With events across the globe paused indefinitely, Germany is turning to a favorite retro pastime: drive-in entertainment. The music events team at BigCityBeats has gotten creative before, even once projecting a live DJ set hosted by an astronaut in space. Now, faced with the possibility of a festival-deprived summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BigCityBeats threw Germany’s first drive-in rave. The event took place on the night of April 30 through May 1 at the parking lot of Club Index in Schüttorf.
Photo: WORLD CLUB DOME/Facebook
Germany Hosts the World’s First Drive-In Rave
Photo: WORLD CLUB DOME/Facebook
Complete with fireworks and pyrotechnics, the rave was attended by more than 500 people who followed the strict social distancing guidelines. Cars were parked five feet away from each other with their windows closed, and ravers observed distance while waiting in line for the bathroom. Ravers tuned their car radios to FM 92.6 to listen in. Dutch DJ Devin Wild headlined the show, which featured artists such as DJ Le Shuuk, Tiefblau, Plastik Funk, and Topic.
The rave was a response to the original BigCityBeats World Club Dome event being postponed until 2021. The organizers took to Instagram saying, “When there is a will, there is a way,” and added that this was just the first of many drive-in raves to come this year. The next show will take place on May 20 at a drive-in theater in Dusseldorf. Meanwhile, BigCityBeats is hosting live DJ streams every Saturday from Frankfurt, Zurich, and Lisbon, that anyone can tune into from the comfort of their own home. 