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EDC organizer to renovate Las Vegas's most historic rock music venue. Posted on: September 23, 2026, 08:23h. Last updated on: September 23, 2026, 08:26h. Key points. * Clark County has allocated $10 million to EDC promoter Insomniac to help renovate the Sahara Event Center * Insomniac plans to invest $20 million of its own funds to modernize the historic Commercial Center music venue * When it was the Ice Palace, the venue hosted legendary 1960s and 1970s rock and reggae acts including Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead Clark County has earmarked $10 million to help Insomniac, the promoter behind the annual Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), renovate the former Sahara Event Center just east of the Las Vegas Strip. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Clark County's Redevelopment Agency set aside the funds toward a massive overhaul of the venue as part of its broader mission to breathe new life into the surrounding Commercial Center. Insomniac pledges to invest $20 million of its own. "It's going to enable Insomniac to complete their purchase and then invest $20 million to renovate it and rehab it, make it a current event center," Commissioner Tick Segerblom told FOX5 Vegas. "It's going to be very exciting." This latest real estate venture deepens Insomniac's already extensive Vegas footprint. Ever since its flagship EDC relocated from Southern California in 2011, the electronic dance music promoter has fostered ties with local resorts and mega-clubs, turning the days preceding the festival into "EDC Week" with high-profile takeovers at venues such as Hakkasan, Omnia at Caesars Palace, and the Marquee Nightclub. The upcoming 2027 edition of EDC Las Vegas is scheduled for May 4-16 and May 21-23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, marking the first time the festival stretches across two consecutive weekends. Music history on ice. The Sahara Event Center is the most historically significant surviving rock music venue in Las Vegas - having hosted shows by Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead, and even Bob Marley. What's strange about this designation is that the venue - located at 800 Liberace Ave. (formerly E. Karen Ave.) in the Commercial Center - was an ice rink at the time. It was built in the 1960s to showcase the Ice Capades and a semi-pro hockey team called the Las Vegas Gamblers. However, for touring rock music acts with sizeable followings who - for various reasons including their youth appeal and drug associations - were unwanted by casino showrooms or the biggest venue in town, the Las Vegas Convention Center, it was the only show in town. Rinky dink. Promoters at the time converted the Ice Palace into a concert hall by placing plywood over the ice, then squeezing as many freezing kids inside as the fire code permitted. That Bob Marley and the Wailers ever performed on any Las Vegas stage is a fact known mostly to scholars of the reggae icon and the 3,000-4,000 young people who witnessed what transpired at the Ice Palace on Oct. 21, 1973. It was a complete surprise to them. This was a Sly & The Family Stone show. The hit funk band's two opening acts (the other was the Atlee Yeager Band) weren't named on the ads, the marquee or the $6 tickets. Other rock acts who made their Las Vegas debuts at the Ice Palace included Buffalo Springfield, Yes, the Doors, Steely Dan, and Carlos Santana - whose band opened for the Grateful Dead (which was also making its Las Vegas debut) on March 29, 1969. Ice broken. As the decades passed and casinos became more receptive to booking rock acts, the building traded its ice rink for the whir of roller skates during its era as Playland Skateland. Eventually, it evolved into the Sahara Event Center and roller hockey rink. By September 2026, Insomniac had leased and temporarily closed the space. While Clark County's $10 million has been officially set aside, the full transfer of funds remains contingent on a finalized agreement between the county and the promoter. Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas. Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city's history. (For "Fear and Loafing," he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.) Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post. Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook. Contact Corey at [email protected].

Clark County earmarks $10 million for Insomniac redevelopment project in Vegas. Insomniac, the EDM event organizer behind Electric Daisy Carnival, also will reportedly contribute $20 million of its own money to transform an events center at 800 Liberace Avenue. Insomniac Events is primed to receive $10 million in public funds from Clark County to help transform an aging events center near the Strip, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The Clark County Commission has voted unanimously to set aside the money for a rebuild of the Sahara Event Center, a property at 800 Liberace Avenue that sits within the Commercial Center district, a stretch of the valley that county leaders have spent years trying to revive. The vote does not send cash to Insomniac immediately, but reserves the funding until the company and the county's Redevelopment Agency reach a formal agreement spelling out how the project will proceed. Commissioner Tick Segerblom said Insomniac plans to contribute an additional $20 million of its own funds toward the renovation. The project serves as a de facto expansion of the promoter's investment in Las Vegas, where its flagship EDC festival generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for Southern Nevada each year. "It's going to enable Insomniac to complete their purchase and then invest $20 million to renovate it and rehab it, make it a current event center," Segerblom told FOX5 Vegas. "It's going to be very exciting." The commitment is the latest step in a long-running county effort to reshape Commercial Center, an area that has struggled with vacancies and a reputation for crime even as it sits close to some of the busiest tourist corridors in the region. County officials have already spent significant sums preparing the ground for redevelopment, including the 2024 acquisition of the adjacent New Orleans Square shopping center. "[Insomniac] want to use the New Orleans Square, put little things in there, have museums," Segerblom added. "They're very excited about this project. This is not just coming in and making an event center. They view Las Vegas as their home base, and so this is going to be their base, which is huge." Segerblom, responding to concerns over traffic and noise from a number of people in nearby residential communities, said officials had worked "religiously" to make the area safer and more inviting. "We're trying to work with you to make sure the area to the north of Las Vegas Country Club is a secure area," he said during last week's meeting. "But to do that, we have to have businesses who are active and people who are active there." Whether the $10 million ultimately reaches Insomniac, in full or in part, now depends on negotiations between the company and the Redevelopment Agency. County officials gave no timeline for when that agreement might be finalized. About jason heffler. Jason is the Managing Editor of EDM.com. A thought leader in the electronic music space, he is a member of the Recording Academy, participating in the voting process for the Grammy Awards. He's also contributed words to Yahoo Life, UPROXX and Roland, one of the world's most influential manufacturers of electronic musical instruments.

Insomniac bringing Unreal Germany to North America. May 29, 2026 Insomniac Events has partnered with one of the world's most prominent hard techno brands, Unreal Germany, to bring the collective's signature sound and stage experience to North America for the first time. Unreal Germany has built an international reputation as a leading force in the hard techno movement, hosting stage takeovers and events across Germany, Colombia, Italy, Belgium, Australia, and beyond. The partnership with Insomniac marks the brand's official entry into the North American market. The two brands have already collaborated on several events this year, including Unreal Germany takeover at the Warehouse Stage during Factory Town Music Week in March, which marked the brand's Florida debut. More recently, the brand hosted the Wasteland stage on the first day of EDC Las Vegas's 30th anniversary. Now, the partnership extends further with the announcement of the Unreal North America Tour 2026. Spanning across seven cities, the tour will feature artists such as 999999999, Adrián Mills, ALIGNMENT, Amayah, Cara Elizabeth, Celicé, Christi:ana, Cloudy, Fantasm, Gravedgr, Johannes Schuster, Kobosil, Kuko, Miss Crafty, Nico Moreno, Novah, TYRM, and Winson. Unreal Germany will also host the hard techno stage on day two of Insomniac's Wasteland Festival, marking their California festival debut. This partnership reflects Insomniac's continued commitment to championing underground dance music culture, and Unreal Germany's expansion into one of the world's most prominent electronic music markets. Pre-registration is open now through June 3 at 12 p.m. PT Here!