Electric Daisy Carnival to boost tourism, hotel bookings
Arnaud Cahen, marketing director of MillerCoors, offers details of this weekend’s event.
This weekend’s two-day Coors Light Electric Daisy Carnival is expected to draw more than 40,000 people from Puerto Rico and other countries, boosting the island’s economy and thrusting it into the international spotlight.
Organizers said Wednesday that the event has already translated into 5,000 room-night reservations in several San Juan-area hotels by electronic music fans and performers who will come together at the Sixto Escobar stadium Feb. 21-22 for the festival featuring a lineup of artists including Afrojack, Bassnectar, Fatboy Slim, Kaskade and Steve Aoki.
“This year we expect to draw more than 40,000 people from Puerto Rico and other countries over the weekend, which represents an important economic and tourism boost for the island,” said Eric Freytes, marketing manager for MillerCoors Puerto Rico.
“Foreign visitors come for the quality of this world-class event, but also seeking a unique beach experience with marvelous weather such as ours. They also wish to explore our island’s attractions,” he said.
Since 2009, the producers of the Electric Daisy Carnival have considered Puerto Rico an ideal place to host the festival, given its strategic location, resources, and infrastructure. The event has represented $11 million in benefits for the local economy since it was first held on the island, he said. This includes the collective participation of more than 100,000 people in Puerto Rico alone, where the event is endorse by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the Municipality of San Juan.
Puerto Rico is one of the locations chosen to host tour stops of the Electric Daisy Carnival 2015, along with Mexico, New York, Las Vegas, London and Orlando.
“The event’s success is measured by its growth in participants — 5,000 to 25,000 people during the past five years,” Freytes said.
More than 45 artists will be on hand at the festival, for which Coors invested about $1 million to line up. The Sixto Escobar will be transformed into a large fun park featuring three stages, amusement rides, and large-scale art installations, he said.
