Meeting new people at raves is bound to happen, whether you like it or not. Our Nations motto is come one, come all and the motto could easily stand for raves as well.
If you’ve attended a festival you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a place that can turn a super anti-social person into a talkative kandi kid in one night. It’s also a place where you can find yourself talking to someone you would have never approached on the street.
Let’s go down the list of all your fellow ravers.
Kandi Kids
Kandi kids are almost impossible to miss. These are the people who have a large amount of “kandi” aka colored bracelets wrapped around there arms and neck. These “kids” are devoted to {PLUR} and will most likely be trading kandi with new strangers all night. Constantly meeting new people and sending out positive vibes is what they live for.
The First Time Raver
We’ve all been there, and we all wish we could go back to that day. These people will spend an entire night with their minds completely blown, wondering how it took them so long to realize what a rave was. First timers and kandi kids go hand in hand, constantly pumping out positive vibes and trading kandi left and right. When you see a newbie, make them feel welcomed, we all remember that feeling.
The Shuffler / Head-Banger
Believe it or not these people spend hours perfecting there craft, most likely in front of a mirror. The shufflers travel in packs and usually try and push people out of the way within the crowd to form a shuffle pit. The hang-bangers also push people, but they’re much more aggressive about it and seem to always have long bassnectar type hair. They view this as a way to express themselves and truly immerse themselves into the rave scene.
The Chainsmoker
No, I’m not talking about the DJ duo, I’m talking about the people that bring an unopened pack of cigarettes to the rave and intend on smoking the whole pack. Sometimes friendly and sometimes stingy, these people just have a better time while smoking something. These days, big tobacco companies even have large booths at the festivals giving out cigs basically for free. Some will agree and some will disagree, either way everyone has fun their own type of way.
The Drug Dealer
Unfortunately, when there’s a rave there’s most likely a drug dealer. These people have no fear and honestly feel they can get away with anything. These days, security and police are everywhere yet you’ll still have a random person walk by you sometime throughout the night letting you know what they have. What’s scary is can’t really point them out unless their being obvious. Stay in your lane and don’t go looking for random party favors, your better off.
The Old
Raver’s live by the code PLUR, which stands for peace, love, unity and respect. This is why older people still attend these events and for the most part feel welcomed. Although they stand out like a sour thumb, they’re there for the same reasons everyone else is; to party. You’ll probably find them telling stories of how things were when they started raving and how much has changed. Look for crazy outfits and positive vibes, they may be old but their definitely still young at heart.
The Smartphone Cinematographers
No matter where they are, their phones will be out attempting to either take a cool picture or trying to capture an entire set on their camera phone. These are the people who really want to have videos stored away for memories, until they lose their phone. The funny part about all of the videos taken at raves is that they’ll never even be watched. I’m sure we’ve all done this at least once or twice.
The Rave Couple
First thing that comes to mind are the stereotypical rave couple memes all over the internet. Some will claim its PDA and others will think its romantic, these people are constantly holding hands and twirling each other around as if their living in a fairy tale. Raving with your friends is always fun, but raving with your loved one can really turn into something special.
The Glover
These people go to a rave with one thing on their mind, simply to blow other peoples minds. They’ll also do whatever it takes to get their gloves in, and I mean no matter what it takes. Glovers are very proud of what they do, they get a rush out of blowing ravers minds with their crazy gloving skills. If you’ve never received a light show, don’t be shy to ask for one, it’s literally why their there.
As I mentioned earlier, ravers live by the code PLUR, this is why most of the people you will meet at these festivals are kind, friendly and most importantly respectful. So no matter who you end up meeting, live up to the code and just enjoy yourself. There’s always those few bad apples in the crowd though, so don’t go looking for trouble!
