Rave vs psytrance party: the differences, and what festival trance is

A rave is a party built around electronic dance music, DJs and a long night of dancing. It can be house, techno, drum and bass or trance, in a warehouse, a club or a field. A psytrance party is one kind of rave: one genre, psytrance, with its own decorations, its own crowd and often several days outdoors, dancing through the night and well into the next day.

"Festival trance" is not an official genre. People use it for two things: the big, melodic trance played on main stages at EDM festivals, or psytrance as you hear it at open-air festivals. Below we explain all three and go through the differences point by point.

What is a rave?

The word is older than electronic music. In late-1950s London, "rave" meant a wild bohemian party, and in the early 1960s mods used it for any wild night out. It came back in the late 1980s with acid house in the UK. Parties moved into warehouses and squats, and when the police cracked down, into fields around London's M25 motorway. Free party crews such as Spiral Tribe kept the location secret until the night itself.

The UK government answered with the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which gave police powers against outdoor gatherings with music "wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats". That line is still quoted in the scene. Today, rave covers almost every electronic genre: house, techno, drum and bass, hardstyle, trance and more.

Rave vs party: what is the difference?

Every rave is a party, but not every party is a rave. A rave puts the music first: DJs or live acts, a sound system, a dance floor and people who come to dance for hours. A house party, a birthday or a bar night can have music too, but the music is background. A rave also tends to run longer and later than a normal night out.

What is a psytrance party?

A psytrance party is a rave where the music is psytrance from start to finish: fast, hypnotic, driven by a rolling bassline, usually between 130 and 150 BPM. If you are unsure how psytrance differs from Goa or trance, read Goa trance vs psytrance first.

The bigger events are festivals that run from two days to almost two weeks. Ozora in Hungary runs for twelve days, Universo Paralello in Brazil for nine days over New Year. Smaller ones are weekend open airs, such as Flor da Vida or Baobá in São Paulo state. What they share: UV-reactive art, chill-out areas, people camping on site, and dance floors that keep going after the sun comes up.

What is festival trance?

We see this question a lot, and there is no single answer, because "festival trance" is not a genre name you will find on a label. It usually means one of two things.

Mainstream trance at big festivals. The euphoric, melodic trance played on the main stages of EDM festivals: big chord progressions, long breakdowns, a huge drop and often vocals. Think of the sets of trance DJs at large indoor events or festival main stages. Tempo around 135 to 140 BPM.

Psytrance as a festival sound. In the psytrance world, people often say "festival sound" or "festival psytrance" for the full-on and progressive that fills the big dance floors at events like Ozora or Indian Spirit: driving, polished, built for a big crowd in the sun. That is different from the darker night sounds you hear at smaller forest parties.

If you heard it at a psytrance festival, it was most likely full-on or progressive psytrance. If you heard it on a main stage between EDM acts, it was most likely uplifting trance.

Rave vs psytrance party: the differences

Music

A rave can mix genres or follow one, depending on the promoter. A psytrance party sticks to psytrance and its family: progressive in the morning, full-on in the afternoon, darker styles at night, plus a chill-out floor with downtempo and psybient.

Duration

Most raves are one night. Psytrance events are rarely shorter than a full day. Even a "small" Brazilian open air often runs around 27 to 30 hours over a weekend, and the big festivals last a week or more.

Setting

Raves happen in clubs, warehouses, arenas or fields. Psytrance parties look for nature: forests, lakes, beaches and mountain valleys. Burning Mountain takes place at about 1,500 metres in the Swiss Alps, Universo Paralello on a beach in Bahia.

Daytime dancing

This surprises a lot of first-timers. At a psytrance festival, the dance floor is often fullest in the morning and afternoon. Sunrise sets are a ritual, and many people sleep at night and dance by day.

Art and decoration

Psytrance comes with a visual culture of its own: UV and fluorescent backdrops, string art, visionary painting and large installations. Many festivals have galleries, workshops and talks. At a typical rave, the light show does the visual work.

Community

The psytrance crowd is a smaller, global scene, and many people travel to festivals in other countries every year. Camping together for several days builds a different kind of closeness than a night in a club. Some festivals also have rules that shape the community: at Organik Gaian Dream in South Africa, one tuned sound rig plays the whole weekend and private sound systems on the campsite are banned.

What rave means in Brazil and Spain

The word means slightly different things in different places. In Brazil, "rave" has long meant a big electronic party in the open air, far from the city, that lasts many hours. A study from the University of São Paulo in 2005 described raves in São Paulo state as open-air events in remote areas running for more than 14 hours in a row. A lot of those parties play psytrance, which is why many Brazilians use "rave" and "festa de psytrance" almost as the same thing.

In Spanish, "una rave" or "un rave" is mostly a big techno or electronic party, often outdoors and sometimes unlicensed. In English, rave is the broad umbrella for the whole culture.

Your first psytrance party

If you are coming from raves, a psytrance festival will feel familiar on the dance floor and new everywhere else. Bring camping gear, plan for sun and cold nights, and pace yourself: the music is still playing at 4am and at noon. Drink water and use the chill-out areas. Our first-timer guide covers packing and preparation.

For a first big festival, Indian Spirit in Germany is professionally run and has plenty beyond the dance floors. For something smaller, Own Spirit in Spain gives a figure of around 4,000 people. More options are in our list of psytrance festivals worldwide.

FAQ

What is the difference between a rave and a party?

A rave is a party where electronic music and dancing are the point: DJs, a sound system and a long night. A normal party can have music in the background. Every rave is a party, but not every party is a rave.

What is festival trance?

It is not an official genre. Most people mean the melodic, euphoric trance played on main stages at big EDM festivals. In the psytrance scene, it can also mean the full-on and progressive psytrance that fills the main floors of open-air festivals.

Is a psytrance party a rave?

Yes, a psytrance party is a kind of rave. It sticks to one genre, usually lasts longer, often takes place in nature and has its own art and community.

How long does a psytrance festival last?

From a weekend to almost two weeks. Many Brazilian open airs run for two days; Ozora lasts twelve days and Universo Paralello nine.

Is a psytrance rave safe for first-timers?

Most festivals are well organised, and some have psycare teams on site. Look after yourself: water, shade, sleep and friends who know where you are. The first-timer guide has more tips.