhere else in the United States.

All this being said, Ibiza has historic value that has been cultivated over many years. Clubs such as Space, Amnesia, Pacha, Sankeys, and Privilege have proven themselves to be among the best in the world. If you don’t believe us, take a look at the DJ Mag Top 100 clubs – you will consistently see them among the top of the list. So we ask; “Does heritage, history, and age outweigh the influx of the young and the lavish?” It is a tough call no matter which way you look at it.

After adding up all the pros and cons – is Vegas the new and improved ‘Ibiza’? Dancing Astronaut believes so. We also think that the rise in popularity of dance music in Vegas and the US is only beginning to unfold, 2 years from now domination is inevitable. Does this mean we will never go to Ibiza and experience the joys of Space and Amnesia? Pssh. You can see us there next summer partying until our faces fall off.