Feeding Time: NYC's Electric Zoo 2012

Sep 5, 2012 2:31 pm

The EDM festival's 4th year: Fat beats, great eats

By Jess Kapadia

After four years of wompy, filthy electronic bliss I couldn't help but notice what really set this year's Electric Zoo apart from its three "starter" years: about 25,000 more sweaty, sparkly, fist-pumpey and yes, LED-vajazzled young'uns (as well as some positively bewildered-looking old'uns). That brought the grand total to a whopping 110,000 people over three hot days. I sucked down a dozen mini-cans of champagne just to stay remotely hydrated, and hey I'm still here!

How does this thing keep getting bigger? How does poor Randall's Island not sink into the river? And how do you feed so many growing boys and girls rapidly burning off every calorie they consume? It'll take 23 fully stocked vendors with every ounce of foodie love they can muster, and the E-Zoo phone app featuring a long, rate-able list of places to eat, including some of New York's most beloved food trucks. Ace photographer Gabi Porter and I set off once again behind the scenes of feeding New York City's biggest music festival.

Stay tuned this week for interviews with Dada Life, Rusko, Boys Noize, Flux Pavilion and Doctor P as well as impressive newcomer AbdeCaf. As I said last year, please refrain from sticking your fingers in the cages. I got bitten pretty hard for ...well, no I guess that's as good a reason as any.

Feeding Time: NYC's Electric Zoo 2012

This guy loves Roberta's Panini Wizards' freshly-pressed eggplant and mozzarella sandwich this much. A highlight of the VIP tent (along with liquor).

And that's not even the best Steve Aoki wiener story we've ever heard. But tell us more, Crif Dogs...

If this dude falls in the river, it's cool. But nobody likes a soggy hot dog.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Food Freaks' deep-fried almost-burned Brussels sprouts. They're like veggie chips made from actual veggies.

This crew knows how to wait in line for Thai food. Not pictured: their beers.

"Eff this sandwich, I see the lights!"
"Is that chick LED-vajazzled? Damn, Fornino has good meatballs."

The Wooly's Ice guys dish out the hottest commodity on the island: fresh snow.

We got this dude from Roberta's last year. He no longer has the protection of the VIP tent. Oddly, he seems okay...

These guys enjoy the handiwork of the hard-working Roberta's pizzaiolos. They made sexy eating noises for the camera.

The cause of aforementioned ecstatic grunts. Energy replenished, the men moved on.

Bare Burger churned out grass-fed cheeseburgers on multigrain buns (plus fries and shakes) for a line 50 deep that never seemed to diminish. I wanted a burger. I really did. But that line...