Scattered were posters and totem poles of “face melting station” and Facebook Memes blown up life-size, this was my first ever “rave.” While being in large groups of people didn’t exactly bother me since I’d been to my fair share of concerts, here there were thousands of people tripping out of their mind. And I sat and watched in awe.

A rave as defined by Urban Dictionary is “any gathering of people centered around listening to and dancing to electronic music, as played by a set of live djs.” Basically I’ve had a rave in my backyard. But this venue and set of djs were a whole new level.

Complete with bedazzled leotards, spanx, furry boots, and headpieces a rave was the ultimate “extraterrestrial” experience. It was loud, chaotic, with rainbow lights scattered about, it was a lot to take in even with my sobriety. There were subtle moves of dancing (or bobbing heads) and lots of fist pumping, people watching had never been so fun.

Seeing this was my first rave, I decided to do everything a “raver” would do, I bought a binky an orange juice and played the game (it’s not hard to pretend you’re zoned out). I moved my body every way I could, and let my Micky Mouse ears shine in lightshow. The music overtook my chest, and I’d never fist pumped so hard in my life. Water became the drink of choice after being compacted into a large crowd. The unity of people had never been stronger, from needing water to having casual conversations there was so much love being shared in such a chaotic frenzy (girl empowerment was strong here.) Hugs and words of encouragement were exchanged as a night of dancing continued into the night.

While the bathroom line may have been long, access the water and other items were easily accessible and there was plenty of security. It was like people were just tripping in this one confined area, and were let out once they regained their sobriety. Seeing I had nothing in my system except adrenaline my thoughts were more concise and clear. As the night wore on so did the energy, the music got louder and the fist pumping increased. By the time the headliner came on I was in a state of euphoria. Lights, camera, action the whole crowd took off and I jumped until I could not jump anymore.

In the end I would probably do this again. Aside from being able to drive home (and delusional friends) with no problem, the experience really changed my outlook on how a community can come together to celebrate something they love. Being sober wasn’t bad at all, in fact, I came away with more money and things then when I came with (winning). It was a great way to connect with people, while really “feeling the music” needless to say I’ll be back again.