Starting around January 6, social media exploded with reports from EDC Las Vegas fans discovering that their layaway passes had been cancelled without warning, with refunds automatically processed back to their original payment methods. Many attendees had been on track with their monthly payments, making the sudden cancellations especially frustrating. Some fans learned about the cancellation only when checking their order history or receiving unexpected refund confirmations from their banks. The timing—with the festival just months away—left affected attendees scrambling to understand what happened and how to recover their tickets.

Initial confusion about the root cause added to attendee frustration. Early reports suggested Insomniac had oversold capacity or deliberately cancelled orders to manage demand, sparking heated discussions across Reddit, Instagram and festival fan communities. However, investigation and official statements pointed to a more technical issue: the ticketing system failed to properly process certain layaway payment schedules, causing automated cancellations to trigger when the system interpreted missed or delayed payments. In some cases, payments were posted but not synced correctly within the backend, creating a mismatch between what attendees believed was paid and what the system recorded.

Pasquale Rotella addressed the crisis directly through social media, acknowledging the errors and offering an explanation. He stated that the cancellations were not intentional overselling or deliberate customer targeting, but rather the result of technical glitches in the layaway processing infrastructure. Rotella committed to manually reviewing affected accounts and reinstating tickets for all fans who had been consistently paying their layaway plans. He also apologized for the stress and inconvenience caused and pledged that Insomniac would investigate how the error occurred and prevent similar issues at future events.

For affected attendees, the resolution process involves contacting Insomniac’s customer service directly to verify payment status and request ticket reinstatement. The company set up a dedicated support channel to handle the volume of requests, asking affected fans to provide order confirmation numbers and payment history as proof of their layaway plan status. Insomniac has prioritized these cases and committed to processing reinstatements within 48 to 72 hours, aiming to get tickets back in fans’ hands quickly so they can continue planning their EDC experience.

This incident highlights the challenges large-scale festivals face in managing ticketing infrastructure, especially when handling complex layaway and payment plan systems. EDC Las Vegas, drawing over 100,000 attendees annually, processes an enormous volume of transactions across multiple payment methods and schedules. While technical issues are not uncommon in the event ticketing world, the scale and visibility of this particular problem—combined with the timing so close to the festival—amplified attendee anxiety and social media backlash.

Industry observers note that the situation underscores the importance of transparent communication and fast response from festival organizers when ticketing errors occur. Rotella’s quick acknowledgment and commitment to resolution helped contain the damage, though some attendees remain skeptical about whether all affected fans will successfully regain their tickets. Insomniac has encouraged anyone with cancelled layaway tickets to reach out immediately rather than waiting, as processing requests in real time is more efficient than batch reinstatement later.

EDC Las Vegas 2026 is scheduled for May 15-17 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ticket sales continue through official channels for fans still looking to attend. For those with cancelled layaway plans, immediate contact with Insomniac customer support remains the fastest path to ticket recovery and peace of mind heading into the festival season.