Experience at Drive-In Raves

Before Covid hit, I was planning on going to at least three or more festivals this year. I was going to celebrate my one-year rave-a-versary at Beyond Wonderland, then tackle Hard Summer with my housemates, camp at Nocturnal Wonderland, and round it off with a round two of Escape Halloween. But less than two weeks before the event, Beyond was canceled and postponed, canceled again, then postponed, and over and over until I finally accepted that no festivals would happen again this year. But once drive-in raves started coming to my area, hope was restored for me. I wasn’t planning on going to any at first until I knew they were safe, but a good friend of mine offered me a spot in her car for Major Lazer at the Rubidoux Drive-in. It was too good to turn down so we started planning.  

First things first, we assembled a group of people we knew would be safe until the event. 5 people in a car meant we were exposing ourselves to people we don’t live with, so we made sure to all quarantine and get tested before the rave. 

We looked at the safety protocols and planned accordingly. Every car was supposed to have a roped off designated space where you could get out (with a mask) and dance during the rave. But once we got to the event, it wasn’t as well managed as we were hoping. There weren’t real ‘barriers’ just cones, and there was little to no monitoring at the event. It was still really fun, but not the safest bet for a big event back in Riverside county. Fortunately, my group and I stuck to each other, stayed in a relatively separate space, and tried to limit how much we would go to the bathrooms or get water. All in all, I had a ton of fun, but since it was a solo artist show, the management wasn’t that good in terms of Covid safety. 

A few weeks later, BOO was happening at the National Orange Show center, managed by insomniac. Insomniac is a big company and they had been taking safety precautions very seriously from what I’d seen from friends who had gone to their shows. For BOO, it sold out in less than an hour. But a few days later they added a day and created a “day trip” on Sunday, November 1st. We snagged tickets and were all stoked about going. Taking the same precautions: quarantining, making sure to get tested before, and keeping our group to people we trusted was crucial. Pulling up to insomniac was so much safer than the previous event. We were able to have an actual area that was marked off by rails. The ground patrol came by and ensured everyone was wearing masks the whole time, and there were two porta-potties per row (so the line was never more than 2 or 3 people). My friends and I were able to have so much more fun at Day Trip because it was so much safer and we all felt less worried about everything. They offered a menu of drinks and food if you were hungry- you could literally call it in and they would bring it to your area. Outside food and drinks weren’t allowed though (besides water) and they confiscated any bottles brought in. 

Overall, drive-in raves are a fun alternative to the festival experience, but in my opinion, I would rather save my money and wait for the real deal. Nothing beats big crowds and new friends at every turn, and Park N Raves just felt a little sad in comparison. I’m happy I got to go and remained safe throughout the experience though, and I think for anyone who has never been to a rave before, drive-in raves are a good jumping-off point to the scene. 

 

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