Raves
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Threw a “Rave Shower” for Their Baby
Because it’s never too early to start raving, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reportedly hosted a rave-themed baby shower. HipHollywood reports the couple, who are expecting their first child, celebrated by throwing a lavish party where guests were asked to wear neon-colored clothing fit for a rave. Sources say guests were asked not to film at the private event. The Fenty Beauty mogul—who is currently in her third trimester—and the chart-topping rapper also gave out a colorful, retro-themed t-shirt that harkens back to the DIY rave posters of the 80s and 90s. The shirt features images of the couple as children along with the phrase “I Went To Rih & Rocky’s Rave Shower And All I Got Was This Amazing Shirt” on the back. Believe it or not, RiRi and Rocky aren’t the only maj...
Police Presence at Music Festivals Linked to “Panic Overdoses”: Study
There’s a rising concern among researchers that substance policing tactics at music festivals are actually causing harm amongst attendees rather than preventing it. Researchers at St Vincent’s Clinical School at the University of NSW explored the phenomenon of “panic overdoses” at music festivals—a reactionary behavior that causes attendees to consume high amounts of prohibited substances out of fear of being apprehended by law enforcement. The Guardian notes that the study began with a sample of 1,229 attendees, 30% of whom admitted their intention to use drugs, or had already done so. The most common drug preference was MDMA. Roughly half of those who intended to use MDMA (48%) additionally reported resorting to higher-risk consumption behaviors to avoid bein...
There’s a New Year’s Eve Rave for Babies and Toddlers Going Down In the U.K.
The Big Fish Little Fish rave in Edinburgh has more hype than that charity “sock hop” you went to 15 years ago with Mum, Dad, and maybe Granny Sue. Let’s not forget when the DJ asked everyone to come to the floor to do the “Chicken Dance” or “The Train.” The Edinburgh showcase is bringing back its four-time award-winning family rave, Big Fish Little Fish, for a Hogmanay event on Friday, December 31st. Big Fish Little Fish will encourage attendees to dress up for a disco ball theme and will include a healthy dose of house and disco dance music. Club classics will be playing during the rave, but don’t rule out “Baby Shark” being dropped. If you’re old enough to partake in drinking, you will be able to skip the chocol...
Violent Crime Spikes In Tulum, President of Hotel Association Points Finger at Raves
Violent crime is significantly up year-over-year in Tulum—including a stark 80.5% increase in murder—and some say increased tourism from dance music enthusiasts is to blame. Year-to-date 65 murders have occurred in the popular tourist hotspot, up from just 36 the year prior. Organized crime is believed to be responsible. According to David Ortiz Mena, President of the Tulum Hotels Association, tourism among ravers—who were eager to avoid lockdowns in nearly countries—is playing a critical role. Ortiz Mena believes that an increase of local electronic dance music parties is creating a rise in demand for drugs, Business Insider reports. Bad actors are being drawn to the area given the increase in demand. An anecdotal increase in reported extortion attempts on ...
Elon Musk Hosts First “Rave Cave” Event at Tesla Gigafactory: Watch
Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory complex isn’t producing vehicles yet, but it did hold its first rave over the weekend. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously quipped that he’d been considering whether various areas of the complex, including the solar panel-dotted rooftop, might be suitable for a “mega rave cave.” Now, with Giga Fest, he’s made good on his intentions. The county fair-style attraction featured arcade games, carnival rides, Tesla accelerator ride-alongs, and a marathon of DJ sets spanning the day from morning to sundown. The rave drew in an estimated 9,000 attendees mainly from the surrounding areas of Brandenburg and Berlin, Insider reports. Musk, a techno music enthusiast, and dance music producer himself, als...
Look Inside a Rave at an Aviation Museum in Brussels
Raves can occur just about anywhere, but we never cease to marvel at the strange locations they pop up at in 2021. Last month, a rave went down at the Aviation Hall of the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels. Inspired by flight and the curiosity that drove humans to develop aircraft, the IIIMAGINE event took place across three days and featured performances from DC Salas, Farrago, Ben Kamal, and Curtis Alto, among others. Alto, the Belgian dance music duo who organized the event, had a goal to create a one-of-a-kind experience. “Humans have been dreaming about being able to fly for thousands of years,” reads the event’s Facebook page. “Whether it was the myth of Icarus in Ancient Greece or the scientific endeavour of Leonardo Da Vinci, ...
French Police Violated Human Rights at Crackdown of Illegal Rave, Report Finds
A new report has uncovered human rights violations at the hands of the French police, specifically at the illicit Teknival festival in June 2021, Radio France International reports. One attendee, a 22-year-old man, infamously lost his hand when nearly 400 law enforcement officials attempted to break up the ill-fated rave of nearly 1,500 people. Dozens were reportedly injured in the chaos. The study was organized by human rights group Amnesty International, which synthesized dozens of interviews, videos and official documents for its evidence. It found police tactics to include a seven-hour barrage of tear gas, sting-ball grenades and GM2L explosives, as well as the seizure and destruction of the event organizers’ sound equipment. Altogether, the report concluded that...
Rave In Parisian Refugee Camp Draws Backlash After Migrants Endangered
An unauthorized rave which was organized in the middle of a refugee shelter ended in confrontation between law enforcement and the area’s residents. Promoters La Toilette contacted United Migrants, the nonprofit running the encampment, on Saturday, September 4th with a request to host a concert of 500 attendees. The promoter’s offer of €6,000 appealed to United Migrants, who initially saw the proposal as a way to raise funds fast, but things quickly went awry, Electronic Beats reports. According to United Migrants, La Toilette’s promises were broken almost immediately when 1,500 guests showed up instead, which drew law enforcement to the scene at 2AM. As Electronic Beats noted, viral videos began to emerge showing the absurdity of subjecting the vulnerable...
Chaotic Weeklong Rave In Italy Ends Following a Death, a Birth, and Rampant Sexual Assault
An unauthorized six-day rave that claimed the life of one and hospitalized several others was finally broken up by police north of Rome. The event reportedly drew thousands across Europe. A 24-year-old man named Gianluca Santiago, of London, sadly lost his life in the midst of the event. He was found dead offshore of the nearby Lake Mezzano. According to EuroObserver, attendees experienced a hellish landscape characterized by strewn syringes, dogs dying from starvation and heat exhaustion, and rampant sexual assault. A baby was also born amid the chaos, according to local media. “The situation is out of control, no negotiation is possible, public order must be restored, people identified and the responsibility for such a gathering established,” said Lazio regional health c...
A Nonprofit Has Planned a Rave in Ukraine for LGBTQ Rights—Outside the President’s Office
July 30th will be an interesting day for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Kyiv Post, a nonprofit called UkrainePride plans to host a rave event outside of the president’s office called Rave Pride. Serving as a protest for the country’s LGBTQ+ community in a similar vein as Kyiv Pride’s annual Equality March—and hosted by some of the Kyiv Pride members who split from the group—the event hopes to grab the attention of the country’s authorities and make Ukraine a safer place for the country’s queer community. As it currently stands, the only anti-discrimination measures in Ukraine’s Criminal Code contain no terminology relating to sexual orientation, and therefore don’t address attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Con...
UK Police Use Drone Technology to Disperse 2,000-Person Rave
UK Police successfully used tactical drones in order to identify and ultimately disperse an illegal rave taking place in the fields of Steyning, Sussex. As the UK remains under COVID-19 restrictions, law enforcement has remained tasked with breaking up mass gatherings of over 30 people. While the nation was originally set to loosen its regulations and reopen nightlife venues, the threat of a spreading Delta variant has prolonged the restrictive measures. It appears law enforcement has begun to evolve their tactics, as their most recent bust of a 2,000-person rave was assisted with drone technology. The aircraft honed in on the gathering from afar due to all the nearby cars crowding the narrow street. The remote footage allowed officers to effectively seal off exits before making a mo...
Hunza Bans Music Festivals After Controversial Rave “Sabotaging the Local Culture”
In the aftermath of a polarizing rave that took place in Hunza, a valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, government officials have banned music festivals in the area. Daily Pakistan reports the edict was enacted after a youth organization lodged an official complaint about alleged drug use at the event, which took place June 11th to 13th. The grievance also reportedly noted some women were “seen in indecent clothes” that “opposed the traditions of Hunza.” A memo from the Deputy Commissioner’s office denounced the event for “sabotaging the local culture” before promising legal action against its organizers. The directive, which effectively banned concerts in the region, also cited “many...
