Raving in Toronto: Peace, Love, Unity and Respect in Transition

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Abstract
Rave dance parties have been growing in popularity during the past decade. This paper describes the rave scene in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, based on eight participant observations and personal interviews with 75 rave attendees. The data reveal that people defined raves and were attracted to the parties because of the interesting venues, to be with friends, and to enjoy the music. While drugs were also mentioned as one of the appealing aspects of parties, those who attend raves only to use drugs were not felt to be attending for the right reasons. Respondents commented on the numerous changes in the scene over time (e.g. increased commercialization, fewer people attending in order to contribute to the scene) and suggested means for ensuring the safer use of drugs in the future.