How to Find the Rave Scene in a New City & State

Moving to a new state can be SO overwhelming. It’s terrifying leaving a place you’ve known so well and for so long. You’re hoping that your new home holds everything you need. I moved to Austin, Texas from Phoenix, Arizona after I had graduated from Arizona State for a job. I was nervous as I had been in Arizona my whole life. I had a set group of friends, my favorite bars and restaurants, and a rave scene that showed me the way of going to festivals and having a deeper appreciation for EDM. I wondered if my new home would even be comparable.

Slowly, but surely everything has kind of come together for me in Austin. I launched Vibe with Ade in September of 2017, started my new job, met a rock star group of girlfriends, and met my boyfriend who has become my best friend. I went to Dirtybird BBQ Austin a couple of weeks ago and had a realization that the Austin music scene has really become a home for me. I could walk around and say hi to various groups and really felt a part of the community. I’m coming up on my two-year anniversary in Austin in August so having this full circle feeling has me excited to share with ya’ll my tips on how to make your new state and rave scene feel like home.

Step 1: Research

How would you find out about shows in your hometown? Find out the key players (a.k.a. music companies and promo companies) in the town you’re moving to. For me, Relentless Beats was the main company putting on shows, raves and festivals in Arizona. So, when I was moving to Austin, I searched Facebook to find out who would be my version of Relentless Beats and which venues were most popular. I also searched for my favorite artists’ tour schedules to see if they had any Austin dates. This is how I was able to identify that Real Music Events, Disco Donnie Presents, C3 Presents and ACL Live were the main players putting on shows around Austin. I learned that Emo’s, Vulcan Gas Company, and Kingdom (rip) is where I’d mostly go to.

Step 2: Get Out There

It can be scary to go to a show by yourself (see my tips on going to a show/festival alone) but find an upcoming show of an artist you love or have been wanting to see. Purchase a ticket, figure out how you’ll get there and GO. It can be challenging to go alone and put yourself out there, but that’s how you’ll get a feel for the scene and hopefully meet new people. You’ll regret not going to the show and staying at home so go even if it’s just for a little bit. Be friendly to others and hopefully form new connections with someone you’ve never met before.

Step 3: Connect Online and In-Person

Whenever I met someone at a show, I’d either get their number or an Instagram handle and continue the conversation we had or get to know them better afterwards. Sometimes we’d stay and in touch and sometimes not, but that still gave me another familiar face to see at shows and Texas festivals. Social media can be a great tool to meet other people in your scene. Find out if there’s a social media channel dedicated to your scene (ex: @ATXEDMFamily @TexasEDMFamily @AZRaveFam). Join Facebook groups to meet others and see if there are any shows you can meet a friend for.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3

A fairly simple process, right? I’m going to tell you to keep repeating these steps and keep repeating until you find your people and you feel at home then keep going. Life is too short to not put yourself out there and meet new people. It can feel so insanely lonely that first couple of months in a new place, but I promise you it’ll be worth it to find your tribe. Find those people who will be there for you and that you can jam out to at shows and festivals.

I hope this was helpful if any of my followers are moving somewhere new soon. You’ll figure it out and I’m sending you all my love as you begin this new and exciting chapter in your life.