When you think of a rave, typically you think of loud music, drinking, dancing, and a whole host of other activities, but you don’t think of the culture surrounding it, and the people that attend these events.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a strong sense of community among people who regularly go to raves. It should also be mentioned that raving is different from going to a night club. There is a difference between the people that attend the events as well as the general atmosphere and attitude of those who attend.

The overarching acronym that surrounds the rave community and rave culture is the acronym PLUR. It means Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. The whole idea of PLUR is an idea of creating a safe space for people to be who they want to be without the fear of judgment or fear of being treated poorly because they are different.

The main idea started in the 1990’s but has evolved and looks different today. The main idea of PLUR is still around and strong today, but is also seen as a way to prevent harm. If you go to a rave, or even a music festival, you will see people with water handing it out to complete strangers, picking someone up when they fall down, and making sure that no matter what, everyone is safe.

Another thing that is a big part of the culture and community is something called Kandi trading. Something that you’ve probably noticed is that people will walk around with lots of colorful jewelry on their wrists, or around their necks. This is what is known in the community as kandi.

An example of kandi that could be handed out at a rave (Credit: Mikayla Fitzgerald via Flickr)

A lot, if not all, of kandi is home made. Usually it’ll involve some kind of icon or imagery that incorporates the event that is going on or where it’s being traded. If you’re going to a specific event, usually the artist’s logo will be on at least one piece or their colours will be included. This means that Kandi is not only a combination of individual artistic expression, but also identifiable with what event it came from.

Kandi is not just given out either, it is traded, or a specific handshake is done before kandi is exchanged. The two people touch peace signs, form a heart, touch palms, and then slide the bracelet over. Each step represents a part of PLUR, meaning it’s engrained in everything, big and small.