Today promoters obtain permits for most of these parties, but many are still in the same types of locations. They have to be. Attendance at raves can number anywhere from a couple of hundred participants to several thousand. In L. A., almost 10,000 people attend raves each month, according to the Los Angeles Promoters Alliance. Some smaller clubs host what they bill as rave dances, but they are not the same, according to former Pierce student Jennifer Lee.
Ravers say that everyone at a rave is happy and loving.
The positive energy of so many people combined, creates a nirvana-like environment. Drugs are a matter of choice. Some would say that is because of the drugs, which is what stands out in most people s minds when they think of raves. People who use these pharmaceuticals say they do so because the drugs heighten their senses and enable them to stay up all night. The hallucinogenic, psychedelic qualities most of these narcotics possess also help the party-goers to transcend their surroundings.