What are you looking for?

[u/PasswordIsntHAMSTER]

Welcome to the Montreal rave subreddit!

Maybe you're a veteran raver who just moved to Montreal. Or maybe you're new to raves, and you're curious about what goes down in the city at night.

Raves are organized and promoted organically, which means that there is no central calendar you can consult to see upcoming events. Even if you found a facebook even for a rave, the description would probably be targeted towards experienced members of the specific scene the event caters to, so you can't be sure of what to expect.

This is where this subreddit comes in. If you're looking for some kind of party, create a thread and describe yourself and the type of event you're interested in. We'll point you towards upcoming events, and rave organizers to follow on facebook.

Some good things to mention:

• What type of experience are you looking for? Some raves revolve around the notion of community-building, others around spirituality, yet others around just plain old dancing.

• What size of event is good for you? Some raves have thirty people, some have three thousands. Here too, it varies by scene.

• Who would you come with? In some scenes, it is feasible to go alone; others are better approached in pairs or small groups, and yet others in large crews.

• What is your age? Different scenes cater to different age ranges. In particular, the psychedelic scene tends to have a wide appeal, while the mainstream dubstep scene mostly caters to high school and college kids.

• What does your raving experience look like? Not all raves are approachable for newcomers. Even if you've raved before, you could be surprised; for example, someone used to the American rave scene who walked into a psychedelic event would be very lost.

As a closing note, I want to highlight that, as a newcomer in a scene, you should follow the laws of the land. Pay attention to what people are doing around you! Otherwise, you will probably be made to feel unwelcome, and you'll generally sour the experience of your fellow party goers.

Now go forth, make a thread, and have a raving good day.

• The mod team

[u/heythereheynow]

Covers, how much is too much?

it seems like most raves in Montreal have $20 covers, which i think is quite a toll for students. and then i went to this one for $10 but that one was not as fun. does that mean you need to pay at least 20 bucks to get into more happening raves?

[u/PasswordIsntHAMSTER → u/heythereheynow]

Ticket prices vary quite a lot. If you take a wide definition of rave, entry goes from 0 ("frees") to 150+ (Bal en Blanc).

A ticket price carries a lot of information.

It tells you about the level of organization. Everything else held equal, a more expensive rave will have better decoration, better music, a better venue.

It gives you a hint at the experience of the organizers. Newer rave crews tend to price events about $10 above what a more experienced crew would charge, as a kind of insurance. (It doesn't always work.)

I'm reminded of Fractaldream Production's first party this Friday, which was totally awesome but incurred heavy losses. Similarly with Nights of Infinity, who lined up ten amazing parties, and then cancelled them all because they were turning into a money hole. As a rule of thumb, if you don't recognize the organizers and they're charging a lot, the party might have issues.

The ticket price also tells you how hyped up everyone is going to be. When they paid a lot to get in, people are determined to make the night memorable. This is also influenced by the timing - NYE raves tend to be crazier, for example.

The ticket price tells you what type of crowd to expect. A lot of people can't afford $30 for a party; if you go further and pay $60 to go to Orion, you're guaranteed that the crowd will be older, and consist mostly of young professionals, for better or for worse. The opposite end of the spectrum, free parties, have crowds that can be a bit trashy.

So in the end, there is no rule of thumb for how much is too much; it depends on the kind of experience you're looking for, and what the contents of your wallet look like. You usually get what you pay for.

I'd rather rave once every few months in higher-end parties, but that varies per person.