ORLANDO, Fla. — What happened at the Astroworld Festival in Texas has been at the top of people’s minds in Orlando, where thousands are expected to attend the Electric Daisy Carnival this weekend.
One man who attended Astroworld said he isn’t changing his mind about attending the festival here.
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Zayh Hill said what he saw go down this weekend is something stuck in his memory, but he believes EDC is a totally different story, and comes down to security.
There are huge gates and barriers all around the entrance here, something completely different than in Houston.
Hill, who just got back to Winter Park Monday night after spending the weekend in Houston, said he was constantly fighting to both stand and breathe at the festival.
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“When I got to the front my ribs (were) getting crushed by people behind me,” Hill said.
Hill said he believes a big factor was that the headliner and organizer, Travis Scott, was the only one performing at the main stage. Thousands began to gather early in the day, building up the anticipation that led to the deadly crowd surge.
“I was maybe 50 feet behind the person who was jumping on the ambulance for no reason,” Hill said, adding that security refused to let people exit the crowd.
“The security was trash, honestly, and I feel attention should be placed there and why they were allowed to keep people in the crowd,” he said. “That doesn’t even make sense. Your goal is to save people.”
READ: Attendees at deadly Astroworld festival describe chaos at event
Despite his experience, Hill said he will be attending EDC Orlando for the fourth time this weekend.
Crowds are expected to be upwards of 200,000 over three days, quadruple the amount of Houston’s music fest.
“It’s always more people, it’s always bigger stages, but at EDC the energy is diffused,” Hill said. There are multiple stages. People aren’t just cooped up.”
READ: 8 dead after crowd surge at Astroworld music festival in Houston
Orlando Police and firefighters will be both inside and outside of the event, along with traffic officers.
Gabe Gonzalez said this will be his seventh time going, and he believes EDC to be a more docile crowd, and not something attendees should worry about.
“It might make me think twice or at least think about potential safety hazards but it also depends on what event you’re going to,” he said.
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