What Is A Rave?

Dictionary definition of the word "rave"

1. rave \'ra-v\ vb [ME raven]
   • 1a: to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium
   • 1b: to declaim wildly
   • 1c: to talk with extreme enthusiasm
   • 2: to move or advance violently : STORM : to utter in madness or frenzy
   rav.er
2. rave n often attrib
   • 1: an act or instance or raving
   • 2: an extravagantly favorable criticism

Contemporary definition of "rave" as a social event

In simplest terms, a rave is a social event, a phenomenon of modern youth culture. In most cases a rave is a dance party in which the participants experience a sense of community and elevated consciousness through the hearing of music and the respond ing to music through (1) free physical motion or dance, (2) a positive change of mood, and (3) both spoken & unspoken interaction with other participants.

Although this is not an exhaustive list, it can generally be said that raves today tend to include the following dominant elements:

• a venue which may be a warehouse, open field, dance club, or other exotic location
• at least one large amplified stereo sound system
• skilled disc jockeys (DJs) who provide a continuous mix of dance oriented electronic music, usually "techno," "house," or "jungle" music
• colorful moving lights, lasers and/or strobes
• nighttime hours, usually from 10pm or 11pm until sunrise
• attendance of at least 50 people (varies widely from region to region around the world; some European cities routinely attract over 10,000. American raves average 500 to 1,500, with exceptions)
• use of recreational drugs among a percentage of the participants (varies widely from rave to rave; some raves are substance-free)
• non-use of alcohol (varies from rave to rave)
• vending of non-alcoholic "smart drinks", t-shirts, and DJ mix tapes
• retro and "little kid" fashions
• "chill out" areas or rooms featuring ambient music

People at raves are usually racially diverse and made up of people from very different backgrounds. This is because the rave community tends to be very accepting of anyone young, old, black, white, etc. They form an alternative sort of culture. Many ravers dress differently than people in mainstream society. They sometimes wear baggy clothes, fluorescent colors and carry backpacks with cartoon characters on them. Many ravers can be seen wearing glitter on their face and bodies. They are also likely to be carrying accessories such as pacifiers, bright jewelry and glow sticks. Water and candy (especially lollipops) are also mainstays of the typical raver.

When people hear the word rave, they often associate it with drugs. It is true that many rave-goers do use drugs to enhance the experience (but drug use has been seen in most music scenes through the years). Many ravers enjoy these parties sober though, enjoying the music and the atmosphere at face value.

Ravers believe in PLUR acronym that stands for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. They also believe in the positive vibe the music and atmosphere at a rave create. The vibe is how you and those around you feel, and should integrate PLUR. It is a feeling what can be put into words. The only true way to understand it is to be standing on the dance floor surrounded by hundreds of people as the music builds and keeps you dancing through the night.