You bought the ticket months ago, so technically that money doesn’t count

anymore.


At least that’s what you tell yourself.


Then the weekend actually gets here.


Uber there.


Drinks.


Food.


Maybe a locker.


The outfit.


Uber somewhere else.


And then someone sends the afters in the group chat.


$150.


You’ve already been dancing for ten hours.


Of course you’re going.


By Monday you check your bank account and realize your fun little weekend

somehow cost as much as a vacation.


WHEN DID RAVING GET SO EXPENSIVE?




TO BE FAIR, RAVES ARE EXPENSIVE TO PULL OFF.


Especially festivals.


Think about everything that has to happen for us to walk into an empty field,

warehouse or venue and suddenly feel like we’re somewhere else entirely.


Stages get built.


Sound systems come in.


Lights get hung.


Lasers get programmed.


Then there’s power, bathrooms, water, security, medics, bartenders, production

crews, permits, insurance, cleanup.


And obviously, the lineup.


That bass you can feel in your chest doesn’t just happen.


Neither does the giant stage, the visuals or the moment the entire crowd goes dark

right before the drop.


There are hundreds of people behind some of these events making sure we get to

completely forget where we are for a few hours.


SOMEONE BUILT ALL OF THIS SO WE COULD DANCE IN IT.


When you really think about it, that’s pretty cool.




BUT THE TICKET IS NEVER JUST THE TICKET.


A $200 festival ticket sounds like $200.


It is never $200.


There’s the fee attached to the ticket.


Getting there.


Somewhere to stay if you’re traveling.


Food.


Drinks.


And somehow a vodka soda becomes $25 once there are lasers nearby.


Then someone wants merch.


Someone forgot their sunglasses.


Someone else wants to go to the afters.


This is where rave math starts.


You’ve already spent hundreds of dollars.


You’ve been planning this weekend for months.


Everyone is going.


Are you really going home over another $150?


Financially?


Maybe you should.


Spiritually?


SEE YOU AT THE AFTERS.




AND NOW WE TRAVEL FOR IT.


Once you really get into raving, you start following the music.


There’s a festival in California.


Your favorite DJ announces New York.


Someone drops a lineup from Europe in the group chat.


Then somebody mentions Ibiza.


Suddenly there are flight screenshots flying around and everyone is figuring out


how many people can reasonably fit into one Airbnb.


And honestly?


I love this part.


Music gives us a reason to go somewhere.


You get on a plane because of a lineup and end up with an entire trip you probably

wouldn’t have taken otherwise.


You see a new city.


Meet people you’ll probably never see again.


Sleep four hours.


Dance for twelve.


Come home exhausted.


And somehow you’re already talking about the next one.

THE EXPENSIVE PART ISN’T ALWAYS THE IMPORTANT PART


You don’t need a new outfit for every rave.


Wear it again.


Nobody cares.


You don’t need VIP every time.


You don’t need the nicest hotel.


You don’t need merch just because you’re there.


And you definitely don’t need to turn one weekend into three months of payments.


Spend on the things that actually make the experience better for you.


Skip the rest.


Because when you think back on the night, you’re probably not going to remember

what your hotel room looked like.


You’re going to remember losing your friends and somehow finding them again in
a crowd of 20,000 people.

The set you almost skipped that ended up being your favorite.

Hearing the first few seconds of the song everyone has been waiting for.

The stranger you danced with for twenty minutes and never saw again.


Your feet hurting.


Your phone dying.


Saying one more set four times.


Looking over at your friends in the middle of all of it and realizing:


THIS IS WHY WE COME.



And that’s probably why raving can cost this much and we still keep going.


It isn’t just listening to music.


It’s traveling.


Dancing.


Meeting people.


Finding new artists.


Seeing your favorite ones.


Being completely present for a few hours.


Coming home with stories that somehow get better every time you tell them.


Raving is unnecessary.


So are a lot of the best things we do with our lives.


You don’t need to fly across the country to see a DJ.


You don’t need to stay out until sunrise.


You don’t need to spend an entire weekend dancing.


But someday you’re probably not going to remember the random things you

bought that month.


You’ll remember the weekend you went somewhere with your friends and

completely lost your minds when that one track came on.


SO GO.


Buy the ticket when you can afford it.


Take the trip.


Stay for the set.


Go to the afters if your bank account can survive it.


MEMORIES ARE PRICELESS


Unfortunately,


the afters are $150.

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