As a first-year student at McGill, I was excited to dip my toe into rave culture by attending Igloofest for the first time this year. I got tickets for two nights, headlined by Discolines and DJ Snake. I had never been to a festival like this before, so I was unsure what to expect. While I anticipated large crowds and high energy, I was not prepared for how quickly the crowd would turn overwhelming.
In hindsight, my first mistake was getting tickets for the two most mainstream DJs. Both nights were completely sold out, resulting in overwhelming crowds. As expected, the closer people tried to get to the stage, the more chaotic the environment became. During the Discolines set, the crowd shifted from energetic to dangerous as attendees pushed and shoved to get closer to the stage.
At one point, I was standing with a group of friends when we suddenly felt a powerful surge from the left of us. Like dominoes, we were knocked to the ground, unable to get up due to a lack of space and the weight of people falling on top of us. I remember looking up from the ground, hoping to make eye contact with someone who could help me up, but I was completely ignored. It took me a couple of minutes to finally find my footing. While several minutes may not sound long, in a tightly packed crowd it posed risks of being stepped on or trampled.
The next morning, while scrolling on TikTok, I encountered a video of another person who shared a similar experience from that night. User @Baileyandison described the concert as “people moving through the crowd, shuffling sideways trying to get up to the front, talking the entire time.” She added that, “I think Igloofest was oversold, it was dangerous at one point. I had short friends who were being picked up off their feet.”
It is difficult to say definitively whether the event truly was oversold. However, regardless of crowd size, every attendee shares a responsibility to treat others with kindness and respect. This is where the values of rave culture come into play.
I was recently introduced to the idea of PLUR, which stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. It is a commonly known philosophy within rave culture that promotes a safe and inclusive environment at these types of events. The presence of these sets of values used by rave regulars felt noticeably absent at Discolines. When going to these types of crowded music events, being mindful of others is essential in ensuring that everyone can enjoy the experience without fear for their safety.
That said, it should not just be the responsibility of the attendees to ensure that the night runs smoothly without any dangerous situations. Reports from Radio-Canada Information
revealed that people felt a lack of security throughout the event, as they worried for their own safety. This suggests that Igloofest may have been unprepared for the sheer volume of people in attendance.
This issue was somewhat addressed for DJ Snake’s set, which was another night that was expected to have large crowds. Organizers installed large barricades to limit the number of people allowed into the area closest to the stage. Although many attendees were visibly frustrated by the restrictions, these measures helped prevent the dangerous crowd surge experienced earlier in the festival.
Moving forward, both festival-goers and Igloofest must take shared responsibility to uphold the values that define rave culture. Excitement and high energy should never come at the expense of safety. With greater awareness of PLUR and proper planning, Igloofest can remain a beloved event.
