By: Sierra Judge
You know that feeling when you’re at a fest and you just really want to sit on your couch for a minute? Now that is a possibility every day thanks to our wonderful community. During this uncertain and crazy time, edm fans can find comfort and joy through virtual raves! The rave is now coming to your living room, and you can watch all your favorite artists from the comfort of your home.
Pasquale Rotella, founder of Insomniac, has really been there for his “headliners” throughout these tough times. Not only is there a 24 hour livestream of sets from all of your favorite festivals, he is also putting together virtual festivals. From 3/20-3/21 Beyond Wonderland hosted a Virtual Rave-a-Thon. The weekend of April 10th, there will be a virtual Nocturnal Wonderland livestream to keep your spirits lifted.
Brownies & Lemonade & Proximity also presented “Digital Mirage”, a new festival featuring Seven Lions, Alison Wonderland, Kaskade, and so many more. All of the proceeds from this fest benefit the Sweet Relief Foundation for the COVID-19 crisis. The fest featured a couple B2B’s, including Dab the Sky, who 85,000 fans tuned in for. This took place April 3-5, and over $100,000 in donations were made.
If you’ve been on Friendship or are a Destructo fan, you know the sunrise sermon is a very special experience. On Easter Sunday, Destructo is bringing you a live sunrise sermon starting at 5:30 AM on 4/12. After raving all night, this will be the perfect start to your Easter day.
My twitter feed has been filled with videos of people crying, laughing, and mostly headbanging along to their favorite sets. Lots of fans are putting on the outfits they didn’t get to wear out due to cancellations during the live streams to really recreate the festival experience.
My favorite part of the virtual rave scene has been the variety of streams. Producers now have the chance to play anything they want. Many have taken the opportunity to show fans extremely unique sets that would normally not be possible. Some artists, like Blunts & Blondes have reached out to fans to ask what different types of sets they would like to see (even mentioning a house set). Bonnie X Clyde mentioned ideas like cooking or meditating on the livestream to give fans a different experience.
Although many events we were looking forward to may not be happening at the moment anymore, there are still so many things happening online to look forward to. Twitch is a great, free app that gives you access to many of these livestreams. It can even notify you when your favorite account is streaming. Youtube is also a good way to access live streams.
(Peekaboo, Countdown Virtual Rave-a-Thon)
Producers and Influencers have been spreading good vibes on social medias. I see many inspiring and positive posts a day, which can really lift your spirits and put a smile on your face. Bear Grillz posts a “daily does of cute” photo of his puppy every day, which has really given me something small to look forward to each day.
Seeing how our community has come together and continues to try to bring peace and joy in these times is inspiring. It reminds me to appreciate the small joys we come across, and to appreciate our next non-virtual festival a little more. Until then, keep up to date with your favorite artists social media to find out when they are live streaming. I guarantee it will make you smile.