UBC Bike Rave
Beats, lights and bikes on campus
By mid-march, Vancouver is in the full swing of spring. Night no longer holds dominion. The gloomy, continual winter rain has subsided or at least warmed. Green begins to win the battle against brown. In the most western part of the city, University of British Columbia students are winding down the second term of the winter session. The final essays and lab reports are due and classes are soon to end to allow for the month-long examination period. There is a brief pause before exams. The summer break is in sight. It’s the perfect time to rave. For the past four springs, the ubc Bike Rave has brought a spectacle of bicycles and dance music to campus, staging an exuberant but not especially bacchanalian blowout to light up the night. The event’s Facebook page features this definition: “bikerave: \bahykreyv\ ; boisterous conglomeration, def’n: badass swippersnappers gettin’ their grunge hipster on to heavy bass, neon lights, and fast bikes.” Two ubc residence advisors, Joshua Campagna and Aaron Bailey, launched the first Bike Rave in 2013. At the inaugural event, Bailey told campus newspaper The Ubyssey that the event was “a way to celebrate the bike culture on campus and people who do ride bikes and practise sustainable transport.” Drugs are de-emphasized, but the other trademarks of raves – (bike) lights, glow sticks, costumes, thumping electronic music and dancing – are central to the party. Add bicycles and you have a distinctive event with a strong pulse.
Of course, the event isn’t just set in one place, not with all those wheels available. Revellers make a circuit around campus towing a sound system on a chariot and stop for impromptu dance sessions.
With the event heading into its fifth year, organizer Joshua Shepherd says, “The Bike Rave is unique and adds a lot of value to the ubc community. It brings people together from all areas of ubc to enjoy a night of dancing, music and cycling. It’s a chance to experience something new together. Additionally, the Bike Rave promotes sustainability by encouraging people to try cycling and reminding people how fun cycling can be.”
The Bike Rave has grown throughout its first four years, not only in attendees (160 in 2016), but also in sponsorship. The Utown@ubc Community Grant Program was one of the first sponsors. Now, the happening has support from several sources, including campus radio station CITR and Monkeylectric with its donation of nifty wheel lights. Shepherd reports, “The past committee members are working on adding some new elements to the rave that will appeal to everyone, including some different and uncommon styles of bikes like tandems and other styles, and expanding our music horizons.”
For the past two years, the bike ravers have also organized a Bicycle Beach Crawl at the end of the first week of the winter session in September. Shepherd is hoping to present future bike-centric celebrations: “We are excited at the idea of growing our list of events in the future. We are confident that they will be as successful as Bike Rave and the Bicycle Beach Crawl.”