AREA15’s first massive of the year reinforced the iconic quote from Alice, “It wasn’t a dream at all, it was a memory.”
AREA15 is a place that promotes the surreal, and last weekend I was drawn through its neon corridor straight into Wonderland. The event was We’re All Mad Here, which bonded characters we’ve come to love with the pulse of house and techno.
A colorful feast for the eyes, the party began in the courtyard just outside the A-Lot tent. Here I met a vertically impressive Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, a curious turtle, and a limit-defying contortionist. They understood the assignment — social, sneaky, and invested in the story — which, in turn, pulled me even deeper down the rabbit hole.
This was also the area to shop for festival fits, grab refreshments, and appreciate incredible art from gigantic mushrooms to a psychedelic house filled with favorite Alice In Wonderland quotes.
After a bit of reminiscing, it was time to let the DJs fuel the fantasy.
I began with Hiroko Yamamura, quickly falling under the spell of her groovy elixir while two intoxicating gogo dancers connected with the crowd. The energy maintained a vertical pace for the rest of the night, between brain-bending beats and production that messed with my equilibrium.
This was especially the case inside The Portal with Justin Jay. Each wall was mapped with trippy visuals — swirling, rotating, flashing, and casting a soft glow over the sea of bouncing bodies. Vertigo started to creep in, so I popped over to the Bodies and Beats Takeover at The Wall for a reset.
The space was small but special, filled with streamers suspended from hoola hoops attached to the ceiling. I would say that this was the most rave-inspired area of the compound, reserved for those looking to lurk in the dark.
I could have spent the rest of the night here, but I knew that A-Lot would be throwing on its festival-sized lasers at any moment. So I hightailed it to the tent for the perfect level of sensory stimulation.
Tiga is now a name I’ll follow forever, and Charlotte de Witte had me kicking myself for not seeing her sooner!
My feet were flying for two and a half hours, motivated by Tiga’s eclectic sound selections — which I was experiencing for the first time — and Charlotte de Witte‘s in-the-pocket techno vivacity. It wasn’t hard, nor minimal, just fast, festive, and freakishly fun.
Above all else, the crowd was one of the most animated I’ve seen in a very long time. As I watched from above I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Unity, engagement, and living in the moment have hit a rough patch since the pandemic. To see it return is a memory I’ll cherish forever.
I climbed out of the rabbit hole with one conclusion.
Between the expansive dance space, immersive art, interactive performers, and top-tier lighting production, the A-Lot at AREA15 has become one of my favorite spots to party in all of Las Vegas.
My only critique is a slight sound adjustment inside The Portal. While on previous visits I heard the walls rattling from the subwoofers, this go-around was a bit on the quiet side. That being said, I’m assuming it was to avoid sound bleed since the side closest to A-Lot was opened up for traffic flow.
Their next massive is Secret Garden on May 4 featuring Dombresky, Mindchatter, Anabel Englund, and more. So, come join me on the dancefloor and experience the magic of AREA15 for yourself!
