With festival season coming up, let’s clear up all the assumptions people make about raves and ravers. Going to my first rave was honestly life changing. Lots of people I know say they will never go to a rave because it seems unsafe and filled with crazy people. Well I’m here to tell you guys straight up how raves really are.
I went to my very first rave last year during the summer, and this was the start of many more raves and shows to come. One of my close friends during the semester urged me to buy a ticket to a rave called Illectric River that was going to be held in New Braunfels. I agreed to buy the ticket although I had never listened to EDM. Come the day of the festival, I was a little nervous since I only knew one person in the whole group but at the end of the night ended up having the time of my life, dancing my ass off, and meeting so many great people.
You’re going to come across people selling and doing drugs:
Alright, so this is an assumption that is correct. During the festival you will see people who are obviously under the influence or have people come up to you asking if you’d like some. Always say no to these people, you’ll never know what they are actually giving you. It is 100% possible to have an amazing time at a rave without being on drugs. It’s also extremely important to take care of your friends and others you see who may need help. After all, we came here to have a good time and enjoy the music!
I would say one of the most important things to do during any festival is to stay hydrated. It’s going to be hot during the summer and even when the sun goes down it’s still crucial to drink water. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, DRINK WATER. I can’t stress this enough. Be a pal and offer others some water if they look like they need some too. They’ll appreciate it more than you think.
People don’t care what you wear:
So this one is pretty self explanatory. No matter what you wear, no one would bat an eye. From covering your whole body head to toe to just wearing pasties, no one would look at you a certain way or judge you because of your outfit. Raves are a place to wear outfits you don’t get to wear on the daily basis, so go all out if you’d like to. Put on a bright crop top, put your hair into space buns, throw some glitter on, whatever you do wear it with confidence!
You’ll meet so many amazing people:
Saving the best for last, you will definitely meet some of the coolest people at raves. One kind of person you are guaranteed to come across are the shufflers. These are my favorite people to watch dance, after trying to learn to shuffle I have a greater appreciation for them because shuffling is HARD. It definitely takes a lot of cardio and I am not in tip top shape to keep up! You’ll also meet the “rave mom”, they are the one who watches out for everyone and makes sure everyone is safe. No matter what kind of raver you meet, they will all be super sweet, asking you if you’d like water, gum, and making sure you’re having a great time, especially if you’re a newbie.
If any of you ever have the opportunity to go to a rave or show I suggest you go for it! I’m a very shy person but my first festival was one for the books and never in a million years would have pictured myself having such a good time with strangers.